Calorie Calculator - Eat This Much

Your Activity Level choice has a big impact on your suggested targets, but can feel frustratingly imprecise for individual needs and lifestyles.

Before you choose, consider that you will want to lean in the direction of your goals. So if you think you're on the border between two choices, and your goal is to lose weight, choose the lower activity level to set a lower Calorie target.

Here's a rough guide:

Sedentary: You spend most of your day sitting (like many desk jobs). You may work out a few times a week, but that's the majority of your activity. You probably average less than 30 minutes of moderate activity per day, and intense exercise is not typically part of your routine.
Lightly Active: You spend a good part of your day on your feet (like a teacher or a nurse). Activities might include walking at a slow pace for over 30 minutes daily, with occasional bouts of high-intensity workouts that do not exceed 60 minutes per week.
Moderately Active: You move around a lot during the day. Suitable for individuals regularly engaging in moderate activities or including intense workouts 2-3 times a week. This includes brisk walking for 60-120 minutes daily, plus high-intensity exercise sessions totaling 60 to 180 minutes per week.
Very Active: You lead a physically demanding lifestyle or engage in vigorous exercise consistently, including intense workouts 4-5 times a week. Activities involve running, HIIT, or competitive sports, totaling over 180 minutes of vigorous activity weekly, alongside daily moderate activities.
Extremely Active: You have an intense physical activity routine or labor-intensive job, incorporating intense exercises almost daily. This level includes long-distance running, competitive cycling, hard manual labor, or athletic training, with vigorous activities extending beyond 300 minutes per week.

Don't be afraid to experiement with different activity levels to see how the targets change. Try following a set of targets for a week or two, and then adjust based on your progress.

We make some macronutrient suggestions based on your goals, physical stats, and selected diet type. Our goal with these suggestions is to make sure you're getting at least a minimum amount of each macronutrient, while leaving you plenty of flexibility to get food suggestions that you enjoy.

Carbs

We scale carbs based on your activity level, weight, and goal. Carbs are relatively easy for your body to convert into energy, so if you're more active, you'll need more of them. If more sedentary, you'll need less. Carbs also tend to be less satiating, so if your goal is lose weight, it can be easier to feel full with a low carb diet, and if your goal is to gain weight, it can be easier to eat more and perform better with a high carb diet.

Protein

There are a few things to consider with protein.

The RDA for protein is 0.36 grams per pound of bodyweight (0.8g/kg) per day.
0.82g/lb (1.81g/kg) is thought to be the upper bound of useful protein intake before it stops improving muscle building [ Phillips & Van Loon, 2011]
Protein intakes of up to 1.1g/lb (2.4g/kg) have been shown to improve the quality of weight loss (i.e. more fat, less muscle loss) in athletes [ Hector & Phillips, 2017]

Most people will do just fine by following the RDA, but we tend to estimate a bit higher for the supposed benefits. We adjust based on your activity level, selected bodyfat (lower bodyfat means more lean muscle mass, and thus a higher protein requirement), and goals. Proteins also tend to be the most satiating macronutrient, so if your goal is to lose weight, it can be easier to feel full with a high protein diet.

Fat

Fat is essential for hormone production, nutrient absorption, and proper overall health. It's also key in making a lot of things taste really good. It's often suggested not to go below a fat intake of 0.3g/lb (0.66g/kg) of bodyweight, as it can be difficult to get enough essential fatty acids and fat soluble vitamins below that level. We suggest at least 0.3g/lb for people trying to lose weight, and at least 0.5g/lb for people trying to maintain or gain.

If you're interested in a more specific macronutrient breakdown, we suggest you consult a dietitian. They can help you determine the best macronutrient targets for your specific goals and lifestyle. You can also use any other calculator you like, and plug your numbers into Eat This Much to get meal plans that match.