Enter your height, weight, age, sex, activity level, and goal (maintain, lose, or gain) to estimate your maintenance Calories (kcal) (EER) and a daily calorie target. This calculator uses the adult (19+) EER equations and is intended for generally healthy, non-pregnant, non-lactating adults.

Calorie Intake Calculator
Maintenance
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Daily target
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Medical note: This calculator provides general estimates for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. If you are pregnant or lactating, underweight, have a history of eating disorders, or have a medical condition (including diabetes) or take medications that affect appetite/weight, consult a clinician or registered dietitian before using calorie targets—especially aggressive deficits/surpluses.

Formula/source note: The adult (19+) EER equations and PA coefficients used here come from the Institute of Medicine Dietary Reference Intakes (DRIs) energy guidance. Last updated: 2026-01-01.

What is EER?

EER stands for Estimated Energy Requirement. In nutrition science (Dietary Reference Intakes), it refers to the average daily dietary energy intake (Calories/kcal) predicted to maintain energy balance in a healthy person of a given age, sex, weight, height, and physical activity level. In practice, it is commonly used as an estimate of your maintenance calories (roughly your total daily energy expenditure).

BMR stands for basal metabolic rate. It is the estimated amount of energy your body uses at rest under standardized conditions. Several common BMR equations exist (for example Mifflin–St Jeor, Harris–Benedict, and Schofield), and they can give different results. EER equations are separate from BMR equations and include an activity factor.

Understanding your EER (maintenance calories) can help you set a calorie target for weight change. The energy-balance principle matters (energy in vs. energy out), but real-world weight change is not perfectly linear day-to-day because appetite, NEAT (non-exercise activity), metabolic adaptation, glycogen/water shifts, and measurement error all play a role.

EER Formula

For adults (age 19+), EER is commonly estimated using the Institute of Medicine (IOM/DRI) equations below (units matter):

Men (19+): EER = 662 − 9.53×Age + PA×(15.91×Weight + 539.6×Height)
Women (19+): EER = 354 − 6.91×Age + PA×(9.36×Weight + 726×Height)

Where Weight is in kg, Height is in meters, Age is in years, and PA is a physical-activity coefficient that depends on sex and activity category.

The image below shows a commonly used BMR equation (Mifflin–St Jeor). Some calculators estimate daily needs by finding BMR and then applying an activity multiplier, but this page’s calculator uses the adult EER equations above.

Mifflin–St Jeor BMR formula
  • BMR = basal metabolic rate (kcal/day)
  • w = weight (kg)
  • h = height (cm)
  • a = age (years)
  • s = constant (+5 for men, −161 for women)

Physical activity can be handled by using an activity multiplier (for BMR-based methods) or a PA coefficient (in the adult EER equations). Fixed calorie add-ons (for example, “+200 Calories (kcal)/day” for a certain number of hours of exercise) are not reliable because exercise energy cost varies widely with body mass, intensity, and exercise type.

  • Sedentary: mostly sitting; little purposeful exercise
  • Low active: light daily activity (walking/standing some of the day)
  • Active: moderate daily activity and/or regular exercise
  • Very active: high daily activity; hard exercise and/or an active job

Heart rate (BPM) is not a universal stand-in for calorie burn across individuals because the heart-rate-to-energy relationship varies by age, fitness, exercise mode, and other factors.

How to calculate EER

Now that you have a basic understanding of how EER is estimated, here is a step-by-step guide to using the formulas (or the calculator above).

  1. First, gather the required information: height, weight, sex, and age. For the best consistency, measure weight under similar conditions (for example, morning after using the restroom) and consider averaging several days.
  2. Next, choose an activity category that best matches your overall lifestyle (exercise plus daily activity). The basic categories are:
    1. Sedentary
    2. Low active
    3. Active
    4. Very active
  3. If you do regular strength training, have an active job, or generally move a lot outside of workouts, you may fit better into a higher activity category.
  4. Decide on a goal: maintain, lose, or gain. A common rule of thumb is that a 500 kcal/day deficit or surplus corresponds to about 1 lb/week of weight change on average, but real results vary and the rate often slows over time. Larger changes (such as 2 lb/week) may be inappropriate for some people without medical guidance.
  5. Finally, enter your values into the calculator to estimate your maintenance calories (EER) and your calorie target.

EER and Weight Control

Now that you have an estimated EER, you can use it as a starting point for planning nutrition and activity. Many factors influence outcomes, but, over time, sustained calorie intake above or below your maintenance needs typically leads to weight gain or weight loss.

It’s also important to understand that this is only an estimate. For a more accurate personal target, implement a consistent plan and track results over several weeks (often 3–4 weeks or more). Looking at longer-term trends (for example, weekly average weigh-ins) and adjusting as needed is often more useful than focusing on day-to-day fluctuations.

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