How to Calculate Your Daily Calories and Macros (and Turn Them into a Meal Plan)

“How many calories should I eat?” is one of the most common nutrition questions, and the honest answer is: it depends on your body, your activity and your goal. The good news is that you can get a solid estimate in a few minutes with a macro calculator or just a pen and a phone. This guide shows the maths, the usual targets for weight loss, muscle gain and maintenance, and what the result looks like on a plate.

Contents

• How do you calculate your daily calories?
• How do you adjust calories for your goal?
• How many macros do you need?
• What mistakes ruin calorie and macro calculations?
• What does 2,000 kcal and 130 g of protein look like?
• FAQ

How do you calculate your daily calories?

Start with two numbers:

• BMR (basal metabolic rate): the energy your body burns at rest, just to keep you alive.
• TDEE (total daily energy expenditure): your BMR plus everything you do, from walking to training.

The most widely used estimate for BMR is the Mifflin-St Jeor formula:

• Men: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
• Women: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161

Then multiply by an activity factor to get TDEE:

Activity level	Multiplier
Sedentary (desk job, little exercise)	1.2
Lightly active (1-3 workouts a week)	1.375
Moderately active (3-5 workouts a week)	1.55
Very active (6-7 hard workouts a week)	1.725

Worked example: a 30-year-old woman, 70 kg, 165 cm, training three to four times a week.

1. BMR = 10 × 70 + 6.25 × 165 − 5 × 30 − 161 = 1,420 kcal
2. TDEE = 1,420 × 1.55 = about 2,200 kcal

That 2,200 kcal is her maintenance level: eat this much and your weight should stay roughly stable.

How do you adjust calories for your goal?

Your TDEE is the starting point. Then move it in the direction of your goal:

• Fat loss: eat about 10-20% below TDEE. This is usually sustainable and keeps muscle loss low.
• Maintenance: eat at TDEE.
• Muscle gain: eat about 5-15% above TDEE. A small surplus builds muscle with less fat gain than a big one.

For our example, a 10% deficit gives 2,200 × 0.9 ≈ 2,000 kcal per day, which loses roughly 0.25-0.5 kg a week. Use that as a first guess, track your weight for two to three weeks, then adjust by 100-150 kcal if nothing moves.

How many macros do you need?

Macros are protein, fat and carbohydrates. Set them in this order:

1. Protein: 1.6-2.2 g per kg of bodyweight. Higher end when cutting or building muscle. Our example: 1.8 × 70 ≈ 130 g (520 kcal).
2. Fat: 0.7-1 g per kg, or about 25-35% of calories. Example: 60 g (540 kcal).
3. Carbs: whatever calories remain. Example: (2,000 − 520 − 540) ÷ 4 ≈ 235 g.

Protein and carbs have 4 kcal per gram, fat has 9.

Here are example splits for the same 70 kg person:

Goal	Calories	Protein	Fat	Carbs
Weight loss (-10-20%)	1,750-2,000	130-150 g	55-65 g	180-235 g
Maintenance	2,200	115-130 g	65-75 g	270-300 g
Muscle gain (+10%)	2,450	130-150 g	70-80 g	300-340 g

If you search for “macros for weight loss”, this is the pattern: protein stays high to protect muscle and keep you full, and the calorie cut comes mostly from carbs and fat.

What mistakes ruin calorie and macro calculations?

• Overestimating activity. Most people pick “very active” because they train. If you sit most of the day, “lightly active” or “moderate” is usually closer. When unsure, pick the lower one.
• Not tracking oils, sauces and snacks. One tablespoon of olive oil is 120 kcal. A handful of nuts is 170. These small things often explain a stalled plan.
• Cutting too aggressively. A 30-40% deficit feels fast for two weeks, then leads to hunger, lost muscle and a rebound. Stay inside 10-20%.
• Judging after three days. Water weight swings by 1-2 kg. Compare weekly averages instead.
• Forgetting that formulas are estimates. They can be off by 10% either way. Adjust using real results.

What does 2,000 kcal and 130 g of protein look like?

Numbers only help if they turn into food. Here is one sample day that hits roughly 2,000 kcal and 130 g of protein, in the style of the Monday plan you see on the Dietly landing page:

Meal	What	kcal	Protein
Breakfast	Greek yogurt (200 g), oats (50 g), berries (100 g)	400	28 g
Lunch	Chicken quinoa bowl: chicken breast (120 g), cooked quinoa (150 g), vegetables, 1 tbsp olive oil	550	46 g
Snack	Apple and 1 tbsp almond butter	200	4 g
Dinner	Baked salmon (130 g), potatoes (250 g), greens, 1 slice of bread	600	35 g
Evening	Skyr (200 g) with 15 g walnuts	230	23 g
Total		about 1,980	about 136 g

Planning a day like this by hand is fine. Planning seven different days, with portions that hit your macros and a shopping list that adds everything up, is where most people give up. That is why we wrote a guide to weekly meal planning as well.

Skip the maths

Dietly does this calculation for you. Enter your weight, height, age and goal, and it builds a full week of meals with calories, macros and an automatic grocery list in under a minute.

Build my plan or learn more on the Dietly homepage.

FAQ

How many calories should I eat a day? It depends on your size, age, activity and goal. Calculate your BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor, multiply it by an activity factor to get TDEE, then eat 10-20% less to lose fat or 5-15% more to gain muscle.

What is the difference between BMR and TDEE? BMR is what you burn at complete rest. TDEE adds daily movement and exercise, and it is the number you base your calorie target on.

How much protein do I need for weight loss? Aim for 1.6-2.2 g per kg of bodyweight. This helps preserve muscle and keeps you full while in a calorie deficit.

Is a macro calculator accurate? It gives a good starting estimate, usually within about 10%. Track your weight for two to three weeks and adjust by 100-150 kcal.