Calorie calculator
How many calories you burn in a day, what to eat to lose, keep or gain weight, and the protein, carbs, fat and fibre to go with it. The same sums Squish uses to set your targets.
Free, with no sign-up. Nothing you type here leaves your browser.
To eat each day
0 kcal
That is 0 kJ. You burn about 0 kcal a day, and your body uses 0 of them at rest.
- 0 g protein
- 0 g carbs
- 0 g fat
- 0 g fibre
That pace would take you below a safe daily amount, so this is the floor Squish never goes under. A slower pace gets you there more kindly.
This calculator is for adults. Under 18, your body is still growing: talk to your doctor or a dietitian about what you need.
Those numbers look unusual. Check your height, weight and age, then try again.
Squish can keep these targets for you, and count what you eat against them with a photo.
Start free with SquishHow it works
There is no way to measure what you burn without a lab, so every calculator estimates. This one uses the sums most dietitians start from, and says exactly what they are.
1. What you burn at rest
Your basal metabolic rate, from the Mifflin–St Jeor equation: 10 × your weight in kg, plus 6.25 × your height in cm, minus 5 × your age, then plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women. For anybody else, Squish uses the point halfway between.
2. What you burn in a day
That rate times how active you are: 1.2 if you mostly sit, up to 1.9 for an athlete. This is your maintenance: eat about this much and your weight should hold steady.
3. Your goal
A kilogram of body fat is about 7,700 kcal, so losing half a kilogram a week means eating about 550 kcal a day less than maintenance. Gaining is the same sum the other way. Squish never sets a target below 1,200 kcal a day for women or 1,500 for men, however fast you ask to go.
4. Protein, fat, carbs and fibre
Protein is set by your weight: 1.6 g per kg to keep it, 1.8 g to lose (it helps you keep muscle), 1.9 g to gain, and for a larger body by a weight nearer a healthy one, so it stays something you can eat. Fat is 30% of your calories. Carbs are what is left, and fibre is 14 g for every 1,000 kcal.
These are a starting point. The real answer is what happens over a few weeks, which is why Squish's app adjusts your target from your own logs once it has enough of them.
Questions
How many calories should I eat a day?
It depends on your size, age, sex and how active you are, which is why a single number for everybody is no use. The calculator above works it out for you. As a rough guide, many women maintain their weight on 1,800 to 2,200 kcal a day and many men on 2,200 to 2,800.
How accurate is a calorie calculator?
The Mifflin–St Jeor equation is the most widely used and usually lands within about 10% of a measured rate, but any one person can be further out. Treat the number as a first guess, follow it for two or three weeks, and adjust by what your weight actually does.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR, your basal metabolic rate, is what your body burns lying still all day. TDEE, your total daily energy expenditure, adds everything you do: walking, working, exercise. Your maintenance calories are your TDEE.
Why is there a lowest number it will give?
Eating very little makes it hard to get enough protein, vitamins and minerals, and is hard to keep up. Squish never suggests less than 1,200 kcal a day for women or 1,500 for men. If you have been told to eat less than that, it should be by a doctor who is keeping an eye on you.
Should I count kcal or kJ?
Whichever your food labels use. They measure the same thing: 1 kcal is 4.184 kJ. Labels in Australia and New Zealand lead with kJ, so Squish counts in kJ there unless you change it.
Is what I type here saved anywhere?
No. The sums are done in your browser, and nothing you type is sent anywhere. There are no trackers on this website.
Now count it without counting
Snap your meal and Squish works out what is on the plate, against the targets you just worked out. See how the AI calorie counter works, or let Squish plan your week.