Weight loss calorie calculator
Answer six quick questions to get a daily calorie target, a projected goal date, and a pace you can adjust. It uses the same method as the Hoot app, and needs no sign-up.
What is your sex?
The formula uses it to estimate what your body burns at rest.
For adults 18 and over. Results are estimates, not medical advice.
How this calculator works
Three steps, the same ones the Hoot app uses to set your daily target.
1. Your resting burn
It starts with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which estimates the calories your body uses at rest from your age, height, weight and sex.
2. Your typical day
That figure is multiplied by an activity factor: 1.2 for sedentary, 1.375 for lightly active, 1.55 for active and 1.725 for very active. The result is your maintenance estimate.
3. Your pace
To lose weight, the calculator subtracts a daily deficit based on the pace you pick, at about 3,500 calories per pound. A pace of 1 lb a week is roughly 500 calories a day.
Women: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161
Men: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5
What the numbers cannot tell you
Every result here is an estimate. Formulas like this describe averages, and your real needs can differ with body composition and how active you actually are.
The calculator does not suggest a daily target below 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men. If the pace you pick would go lower, it holds the target at that minimum and shows a longer timeline.
This tool is for adults 18 and over, and it is not medical advice. If you have a health condition or any concerns, check with a clinician before changing how you eat.
Calculator questions
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
It depends on your size, age, sex, activity level and the pace you choose. Enter your details above and the calculator estimates your maintenance calories and a daily target for your goal.
Is a faster pace better?
Faster is harder to keep up. The calculator supports 0.5 to 2 lb a week, labels paces up to 1 lb as Steady, and never goes below its minimum calorie floor.
How do I use this number?
Treat it as a starting point. Log what you eat for a couple of weeks, watch the trend, and adjust. Hoot sets this same target for you and tracks your meals against it by photo, voice or text.
Go deeper
Guides from the Hoot blog on the ideas behind this calculator.
Know your number. Let Hoot do the rest.
Hoot sets this target for you, then tracks every meal against it by photo, voice, or text. Guidance, not guilt.