The Calorie Calculator can be used to estimate the number of calories a person needs to consume each day. This calculator can also provide some simple benchmarks for gaining or losing weight.
If you are interested to know how many calories you are burning in a day, you can calculate your energy balance, and calculate how many calories to eat each day when you know your number.
If your goal is to lose weight, you need to reach a negative energy balance; and if your goal is to gain weight you will need a surplus.
Read more below to understand how to use the daily calorie intake calculator.
What are calories?
Calories are a measure of how much energy is contained in your food or drink. This is the same energy that allows you to carry out all the activities from breathing to running or just even sleeping.
The amount of energy you need every day depends on:
- Age – for example, growing children and teenagers may need more energy
- Lifestyle – for example, how active you are
- Size and muscle mass– your height and weight and muscle mass can affect how quickly you use energy
- Activity level –the more active you are the more calories you burn
Other elements can also affect how much energy you burn each day. For example:
- Some hormones (chemicals produced by the body) – such as thyroid hormones
- Some medicines – such as glucocorticoids, a type of steroid used to treat inflammation
- Sickness or you being unwell due to infection
You get your calories primarily from three major macronutrients.
Calories and kilocalories
The term calorie is commonly used as a convenient form for kilocalories. You will find this written as kcal on the packaging of food items.
Kilojoules (kJ) are the equivalent of kilocalories within the International System of Units, and you’ll see both kJ and kcal on nutrition labels. 4.2kJ is equivalent to approximately 1kcal.
Maintaining a healthy weight
To find out if you are a healthy weight, use our BMI calculator.
To maintain a healthy weight, you need to consume the number of calories that you burn every day and not exceed or fall below it.
Losing weight
To lose weight in a healthy fashion, you need to use more energy than you consume by eating a healthy, balanced diet with fewer calories while increasing your physical activity.
You can lose weight by just being in a net calorie deficit, i.e consuming fewer calories than you burn every day but that is not recommended.
A GP can advise you better on the best way to lose weight.
Gaining weight
You should get advice from the GP if you’re underweight (your body mass index is less than 18.5).
To gain weight, you need to eat more calories than your body uses each day. For more information, see How can I gain weight safely?
Bulk and Cut
Sometimes .when you have specific goals like building muscle you may need to decide whether to bulk or cut, bulking is being in a calorie surplus and cutting is being in a calorie deficit.
Calories in Common Foods
*Oz is 28.3495 grams
| Food | Serving Size | Calories | kJ |
| Fruit | |||
| Apple | 1 (4 oz.) | 59 | 247 |
| Banana | 1 (6 oz.) | 151 | 632 |
| Grapes | 1 cup | 100 | 419 |
| Orange | 1 (4 oz.) | 53 | 222 |
| Pear | 1 (5 oz.) | 82 | 343 |
| Peach | 1 (6 oz.) | 67 | 281 |
| Pineapple | 1 cup | 82 | 343 |
| Strawberry | 1 cup | 53 | 222 |
| Watermelon | 1 cup | 50 | 209 |
| Vegetables | |||
| Asparagus | 1 cup | 27 | 113 |
| Broccoli | 1 cup | 45 | 188 |
| Carrots | 1 cup | 50 | 209 |
| Cucumber | 4 oz. | 17 | 71 |
| Eggplant | 1 cup | 35 | 147 |
| Lettuce | 1 cup | 5 | 21 |
| Tomato | 1 cup | 22 | 92 |
| Proteins | |||
| Beef, regular, cooked | 2 oz. | 142 | 595 |
| Chicken, cooked | 2 oz. | 136 | 569 |
| Tofu | 4 oz. | 86 | 360 |
| Egg | 1 large | 78 | 327 |
| Fish, Catfish, cooked | 2 oz. | 136 | 569 |
| Pork, cooked | 2 oz. | 137 | 574 |
| Shrimp, cooked | 2 oz. | 56 | 234 |
| Common Meals/Snacks | |||
| Bread, white | 1 slice (1 oz.) | 75 | 314 |
| Butter | 1 tablespoon | 102 | 427 |
| Caesar salad | 3 cups | 481 | 2014 |
| Cheeseburger | 1 sandwich | 285 | 1193 |
| Hamburger | 1 sandwich | 250 | 1047 |
| Dark Chocolate | 1 oz. | 155 | 649 |
| Corn | 1 cup | 132 | 553 |
| Pizza | 1 slice (14″) | 285 | 1193 |
| Potato | 6 oz. | 130 | 544 |
| Rice | 1 cup cooked | 206 | 862 |
| Sandwich | 1 (6″ Subway Turkey Sandwich) | 200 | 837 |
| Beverages/Dairy | |||
| Beer | 1 can | 154 | 645 |
| Coca-Cola Classic | 1 can | 150 | 628 |
| Diet Coke | 1 can | 0 | 0 |
| Milk (1%) | 1 cup | 102 | 427 |
| Milk (2%) | 1 cup | 122 | 511 |
| Milk (Whole) | 1 cup | 146 | 611 |
| Orange Juice | 1 cup | 111 | 465 |
| Apple cider | 1 cup | 117 | 490 |
| Yogurt (low-fat) | 1 cup | 154 | 645 |
| Yogurt (non-fat) | 1 cup | 110 | 461 |
* 1 cup = ~250 milliliters, 1 tablespoon = 14.2 gram
2000, 1500, and 1200 Calorie Sample Meal Plans
| Meal | 1200 Cal Plan | 1500 Cal Plan | 2000 Cal Plan |
| Breakfast | All-bran cereal (125) Milk (50) Banana (90) | Granola (120) Greek yogurt (120) Blueberries (40) | Buttered toast (150) Egg (80) Banana (90) Almonds (170) |
| Snack | Cucumber (30) Avocado dip (50) | Orange (70) | Greek yogurt (120) Blueberries (40) |
| Total | 345 Calories | 350 Calories | 650 Calories |
| Lunch | Grilled cheese with tomato (300) Salad (50) | Chicken and vegetable soup (300) Bread (100) | Grilled chicken (225) Grilled vegetables (125) Pasta (185) |
| Snack | Walnuts (100) | Apple (75) Peanut butter (75) | Hummus (50) Baby carrots (35) Crackers (65) |
| Total | 450 Calories | 550 Calories | 685 Calories |
| Dinner | Grilled Chicken (200) Brussel sprouts (100) Quinoa (105) | Steak (375) Mashed potatoes (150) Asparagus (75) | Grilled salmon (225) Brown rice (175) Green beans (100) Walnuts (165) |
| Total | 405 Calories | 600 Calories | 665 Calories |
Calories Burned from Common Exercises:
| Activity | Calories burned |
| Lifting weights | 90 |
| Aqua aerobics | 120 |
| Walking at 4.5 miles an hour | 150 |
| General Swimming | 180 |
| Running at 6 miles an hour | 300 |
| Computer work | 41 |
| Sleeping | 19 |
Calories burned from common activities based on weight
| Activity (1 hour) | 125 lb person | 155 lb person | 185 lb person |
| Golf (using a cart) | 198 | 246 | 294 |
| Walking (3.5 mph) | 215 | 267 | 319 |
| Kayaking | 283 | 352 | 420 |
| Softball/Baseball | 289 | 359 | 428 |
| Swimming (freestyle, moderate) | 397 | 492 | 587 |
| Tennis (general) | 397 | 492 | 587 |
| Running (9-minute mile) | 624 | 773 | 923 |
| Bicycling (12-14 mph, moderate) | 454 | 562 | 671 |
| Football (general) | 399 | 494 | 588 |
| Basketball (general) | 340 | 422 | 503 |
| Soccer (general) | 397 | 492 | 587 |
Energy from Common Food Components
| Food Components | kJ per gram | Calorie (kcal) per gram | kJ per ounce | Calorie (kcal) per ounce |
| Fat | 37 | 8.8 | 1,049 | 249 |
| Proteins | 17 | 4.1 | 482 | 116 |
| Carbohydrates | 17 | 4.1 | 482 | 116 |
| Fiber | 8 | 1.9 | 227 | 54 |
| Ethanol (drinking alcohol) | 29 | 6.9 | 822 | 196 |
| Organic acids | 13 | 3.1 | 369 | 88 |
| Polyols (sugar alcohols, sweeteners) | 10 | 2.4 | 283 | 68 |
Final words
Remember that all calorie calculations are estimates. Even the calorie counts on food packages are general estimates with some variations in the actual product.
So, if you’re attempting to lose weight, expect that you will need to take some time for trial and error before you find the numbers that are right for you.
Use several different methods to find out how many calories you burn each day. Then experiment with food intake to find the right balance to meet your goals.
