Use our free weight loss calculator to determine how many calories you need to eat in a day for weight loss.
You have a weight loss goal. You may wonder, how many calories do you need to eat in order to get to your goal weight? Use our free calculator as a guide.
- Free Weight Loss Calculator – Daily Food Calorie Intake
- Should You Count Calories to Lose Weight?
- Benefits of Calorie Counting for Weight Loss
- Disadvantages of Calorie Counting for Weight Loss
- SmartPhone Apps to Count Calories
- FAQ about Counting Calories
- Q:Do I have to hit my calorie goal exactly?
- Q: Should I use my exercise calories?
- Q: My Fitness Pal says I need 1,200 calories a day. Is that okay?
- Q: If I eat too little, will my body go into starvation mode?
- Q: How much should I eat whole foods and how much can I eat treats?
- Q: I can’t eat that much food.
- Q: I get busy during the day and forget to eat. Then I binge when I get home.
- Q: Tracking takes too long.
- Q: Do I need to worry about how much protein, fat, and carbs I eat?
- Q: Do I need to track calories from drinks?
- Q: How do I track when I don’t know the calories in something, like at a party or restaurant?
Free Weight Loss Calculator – Daily Food Calorie Intake
Use this free weight loss calculator/food calorie calculator to determine how many calories you need to eat each day in order to lose weight.
Tip: The calculator auto-filled information to show you an example. You must backspace to erase the auto-fill info first, then add your personal information before you click the green button to get your calorie goal. Also be sure to click the male or female icon.
This calculator is a general guide and not intended to replace medical help. Consult your doctor or a medical professional to determine what is right for you.
Should You Count Calories to Lose Weight?
As someone who has been maintaining a 100 pound weight loss for the last decade, I know the importance of having a guide to help you with healthier eating.
While I think there is great benefit to eating intuitively (using your hunger to guide you), I know that for me I needed more structure and accountability in order to successfully lose weight and keep it off long term.
I lost the majority of my weight using the Weight Watchers (now called WW) program and I’m still a big fan of Weight Watchers. Click here to learn more about how I used WW and to see if the program is right for you.
WW uses their own method that counts points. The method is similar to calorie counting but it also gives more benefit (lower points) to foods that are higher in protein, low in fat, and have fiber and additional nutrition. Foods that are highly processed and high in sugar and fat are higher in points.
WW also allows members zero point foods that can be eaten freely.
Still, the WW method isn’t for everyone and if it’s not for you, consider counting calories instead.
Benefits of Calorie Counting for Weight Loss
What are the benefits of counting calories to lose weight?
- Counting calories is simple. As complex as weight loss is from a mental and emotional standpoint, the science behind it is relatively simple. When you consume fewer calories than you eat, you lose body fat. Counting calories gives you a guideline for how much to eat in order to lose weight.
- Calorie information is available. There are many apps that guide you in counting calories (see below). If you prefer to write your food journal on paper, all information about calories is available online or in books for free.
- Counting calories works. Counting calories, if you do so consistently, does work. In fact, research shows us that keeping a food log is one of the best ways to lose weight.
Disadvantages of Calorie Counting for Weight Loss
While there are plenty of benefits to counting calories, there are distinct disadvantages, too.
- It’s impossible to be totally accurate when counting calories. Unless you are in a scientific food lab situation, it’s impossible to count calories with 100% accurately. Mismeasurements, the variation of food sources, or even the way your own body metabolizes foods are all factors that affect the accuracy of counting calories.
- Counting calories can be a hassle. While it’s fairly simple to count calories, it’s still something to be done each day and some people find this too much of a hassle. I personally have been keeping food logs for years so it’s not a big deal to me, but if it’s not something you’ve done regularly, you may find the method restricting.
- Counting calories can lead to obsession. Many people find that they become food and numbers obsessed when they count calories, which leads to even greater issues with food, diets, and weight. My own experience was that yes, for a season I was diet and numbers obsessed, but it was only for a season. Now that I’ve been maintaining my weight for a period of time, that obsession has diminished greatly.
Ultimately, the decision about whether counting calories is right for you, is up to you. You know yourself best and what methods will lead to your long-term success. Talk with your doctor about it, also.
SmartPhone Apps to Count Calories
Gone are the days where we had to manually count calories. These are some of my favorite apps for counting calories and they make the method a breeze.
All of these apps are either totally free or have a free version. I’ve never paid for the upgrades so you can use these without paying and get everything you need to count calories accurately to lose weight.
Top Calorie Counting Smart Phone Apps:
My Fitness Pal – This is the standard app most people use to track calories. The free version is fine. Use caution with their recommend daily calorie range, which I find to be too low for many women. I recommend setting your goal to lose .5 pound per week (don’t worry – you will lose more) so that your calorie range isn’t too low.
Lose It – Another great app for tracking calories eaten.
My Net Diary – This app is similar to My Fitness Pal.
Bite Snap – The way this app works is that you snap a photo of your plate and then it guides you into quickly tracking your calories. I am always a bit shocked at how accurately it knows what food is on my plate.
FAQ about Counting Calories
Q:Do I have to hit my calorie goal exactly?
A: No, that’s impossible. If you are within 100 calories +/-, you are doing fine.
Q: Should I use my exercise calories?
A: Perhaps, but not necessarily. If you are doing less than an hour of gentle activity, you might not need them. If you exercise or walk a lot and are hungry, trying “eating back” half the calories you earn and see how you feel.
Q: My Fitness Pal says I need 1,200 calories a day. Is that okay?
A: NO. That is too low. Most women in this group will need at least 1,500 calories a day and probably more. If you weigh over 200 pounds, you probably need over 2,000. A bedridden 130 pound woman needs 1300 calories a day to maintain her weight. If you got out of bed today, you need more calories. Adjust your weight loss target to be losing .5 pound per week. DO NOT UNDEREAT. You will just end up binging later. (Note: This is not medical advice.)
Q: If I eat too little, will my body go into starvation mode?
A: No, starvation mode is mostly a myth. If you under-eat for a long time (weeks and months) your body will slow down your metabolic rate a bit, but that’s not your biggest concern. What happens most often is that women under-eat in an effort to lose weight and then binge later, like at night, on the weekends, on vacations, and when they get to eat the junk foods they deprived themselves of earlier. DO NOT UNDEREAT.
Q: How much should I eat whole foods and how much can I eat treats?
A: Try eating 10-20 percent of your calories for treats and eat healthy foods for the rest, then see how you feel.
Q: I can’t eat that much food.
A: Really? Because you HAVE been eating that many calories. That’s how you are maintaining your current body weight.
Q: I get busy during the day and forget to eat. Then I binge when I get home.
A: That’s a problem. Divide your calories by 4. Eat 1/4 for breakfast, 1/4 for lunch, 1/4 for dinner and 1/4 for snacks. Set an alarm on your phone. Quit thinking you don’t have time to eat. Make the time to take care of yourself. Also, you are worthy of having an appetite and you are worthy of good food, even if you are overweight. You are allowed to eat in front of people.
Q: Tracking takes too long.
A: Then you are doing it wrong. I pre-track the night before and it takes me about 10-15 minutes. Consistency matters more than accuracy. Just estimate and keep going.
Q: Do I need to worry about how much protein, fat, and carbs I eat?
A: As far as losing body fat, focus on total calories. You can play around with macros (protein, fat, carbs are macros) to see how you feel with various amounts if you want to, but it shouldn’t be your main focus.
Q: Do I need to track calories from drinks?
A: YES, your body counts all calories. Calories from soda, sweet tea, and coffee creamer should be tracked.
Q: How do I track when I don’t know the calories in something, like at a party or restaurant?
A: Estimate, track and move on. Consistency matters more than accuracy with tracking.
More questions about counting calories? Leave it in the comments below or contact me and I’ll respond.
Now that you know how many calories you need to eat each day in order to lose weight, you are ready to move toward weight loss success.
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At first the calculator didn’t work, stating, “Need more information,” but then I realized I didn’t click the face icon. Once I did that, it worked fine.
Ditto. Calculator not working.
Calculator not working
Calculator not working. Says need more information.
Yes, I’m having the same problem.