Your weight loss. Your journey.
LifesRank helps you understand your calorie needs and take practical steps toward weight loss.
Free calculator. No account required.
Calorie calculator
Your calorie starting point
Enter your details once, then choose to cut, maintain or bulk. You'll see your estimated maintenance calories, a sensible target for your goal, and one thing to do today.
Your results
Fill in your details and press Calculate. You'll see roughly how many calories you burn, what to eat for your goal, how big the change is, and one thing to do next.
How we calculate your calories
1. Resting energy. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation estimates the calories your body uses at complete rest from your weight, height, age and sex: . It's a prediction from a formula, not a measurement.
2. Your whole day. That's multiplied by an activity factor for your job, walking, general movement and exercise: . This gives your estimated maintenance, the calories that would keep your weight about the same.
3. Your goal. A cut or bulk is a percentage of maintenance, so the change is in proportion to your needs, with limits so it never gets very large.
More detail for the curious
Mifflin-St Jeor: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5 for males or − 161 for females. In studies it estimated resting energy within 10% of the measured value for many adults, but not all: in one study of 362 adults, 56% were within 10%. Errors were larger for some groups, including older adults and some ethnic groups.
Activity factors are 1.40, 1.55, 1.70, 1.90 and 2.10. They sit within the ranges measured in large studies of real daily energy use (the FAO/WHO/UNU expert report and the NIH Body Weight Planner), toward the lower end because people often overrate how active they are. Many calculators use 1.2 for "sedentary", which is below what those studies measured.
Cut: conservative 10%, moderate 20% or aggressive 25% below maintenance (at most 400, 750 or 1,000 calories). Bulk: 5%, 10% or 15% above (at most 250, 400 or 600). Daily steps never change these numbers; they're already part of your activity level.
Fine-tune your number over the next few weeks
The formula is a starting point. Your own results show your real maintenance:
- Eat close to your target most days, and keep a rough note of what you eat.
- Weigh yourself under the same conditions (morning, after the bathroom, before eating) on at least 3–4 days a week.
- Each week, work out your average weight. Ignore single weigh-ins: water and food can move them by a pound or two.
- After 3–4 weeks, compare the weekly averages. If they're moving in the direction and pace you want, keep going. If not, change your daily calories by about 100–200 and give it another 2–3 weeks.
Avoid cutting calories again and again when progress slows. If your weight hasn't moved for several weeks at a low intake, a doctor or registered dietitian can help.
These numbers are estimates from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, not measurements or medical advice, and they can't predict exactly how much weight you'll lose. No single calorie number is right or safe for everyone. If you're under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, take medication that affects your appetite or weight, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian before following any calorie target.
Your first step
Take a 10-minute walk after one meal today.
Start with something you can repeat. Calculate your numbers above, and add your daily steps for a more personal first step.
How LifesRank works
Three simple steps
- 1
Calculate
Get your maintenance calories and a starting target for your goal. Free, with no account.
- 2
Take your first step
One practical action based on your goal and your daily steps. Start it today.
- 3
Keep going
Get one free tip by email each week, or join Improve Life for personal nutrition targets and guidance.
Membership
Improve Life
Your calorie target is the start. Improve Life turns it into a simple daily plan.
Recipe Collection
Four high-protein cookbooks (breakfasts, lunches, dinners and desserts) with 20 recipes. Each has exact quantities, simple steps, storage and meal-prep tips, and calories, protein, carbs, fat and fiber per serving.
Personal nutrition targets
Daily calories, protein, carbohydrate, fat and fiber in grams, built from your calculator results. Choose balanced, higher protein, higher carbohydrate or higher fat: the split changes, the calorie target doesn't.
Ten practical guides
In-depth Cutting and Bulking guides, plus calories and macros, high-protein food, fiber, meal prep, grocery shopping and labels, food swaps and eating out, strength training, and tracking progress. Read online or download as PDFs.
One weekly focus
One simple habit to work on each week, like protein at every main meal or checking your weekly average weight.
Monthly check-in
Once a month, send your weekly average weight, how the month went and one question. You'll get one written reply from the founder of LifesRank within 7 days. It's not unlimited messaging, instant coaching or medical advice.
Launch prices. Improve Life isn't open yet, and nothing can be bought today.
Cancel online any time from your account, in a few clicks. You keep access until the end of the period you've already paid for. Payments aren't refunded, except for charges made in error. See cancellation and refunds. Payments are handled securely by Stripe. The calculator and weekly tips stay free. Membership gives general guidance, not medical advice.
Improve Life guides
Ten practical guides
Included in Improve Life. Read online or download each one as a PDF. Each guide has a table of contents, worked examples and references.
- 01The Complete Cutting GuideHow to lose body fat while keeping muscle: choosing a calorie target, paces, protein, training, hunger, plateaus, and ending a cut.
- 02The Complete Bulking GuideHow to gain muscle without unnecessary fat: surplus size, paces, protein and carbs, progressive training, tracking and adjusting.
- 03Calories and Macros ExplainedCalories, energy balance, TDEE, resting energy, protein, carbohydrate, fat, fiber, alcohol, food labels and tracking errors, with worked examples.
- 04The High-Protein Food GuideAnimal and plant protein foods with serving sizes in grams, protein per serving, affordable choices, protein quality and how to spread protein across meals.
- 05The Fiber and Digestive Health GuideWhat fiber is, soluble and insoluble fiber, food sources with serving sizes, how to increase intake gradually, hydration, digestive tolerance and high-fiber meals.
- 06Meal Prep and Portion ControlBuilding balanced meals, meal prepping, portion sizes, measuring food, raw versus cooked weights, safe storage, batch cooking and eating consistently without obsessing.
- 07Smart Grocery Shopping and Food LabelsHow to read nutrition labels, serving sizes, calories and protein per serving, ingredients, comparing products, budget shopping, shopping lists and marketing claims.
- 08Smart Food Swaps and Eating OutHigh-protein and lower-calorie swaps, restaurant and fast-food strategies, desserts, drinks, flexible eating and avoiding unnecessary restriction.
- 09Strength Training for Body CompositionWhy resistance training matters, training during a cut or bulk, progressive overload, exercise selection, recovery, consistency, cardio and starting as a beginner.
- 10Tracking Progress, Plateaus and AdjustmentsDaily weight fluctuations, weekly averages, consistent weigh-ins, photos and measurements, strength, water retention, stalls, and how and when to adjust calories.
Questions
How are my calories calculated?
We use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, a widely used formula for adults: (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age), then + 5 for males or − 161 for females. That estimates resting energy only, so it's multiplied by an activity factor for your whole day (1.40 to 2.10) to estimate maintenance. Cuts are 10%, 20% or 25% below maintenance, and bulks 5%, 10% or 15% above, each with a limit in calories. The aggressive cut is only offered with more weight to lose. The calculator won't suggest a target below 1,500 calories for males or 1,200 for females. That's a cautious limit for this tool, not a number that's right or safe for everyone. Your daily steps don't change these numbers, because walking is already part of your activity level. See the full method and references.
How accurate is it?
It's an estimate, not a measurement. The resting formula is within about 10% of measured values for many adults but not everyone, and activity is harder to estimate still, so your real maintenance can differ by a few hundred calories a day. No calculator can promise a result. Follow your target for 3–4 weeks, compare your weekly average weights, and adjust by about 100–200 calories if needed.
Is the calculator free? Do I need an account?
Yes, it's free, and no account is needed. Nothing you type into the calculator is saved or sent anywhere. The weekly email is free and optional.
What do I get with Improve Life?
A high-protein Recipe Collection (four cookbooks, 20 recipes), personal protein, carbohydrate, fat and fiber targets for cutting, maintaining or bulking, ten practical guides, one weekly focus and a monthly written check-in. The launch prices are $4.99 a month or $29.99 a year. It isn't open yet.
Is this medical advice?
No. It's general information for healthy adults aged 18 and over. If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, take medication that affects your weight or appetite, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian first.