How Many Calories Should You Eat Per Day?

Why "2,000 kcal a day" Is Wrong for Most People

Food labels in many countries use 2,000 kcal as a reference. It's a round number, not your number. A 165 cm, 60 kg woman with a desk job needs roughly 1,500–1,700 kcal to maintain. A 190 cm, 95 kg man who lifts four times a week needs 3,200+ kcal. Treating either of them as "average" produces wrong outcomes.

Your real calorie target depends on size, activity, and goal — and it's straightforward to calculate.

The Three-Step Method

Step 1: Calculate TDEE

Use the Mifflin-St Jeor formula:

• Men: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) + 5
• Women: BMR = (10 × kg) + (6.25 × cm) − (5 × age) − 161

Then multiply by activity factor:

Activity	Factor
Sedentary	1.2
Light (1–3× exercise/week)	1.375
Moderate (3–5× exercise/week)	1.55
Active (6–7× exercise/week)	1.725
Very active	1.9

Or use our calorie calculator to skip the math.

Step 2: Adjust for Goal

Goal	Adjustment
Maintain	TDEE
Lose fat (moderate)	TDEE − 400 to 500
Lose fat (aggressive)	TDEE − 600 to 800
Gain muscle (lean)	TDEE + 200 to 300
Gain weight (faster)	TDEE + 400 to 500

Step 3: Test and Adjust

The formula gets you 80% of the way. The last 20% comes from reality:

1. Eat at the calculated target for two weeks.
2. Track weekly average weight, not daily.
3. Compare expected change vs. actual:
   • Wanted maintenance, lost 0.5 kg → your real TDEE is ~250 kcal higher.
   • Wanted maintenance, gained 0.5 kg → your real TDEE is ~250 kcal lower.

Calibrate every 4–6 weeks.

Common Examples

30-year-old woman, 165 cm, 65 kg, desk job, 2 yoga classes/week — wants to lose fat

• BMR: (10×65) + (6.25×165) − (5×30) − 161 = 1,370 kcal
• TDEE: 1,370 × 1.375 = 1,884 kcal
• Fat-loss target: 1,884 − 400 = ~1,500 kcal

35-year-old man, 180 cm, 85 kg, 4× gym + 10,000 steps/day — wants to maintain

• BMR: (10×85) + (6.25×180) − (5×35) + 5 = 1,805 kcal
• TDEE: 1,805 × 1.55 = 2,798 kcal
• Maintenance: ~2,800 kcal

27-year-old woman, 170 cm, 60 kg, lifts 4× per week, active job — wants to gain muscle

• BMR: (10×60) + (6.25×170) − (5×27) − 161 = 1,366 kcal
• TDEE: 1,366 × 1.725 = 2,356 kcal
• Muscle-gain target: 2,356 + 250 = ~2,600 kcal

Track your calories with KairoFree on the App Store

What Counts as "Activity"

This is where most people get it wrong:

• Sedentary (1.2): desk job + no deliberate exercise + < 5,000 steps
• Light (1.375): desk job + 1–3 exercise sessions/week or 5,000–8,000 steps daily
• Moderate (1.55): 3–5 exercise sessions/week + 8,000–12,000 steps
• Active (1.725): 6–7 sessions/week or physical job
• Very active (1.9): elite training or heavy physical labor

When in doubt, pick the lower tier. It's the most common source of error in calorie estimates.

Floors You Shouldn't Go Below

Sustained intake below these thresholds risks muscle loss, hormonal disruption, and rebound:

• Women: 1,200 kcal/day
• Men: 1,500 kcal/day

If your math demands below those numbers, increase activity instead of cutting further.

How Many Calories to Maintain Weight

A quick reference (TDEE for moderate activity):

Body weight	Women	Men
50 kg	1,700	—
60 kg	1,900	2,200
70 kg	2,000	2,400
80 kg	2,150	2,600
90 kg	2,300	2,800
100 kg	—	2,950

These are rough estimates for an average 30-something with moderate activity. Calibrate to your real body and habits.

Conclusion

Your calorie target is a function of your body and your goal, not a universal 2,000 kcal. Calculate TDEE with Mifflin-St Jeor, adjust 400–500 kcal for fat loss or 200–300 kcal for lean gain, test for two weeks, then recalibrate based on actual results. Use our calorie calculator and TDEE guide to skip the work — but understand the math so you can interpret it.

For the full system, see our complete calorie tracking guide.