Calories Per Day Calculator – How Many Calories Do You Need?

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Have you ever wanted to know how many calories you need to eat per day in order to lose, maintain or even gain weight? It’s absolutely critical to understand that calories in and calories out equate to success when you’re on a fitness program. Nutrition is so important that some personal trainers say it makes up to 75% of your overall results! So many people are confused when it comes to figuring out how many calories they need and this is the main reason we created this calorie per day calculator. It’s so important to have a baseline understanding of your current calorie level before starting a diet and exercise plan, so use the calculator below to get an understanding of your calorie needs.

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Activity Levels:

  • Sedentary = (little or no exercise, desk job)
  • Lightly Active = (light exercise or sports 1-3 days/wk)
  • Moderately Active = (moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days/wk)
  • Very Active = (hard exercise or sports 6-7 days/wk)
  • Extremely Active = (hard daily exercise or sports & physical labor job or 2 X day training, football camp, etc.)

To Lose Weight
To take off one pound per week, you’ll need to reduce calories by 500 per day (1 pound of body fat equals about 3,500 calories). Try eating 250 calories less per day and exercising enough to burn 250 calories, like walking about 2.5 miles each day. The easiest way to cut back on calories is to watch your portion sizes.

To Gain Weight
Try eating about 500 calories more per day and limit your cardio activity. Focus on basic compound strength training exercises like barbell squat, bench press and barbell rows to add lean muscle mass to your physique. Make sure to eat enough protein (at least 1 gram per pound of body weight) and get plenty of rest to recover and grow after your workouts.

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132 Comments

      • What would be moderate exercise for a 48 year old man 185-190 pounds with type 2 diabetes that is under control? I have a tread climber machine which is basically a treadmill, elliptical and stair stepper all rolled into one machine.

        • Hi Balaji – Moderate exercise depends a lot on the actual pace of your workout. The tread climber machine you’re using at a normal pace (not too intense) should qualify for “moderate” exercise. With type 2 diabetes, it’s always best to consult with your physician before doing any type of exercise just to be on the safe side.

        • Hi Laura – The extra calories usually get stored as body fat, but each person’s body works very differently based on genetics and metabolism. You probably know some people who can eat whatever they want and they simply don’t gain weight, while others can just look at a piece of chocolate cake and quickly pack on the pounds. Different body somatotypes (ectomorph, mesomorph, endomorph) come into play with nutrient partitioning which is the process by which the body decides what to do with the energy you get from your diet. The key is to tweak both your diet and exercise plan to see what works for your own body. It takes a little time along with some trial and error, but you will eventually find that “sweet spot” that works best for you.

  1. uday sankar ghosh on

    I am 43 years old . My height is 5 feet 5 inch and weight is 71 kgs. Every day I am burning 250 calories by walking. Is this sufficient?

    • Uday – Walking is a good cardio exercise but you will want to focus more on your diet for long term results. Remember, you can’t out-exercise a bad diet so if you’re eating too many calories each day, it doesn’t matter how much walking you’re doing since you will not be able to burn it all off. So, focus more of your attention on the foods you’re eating. Combining cardio with a clean diet is the key to losing weight and keeping it off.

      • Say I eat 3,000 calories a day, all from fast food and junk. If I burned 3,500 calories a day through exercise, I would lose weight. It would be impossible not to. I see that you are getting at the fact that a long-term sustainable diet change is most effective for people wishing to lose weight and I agree but you should not make wild remarks like you can’t out-exercise a bad diet. If you burn more than you eat, you will lose weight regardless of where the calories come from.

        • Hi Rich – There are two main points that you should take away from our recommendations. First, not all calories are the same when it comes to optimizing your diet for bodybuilding, fitness and overall general health. Is 3,000 calories of chicken breast and broccoli the same as 3,000 calories of chocolate cake? Not so much. You will get a massive insulin spike and zero protein with the chocolate cake compared to the latter (not to mention the lack of vitamins and minerals). Now, the saying “you can’t out-exercise a bad diet” means exercise, not simply burning calories via your normal daily energy burn. It also doesn’t mean 300-500 calories of excess food intake. We are talking about eating junk food and fast food that equates to 4,000 to 5,000 calories per day when the person’s normal TDEE is 2,000 calories per day. There is no way you can burn 2,000 to 3,000 calories with exercise per day unless you’re running a full marathon every single day. How easy is it to pack away 1,000 calories in a matter of minutes with a double cheeseburger, large fries and a milkshake? Pretty darn easy. Now, the matter of thermodynamics does come into play obviously (calories in vs. calories out). But the true measure is to actually test this theory yourself. Focus on eating the same exact calories for 4 weeks and test it using two different food plans. For the first two weeks, only eat junk food, fast food and “non-healthy” foods. Then, see how you look and feel. Then for the next two weeks, eat super clean foods (lean protein, clean carbs, healthy fats) and, once again, take an assessment of how you look and feel. Remember, these are exactly the same caloric levels, with the only variable being the food that is consumed. Document your results with photos and also take measurements to see how different your body composition is after each phase. This will be a true test of whether all calories are the same.

  2. I’m 40 years old and weigh 360 pounds. I used to play semi-pro football and basketball back then I weighed about 220 pounds. I am a very active person (even at 360 pounds) and I go to the gym 4 days a week. I sprint for a few minutes and I lift weights for about 40 minutes. I have been doing this for almost 1 year and yet no results. I tend to be going up and down in my weight. 3 months ago I weighed about 340 pounds and now i am back to 360 pounds. I struggle with my diet but I have reduced my portions and even tried a low-carb diet. Now, any little carbs I eat triggers weight gain. I don’t understand why someone as active as I am can’t lose any weight. I would like some help from you as to what diet I should try.

    • Ross – Try increasing your cardio to 45-60 minutes per day and make sure to closely watch your overall calories. In terms of a specific diet, it really comes down to one that you can follow for the long term. Try adjusting your carbs and cut out all starches (bread, rice, potato) after 3pm. Stick with lean protein and veggies later in the day. Cardio should be done in the morning on an empty stomach (drink a little BCAA powder intra-workout) to optimally burn body fat. Best of luck to you 🙂

      • This answer is just wild. Never cut out all carbs and never do cardio on an empty stomach. That will wreck havoc with your body’s ability to burn calories. Eat more protein in the MORNING. Studies show that we in the U.S. have it backwards, we eat light in the morning and heavy in the afternoon. Eat a good breakfast with protein. I feel more energized and ready to go and don’t get hungry on days (on top of being less hungry) when I eat more calories early in the day. Protein keeps you from getting hungry and provides your body with what it needs to function. And for goodness sake, stop playing the diet game of fooling around with proteins and carbohydrates. Balance is the key. Foods must be balanced for good health.

        • Hi Ann – We didn’t recommend cutting out all carbs, just cutting back on starches later in the day due to the insulin release and fat gain that excess carbs can cause. We also did not recommend doing cardio on a totally empty stomach, hence the recommendation for a BCAA drink (branched chain amino acid) during the morning cardio workout. These recommendations are for someone who wants to burn maximum body fat and get lean. Eating a nutrient dense high protein breakfast is definetly important but for people who have stubborn fat to lose, a nutritious breakfast can be consumed after a fasted cardio workout in the morning (with amino acids ingested during training to preserve lean muscle mass).

      • Hi Ross – Try doing 20 minutes of stair climbing for 2 weeks in the morning and after that do 30 minutes in the morning and 20 minutes in the evening for 2 more weeks. Do this kind of exercise (cardio) after meals. Meals should be stopped after the moment you feel you need about 20% more to be satiated. On top of all that, make sure you are eating as per your TDEE.

    • I’m 21 years old. My weight is 164 pounds. In the mornings I usually swim and walk and in the evenings I go to the gym to workout. How many calories do I need to burn per day to get 6 pack abs?

    • Ross – Giving up food you love sucks but dying of a heart attack sucks more. You might want to try intermittent fasting because you will realize constant eating just leads to more eating and it never ends no matter how much you exercise. At 340 pounds, you are probably big boned and tall and probably only about 80 pounds overweight, so 260 pounds would probably be a very healthy weight for you! By fasting 2-3 days a week, you should be down to that in about 6 months. I recommend researching intermittent fasting thoroughly before you start. Good luck and I know you can do it!

  3. I’m a 28-year-old male. I go to the gym 5 days a week and I do a lot of weight training and I run a 5K five times a week. I eat clean and within my daily calories of 2,700 but I’ve been stuck at 13.3ish stones for weeks now. Any tips that could help me get to my goal of 12.6 stones? Thank you!

    • David – If your weight loss has hit a plateau, it’s probably time to shake things up with your workouts. Try implementing HIIT cardio which should shock your body into more fat loss. It’s also important to really analyze your diet and the foods you’re eating. Even though you’re eating 2,700 calories per day, this doesn’t mean those calories are ideal for fat loss. So, take a close look at the foods you’re eating every day and see if you can substitute healthier options for certain foods that are not ideal.

  4. Anthony Minacapelli on

    I’m 22 6’3″ 175ish of mostly lean muscle. The calculator outputted 2,492 calories a day. Does this include the calories burned from my workouts (I selected moderate activity) or do I increase the calories per day because of my workouts?

    • Anthony – If you selected “moderately active” then this does include the activity multiplier on top of your basic BMR which is the calculation for your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) which does include all of your activities (workouts, etc). If you train a lot and also work a laborious day job, you might want to choose the next activity level higher to get a more accurate number for your overall daily calories.

      • Anthony Minacapelli on

        The activity level is correct. I was just wondering if say I go jogging on Monday for a certain amount of time and I burn 200 calories and if I ate 2,500 calories that day am I over my calories? Or, do I subtract the 200 calories for the total to come out to 2,300 calories on Monday?

        • Anothony – Yes, you will subtract the calories you burned via exercise from the total calories you consumed for the day so your overall total will be 2,300 calories.

  5. I’m a 25 year old female. I’m married and weigh 142 pounds. I used to have a desk job and I eat about 2,000 to 2,300 calories daily. For losing weight, I am now walking 3.5 to 4 miles daily. I want to lose almost 20 pounds. Is my lifestyle enough for losing weight? If so, how long will it take me to loss those 20 extra pounds?

    • Hi Tukun – Focus on losing around 2 pounds per week for the healthiest way to lose weight and keep it off. Following this plan, it should take about 10 weeks to lose 20 pounds. Your walking regimen is great but you should also add weight training to your exercise routine. This will help to build lean muscle mass which burns calories all throughout the day. You calories might be a little high so slowly lower your daily calories to around 1,800 per day and see how you do. Make sure to avoid going under 1,500 calories per day to avoid issues. You want to fuel your body with quality nutrients and enough calories to give you the energy you need to get through tough workouts.

  6. I weigh 158 pounds. How much cardio should I do per day and how many calories should I eat per day to lose weight a bit faster?

    • Hi Sandy – Our calculator should provide the number of calories you need to eat per day. For cardio, shoot for burning 500 calories per day. Over the course of a week you will lose 1 pound (3,500 calories). You can wear an activity tracker (FitBit, etc) to gauge how many calories you’re burning during your workout.

  7. I go to the gym a minimum of 3 days a week. I just starting going consistently the last 2 weeks and I have gone 4 days each week. I mainly do weight lifting and cardio. I’m a mother of 4 and weigh 230 pounds. How many calories should I eat? I was thinking 1,600 per day. I would like to lose 20 pounds by the end of April.

    • Hi Aresa – You can use the calculator to find out how many calories you need each day. Once you have that figure, focus on creating a 500 calorie deficit every day to lose 1 pound per week. You can create this deficit by either eating less food or burning it off with cardio exercise. I recommend using a combination of the two. Try eating 250 calories less and burn an additional 250 calories per day through exercise to reach your 500 total calorie deficit per day.

  8. I’m a 58 year old woman and weigh 145 pounds. How many calories should I be eating daily to lose about 7-14 pounds? I have been using the treadmill for about 30 minutes a day just walking for about 1 to 1.5 miles a day. This is only burning about 62 calories according to the reading.

    • Hi Kim – We recommend keeping it simple and shoot for a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day which comes out to a loss of 1 pound per week. You can create the deficit by either cutting back on food or burning them off with exercise. A combination of the two works the best. You can use the calculator to get your daily baseline and then cut that number by 250 calories per day and also include exercise that burns another 250 calories per day which will total a 500 calorie deficit per day. It should take you 7-14 weeks to lose the weight.

  9. I will be 23 years old this month and I am 106 kg. Your calorie calculator says my calorie count should be 2,973. It’s been over 3 months now that I’m doing cardio in the gym (1 hour workouts 5 days per week) but I only lost 1.5 to 2 kg. I’ve reduced my food intake plus I’ve added the cardio workouts but my results are still too slow. What should I do?

    • Hi Iffi – It’s important to be patient when trying to lose weight. It will take time to drop the extra pounds so don’t get too discouraged. Remember, it didn’t take you 3 weeks to put on the extra weight so it definitely won’t come off in that amount of time either. When in doubt, look at your diet and the foods you’re eating. Try cutting out too many starchy carbs (bread, rice, potatoes) later in the day and try doing your cardio in the morning on an empty stomach to maximize fat burning.

  10. What activity level would you suggest I select if I have an office job and I workout for over an hour 5 days a week?

    • Hi Tracey – You should select “moderately active” based on your activity level and non-physical job.

  11. Marcell Edwards on

    I’m a 43-year-old male who is 5’8″ tall. I burn at least 320 calories daily. What is a good daily calorie intake to stay healthy?

    • Hi Marcell – It really depends on your fitness goals. If you’re trying to gain weight (muscle), then increase your calories 500 above your daily requirements. To lose weight (body fat), decrease it by 500 calories per day. Over the course of a week, you will either gain/lose 1 pound (3,500 calories). You can use the calculator on this page to find your daily requirements.

  12. I’m 53 years old, 5’4″ and 115 pounds. I do vigorous indoor cycling 5 days a week and weightlifting 2 days a week. With my heart rate monitor on after a workout, I’ve noticed that I’ve been burning an average of 175 calories an hour according to the heart monitor app on my phone. That seems a little high to me. There’s no way I burn about 4,000 calories a day.

    • Hi Sheel – Your heart rate monitor is probably showing this high level of calories burned due to your intense workout. If you wear the monitor during your weight training workouts, then this is probably accurate during the time you’re lifting weights. If it’s showing this number during your cycling workout then it’s low since you’re obviously burning more than 175 calories an hour doing this type of cardio exercise. The best thing to do is contact the manufacturer of your heart rate monitor and inquire to them about these numbers. They might be able to calibrate the monitor to a more accurate level for you.

      • Just to clarify, this was all AFTER my workout. During a cycling session I regularly burn about 650 calories in 45 minutes. I will follow your recommendation to contact the manufacturer of the heart rate monitor. Two pounds a month worked for me and over 9 months my weight fell from 147 to 125 pounds. Then I started doing HIIT intervals (High Intensity Interval Training) in my indoor cycling classes and have lost another 10 pounds since last October! So, it did take me awhile but that slow weight loss method works best for me in terms of keeping the pounds off after they are lost.

  13. I’m 23 years old at 5’4″ and 63kg. How many calories should I be eating daily to lose 2 pounds per week?

    • Hi Ann – Once you have your base daily calories per day using the calculator, you will want to create a deficit of 500 calories per day in order to lose 1 pound per week (3,500 calories in a pound). To lose 2 pounds per week you will want to increase the deficit to 1,000 calories per day. The best way to do this is a combination of exercise and diet so try decreasing your caloric intake by 500 calories per day and burn another 500 calories with cardio exercise.

  14. I am 22 years old at 5’4″ and 184 pounds. How many pounds will I lose in a week if I eat 1,500 calories per day without any exercise?

    • Hi Wen – You can use our calculator to get your base calories needed per day. There are 3,500 calories in a pound so use that number to determine how many pounds you can lose. For example, if you normally burn 2,000 calories per day and you consume 1,500 calories then you will lose 1 pound per week since you created a 500 calorie deficit per day (500 x 7 days = 3,500).

  15. I’m a 32 year old male who is 6’2″ and 180 pounds. I’m trying to put on muscle mass. I do 1 hour of mass building exercises at the gym 6 days a week. I’ve been going 5 weeks on a 90 day plan and haven’t seen a huge difference yet. How many calories do I need? I have been eating 3,000 calories a day. I’m also doing 50% carbs, 25% protein and 25% fat. I’m also trying to lose some belly fat. Should I adjust this ratio at all?

    • Hi Travis – Try changing your macronutrient ratio to 40% carbs, 30% protein and 30% fat. The extra protein should help and the increase in fat will be easier for you to get your calories up a little. You can use our Weight Gain Calculator to get your daily calories. It looks like the amount should be around 3,160 per day and if you add the “calorie booster” it comes out to 3,686 calories per day. You should probably focus on eating about 3,500 calories per day over the next 2-3 weeks and see how you do. If you start gaining fat around your stomach then you probably want to cut down on the calories a little. Make sure to lift heavy weights using compound multi-joint mass building exercises that promote the fastest results.

  16. I’m 21 years old and I’m 5’8″ and weigh 57 kg. I want to gain weight and will be going to the gym daily for 1 hour. Will this be possible?

  17. I have diabetes and I think it’s type 2 because I have to take 2 kinds of insulin a day. I am 47 years old I weigh 274 pounds. I can’t really exercise too much because of my lower back and my legs hurt as well as I broke my ankle a couple of years ago so I am limited to walking only a little bit. I walk about a mile and a half some days and try to watch my diet. Any advice to help me out? Thank you.

    • Hi Kirk – Since you have diabetes you should definitely consult with your physician to find a safe and effective fitness plan that involves the best diet and exercise routine that’s right for you. This is crucial since you need to find which specific foods work best for you along with the right workout routine that will provide great results. It’s always important to have specialized care from experts in the field when you have diabetes to make sure you’re always safe.

  18. I’m about 50 kgs and want to gain more weight (about another 30 kgs). What should I eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner?

  19. I’m 6’9″ and weigh 315 pounds. I’m a type-2 diabetic who is sedentary. How many calories do I need to eat per day to maintain my weight? Also, what should my carbohydrate intake be?

    • Hi Tom – You can use the calculator on this page to find your calories needed per day. For carbs, since you’re a diabetic you should really contact your doctor to see what they recommend. Your carbohydrate intake (type and amount) will probably be much different than a regular person since you have diabetes.

  20. Hi ShapeFit, I’m in a bit of a mess and don’t know what to do. Hoping you can help. I’m a 36-year-old male who is 5’7″ and I weigh 19 stone (266 pounds). I’m on a nutrition plan at the minute that is nowhere near what this calculator is saying I should be aiming for. My nutrition is probably at around 1,000 to 1,100 kcals per day. I never feel hungry and have loads of energy. I’ve even started a moderate workout program at home and in the gym on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. On Tuesday, I go to a boxing class and on Thursday I do cardio (walk/jog/run) for 20-30 minutes. The problem is I’ve kind of stopped at 19 stone (was 22 stone back in May). I’ve cut out all the bad stuff and now I only eat to fuel my body. I have oatmeal in the morning, an egg white omelet for lunch and a chicken breast with broccoli and cauliflower for dinner. In between breakfast and lunch I’ll have an apple, orange or banana. The same for in between lunch and dinner. Am I undereating and would that stop my weight loss?

    • Hi Andy – Yes, underrating can definitely stop your weight loss in its tracks! If you’re only eating 1,100 calories a day at 266 pounds, your body is most likely in starvation mode and holding on tight to its fat reserves. That is extremely low calories for your size! You should be eating an absolute minimum of around 2,500 calories per day and for optimal nutrition, your total daily calories should be much higher than that. For the foods you listed, your diet looks very clean but you just need to kick up the calories. Add some healthy fats like all-natural peanut butter, almond butter, avocados, nuts, flaxseed oil, fish oil, olive oil and coconut oil to your daily intake. You should also add in more protein (especially with breakfast). Find a great tasting whey protein powder supplement that you can easily make a few times during the day to give you a boost of muscle building amino acids. Best of luck to you 🙂

      • Brilliant, thank you for the kind advice. Should I start to drop weight again? I assume I should lower my calorie intake as I lose weight? Essentially, both my weight and calories going down hand-in-hand? It’s quite hard to believe that eating more would bring down my weight. Our bodies are really strange. Would you say 2,750 calories would be about right for now?

        • Hi Andy – Yes, you can start at 2,750 calories per day and see how it goes. Give it at least 2-3 weeks before adjusting your calorie intake up/down. Each person’s metabolism is different so it will probably take some adjusting and tweaking to find the sweet spot for your own physique. Best of luck 🙂

  21. I am 19 years old, 5 foot 4 inches and 279 pounds. I’ve been trying to lose weight for 2 months now but everything has stopped. I think it’s because I ate too little for my weight (1,800 to 1,900 calories a day) and I exercise an hour a day. It’s low impact aerobics but it should burn at least 500 calories per workout. For the last few days I have had to force myself to exercise because I did not have any energy. Should I start eating 2,500 calories a day as long as I exercise an hour a day?

    • Hi Nina – A big factor is where those calories are coming from. Are they coming from nutrient dense whole foods that will help you lose fat and supply your body with the energy it needs for exercise? Before adjusting your calorie levels, take a close look at the specific foods you’re consuming each day. This is very important to finding the right nutrition plan that works best for your body. If you use the calculator on this page, you will be able to get an idea of how many calories you need each day. Take that number and try to create a 500 calorie deficit per day via exercise and diet. Make sure you’re counting all of your calories too. Don’t forget that latte or cappuccino you might have for lunch. Liquid calories can quickly add up and a lot of people forget to add those into their overall calorie intake.

    • Hi Taylor – If you work an office job where you’re sitting most of the day then select “Moderately Active”. If you’re on your feet and moving around all day during work then select “Very Active”. If you work a labor intensive job like construction then choose “Extremely Active”.

  22. To maintain my weight when I am moderately active, I need to eat 3,090 calories. I don’t drink any of those except water, green tea, oolong tea or honey lemon. I drink 1 liter of honey lemon every day with 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 lemon. I was suggested by one of my doctors to drink it because I have gastric issues and it helps to soothe my stomach. It is also my way of decreasing my craving for sweets which works very well for me and I include it in my calorie intake as well. I allow myself a treat every 2 weeks which is eating 2,900 calories and exercising about half an hour instead of an hour only for that one day. I eat a very small amount of sweets in general. I even count my protein intake which is around 217 grams if I am active, but I am only moderately active so I only consume about 100-120 grams. For carbs, I eat a maximum of 50 grams along with 50 grams of fiber. I’ve increased my intake to 2,000 calories and have consumed more protein than I’m used to. Is it alright to increase my calorie intake from 1,800 calories to 2,000?

    • Hi Nina – Sure, you can experiment with increasing and decreasing your caloric intake to see what works best for you in terms of overall fat loss while maintaining high energy levels.

  23. I’m a 52 year old male, weighing in at 252 pounds. For the month of July, I’ve been averaging 30 miles per day, cycling 6 day out of the week. I’m burning approximately 2,500 calories per ride. The problem is that I LOVE good food and I’m trying to get down to around 180-185 pounds. Is this goal possible if I’m eating anything I want in moderation?

    • Hi Tim – It really depends on what your idea of moderation is. The bottom line is that you simply can’t out-exercise a bad diet which means no matter how much exercise you do, if you’re eating too much then it’s virtually impossible to make up the difference. Even though you’re burning a lot of calories on your long bike rides, if you consume super high calorie meals during the day, this can easily rack up thousands of calories above what you’re burning. You might want to cut back a little on your overall food intake if you really want to reach your goal weight. Give it a shot for 2-3 weeks and see how your physique looks. I’m sure giving up a few decadent treats each day will pay huge dividends!

  24. I’m a young aspiring model and my body fat is at 18% but I need to lose over 3″ in thigh circumference, and 2″ off of my hips at the LEAST. Also, my manager suggested to build my abs naturally because relying on makeup creates more interruptions in the production. My personal trainer is wonderful but I want to be sure they are giving me accurate information and not doing it the “Hollwood” way and making me the next anorexic “role model”. I have about 72 days to get there and I’ve already been told to completely stop eating, but I’d rather follow the “road less traveled” and work my booty off. I’m 5’6″, 115 pounds, 32-26-32, vegetarian and a lover of aerobics. I want to lose 2-3 pounds a week and more than 5″ in two months. I do 120 minutes of aerobics every other day and 75 minutes of intense cardio on alternate days? How many calories should I consume?

    • Hi Jenna – You definitely don’t want to stop eating and starve yourself. That would be the worse thing you could do. With all of the cardio you’re doing, your daily calories should be a minimum of 1,500. The calculator has your calories at 2,308 per day based on your statistics you provided and a “very active” activity level. The food you eat is the key so make sure it’s clean sources of lean protein, carbs and healthy fats. You should focus on losing 1 pound per week max (not 2-3 pounds). You’re already slim at 5’6″ and 115 pounds so make sure to lose the weight slowly. You might even want to add some high repetition weight training into your routine to help tone up your physique.

  25. If I figure out how many calories I need to maintain my weight, then I know I need a 500 deficit, but can I get that deficit through exercise? Or do I have to split it between my diet and exercise? I’ve been eating around 2,000 calories (which is already less than what has been calculated for me to maintain), and I burn anywhere between 500-800 calories a day exercising, but I’m not losing weight. I just don’t get it.

    • Hi Sarah – Yes, you can create a calorie deficit with just exercise but it’s much easier to do it when you combine a small calorie restriction in food intake along along with exercise because if you rely on exercise alone then you will be forcing yourself to endure fairly long bouts of exercise on a daily basis. This causes most people to burn out quickly and could cause issues with overtraining. How long do you workout per day to burn 500-800 calories and what type of exercise are you doing?

  26. Shikhar Jaiswal on

    My weight is 62 kg and height 5’7″ and I need to gain 80 kg. I workout 6 days a week. I need to gain lean muscle. I have few questions. (1) How many calories should I consume daily to reach 70 kg in 1 to 1.5 months and for 80 kg also? (2) If I consume 3,000 or 3,400 calories daily, how much weight will I gain in a day or in a week or month? (3) Is there any calorie calculator on your website or app for weight gain which shows how much time it will take to get to my target if I consume this much amount of calories daily?

    • Hi Shikhar – You can use our Weight Gain Calculator to learn how many calories you need to eat. If your goal is to gain lean muscle only, then it totally depends on your own body type and how quickly you can pack on mass. Gaining 5-10 pounds of lean muscle mass per year is actually considered very good (as a natural).

  27. I’m 15 years old and I’m 5’6″. I walk (not power walking) about 8,000+ steps a day. I also do 30 minutes of yoga 4 days a week and 1 day of endurance training. How many calories should I aim for?

    • Hi Stella – This would be considered “Moderately Active” for your activity level. You can use our Calories Burned Calculator to find out the total number of calories you’re burning each day. After you figure out your calorie expenditure with exercise, you can use this number with the calculator on this page to find out your overall calories per day.

  28. I am 29 years old (female), I’m 5’7″, weigh 231 pounds and live a lightly active lifestyle normally. The past few weeks I have been eating 1,600 calories (clean eating) and working out (cardio) for 45 minutes, 3 times per week, but I have GAINED 4 pounds. Any idea as to what may be going on?

    • Hi Courtney – It could actually be a lot of things causing this. It might just be water weight from certain things like if you’re having your period or consuming too much salt or carbs in your diet. Also, try to gauge how you look into the mirror and how your clothes fit. The scale can be misleading from time to time. You might also want to include weight training along with your cardio workouts. This is the best way to lose body fat and get lean. If you’re overdoing it on the carbs, try cutting back a little for a few days and see if your weight changes any.

      • Thank you so much for the reply! My macros are 50% carbs, 20% fats, and 30% proteins. I am also breastfeeding therefore, I haven’t had a period in 5 months (my son is 5 months today). I will cut back on the carbs and see if that helps! Thank you again!

  29. Joshua Melodillar on

    I am a 15-year-old boy that does not really workout because I have no time for exercise due to a lot of assignments and projects in school. I weigh about 135 pounds and eat 1,200-1,700 calories every day. Is my weight healthy and will my daily caloric intake of about 1,500 calories every day make me gain weight? I wish to maintain my weight.

    • Hi Joshua – Your ideal weight depends on many factors like your height along with your body fat levels. Two males with the same stats (height, weight, age) but with different percentages of body fat are very different when it comes to a “healthy” weight. You might check with your local gym to get your body fat tested or purchase a boy fat analyzer to get an idea of your current percentage. You can use the calculator on this page to give you an idea of how many calories you should be eating.

  30. I do most of these calculators for calories, just with different websites, and they give me different numbers yet with the same information. The lowest I’ve gotten was 1,900 calories and the highest was 2,200. How do I know which one is correct so I don’t overeat and gain weight?

    • Hi Alina – Each calculator might use slightly different formulas, so you probably want to start with the median value and go from there. For the two caloric numbers you provided, that would be 2,050 calories per day. Try to monitor your progress each week by taking photos and measurements. If you’re still gaining weight after 3-4 weeks, then adjust the number down to 1,900 calories per week.

  31. I’m a 34-year-old female that’s always been on the bigger side. Even while working as a waitress and walking a lot, I still couldn’t lose weight. I stared working as a receptionist and now the top part of my body is getting wider. I’m watching my sugar and carbs and snacking on nuts and fruit in between my meals. I noticed you mentioned that cardio should be done in the morning. I do 45 minutes after work which is around 3:30pm right after work. Does that mean my workout it’s working? It’s the only time I can squeeze in a workout.

    • Hi Judy – Anytime during the day when you can fit in exercise is always great, but if you want to maximize fat burning then early morning fasted cardio is the definitely the best option. When you do cardio later in the day after eating a few meals, your body has to burn off carbs first in order to tap into the stored fat. That’s why cardio on an empty stomach works so well. However, everyone has busy schedules and if later in the day is the only time you can fit a workout in, that’s fine also. Just as long as you exercise, that’s the main point. Are you just doing cardio or are you including weight training also? Lifting weights is very important for building lean muscle mass and keeping your metabolism revved up so it can burn calories. So, if you haven’t started weight training, that’s something you definitely want to include in your overall fitness plan.

      • First of all, thank you for your reply. I try to add weights and some workouts using my own bodyweight (since I have a lot of it) 🙂 I’m not a morning person but you’re the expert and if you said earlier in the day is the best then I will try that. I want to see that last 5 pounds gone which will really motivate me. Thanks again ❤

    • Hi Nikhil – You need to lift heavy weights and eat a lot of nutrient dense whole foods. You can use our Weight Gain Calculator to find out how many calories you need to eat per day. Also, read our Nutrition 101 article to learn about which specific foods to include in your diet to gain muscle and get big.

  32. I am 29 years old and I used to weigh 71 kg. I started going to the gym and eating a clean diet two months ago and have lost 4 kg so far. Do you think these are good results? I’m eating healthy and exercising 3 days a week for two hours each session. I’m trying to burn a maximum of 500 calories each workout.

    • Hi Wazhma – A healthy range of weight loss is about 1-2 pounds per week (8-16 pounds over the course of two months). Losing 4kg in two months is a good start and if you’re lifting weights then you may have put on lean muscle mass. It also really depends on how many overall calories you’re taking in each day. If you burn 500 calories during each workout but eat too many calories, you will not have the same level of weight loss. This is why your diet is so important for losing weight. The old saying is “You can’t out-exercise a bad diet” and this is so true when you’re following a fitness program. So, when in doubt, always analyze your diet first to see if you’re consuming any excess calories from different sources that could potentially spike your calories like liquid sources such as sugary coffee drinks, soda and alcohol. You can use our free diet journal to document the foods you eat so you know for sure what you’re consuming each day.

  33. I’m a 16 year old male and weigh 189 pounds at 5’9″. I selected “moderately active” when using the calculator and it outputted 2,554 calories per day to gain weight. I’m training for hypertrophy and strength. I just want to get bigger and stronger with some bulk. The kind of physique I want to be is like a mix between powerlifting and bodybuilding. How many pounds would I gain if I ate over 2,554?

    • Hi Logan – Well, it technically takes a surplus of 3,500 calories to gain 1 pound of body weight. However, several factors influence weight gain. The biggest factor is your overall genetics. If you have a fast metabolism, then it might take many more calories than this to pack on size. Try to stick with 2,554 calories per day for about a month and see how you do. If you’re still not gaining weight after a month, then a good rule of thumb is to eat about 500 calories more per day (3,054 per day) and stick with this number for another 3-4 weeks. Remember to cut out all extra exercise (sports, cardio, etc) and focus on just weight training if you’re struggling to pack on size. Let your body perform one main thing and that is to pack on as much muscle as possible. So, lift hard in the gym and then be lazy the rest of the day to let your muscles fully recover.

  34. I’m a 17 year old male at 5’7″ and 120 pounds. I consume about 1,800 to 1,900 calories a day. I am getting about 75 grams of protein a day as well as a significant amount of calcium and iron. I just try to eat very healthy and don’t consume many foods that are high in calories. Do you think maintaining this caloric intake will stunt any possible future growth? Thank you for any advice you can provide.

    • Hi Joe – If your goal is to pack on muscle and gain weight then you should increase your protein intake to at least 120 grams per day (1 gram of protein per pound of body weight). It’s also important to tweak your calories every couple of months if you’re not seeing the results you want. If you’re lifting weights and still not growing (building muscle), then increase your calories by 500 per day for 3-4 weeks and see how you feel and look. A lot of it comes down to trial and error, so always try to experiment with different foods (macronutrients), calories, exercises and workouts to see what works for you.

  35. I’m a 17-year-old female who weighs 140 pounds. I workout 5 days a week and eat 2,450 calories per day. How many calories should I burn to gain muscle?

  36. I’m a bit desperate. I am a 22 year old male, currently weighing 61 kg and my height is 173 cm. I workout 5 day a week with 2 power days and 3 volume days. Each one of my workouts is about 90 minutes long, and I am not resting super long between sets. I go in, totally drain my body, and then go home. On my volume day I usually do around 35-40 sets with really high rep ranges. On my power days, my intensity is really high, but my volume is low. On top of that, I have to run with my dog every day for about 2km, and this is not a jog. This is hardcore intense running, since my dog requires it. Currently, I only go to school 2 times per week, but I spend most of the time on my feet during the day. My main goal is to gain muscle, but my problem is that my activity level is moderate, but my caloric intake does not reflect that. I started out at around 2,700 calories per day to gain muscle but nothing happened. I am currently at 3,250 calories with a pathetic 61 kg in body weight and I’m still not gaining anything. The only thing that increasing my food intake did was that it increased my work capacity. I can handle more volume and that’s it. What would be your recommendation?

    • Hi Greg – The recommendation would be to cut way back on your training and this includes your cardio (running). If you want to gain muscle, cut out the cardio since you only want your body to focus on one main thing, building maximum muscle mass. Running as much as you do, with the intensity level that you’re running at, is killing your gains. Let your dog run at the park or even put your dog on a treadmill, so you can sit back and rest and completely recover from your weight workouts. Also, make sure to not overtrain when you’re lifting weights. Hit it hard for 1 hour maximum and get out of the gym. After about an hour, your muscle building hormones (testosterone, HGH) drop way down and you’re basically wasting your time. Worse yet, cortisol starts to rear its ugly head at about this time and that means you’re getting into a “catabolic” state (breaking down muscle)! Hit it hard in the gym for a short amount of time and then get out of there so you can focus on eating and resting. These things should do wonders for helping to optimize your body so you can build muscle and get huge!

  37. I am 23 years of age. I go to my university every day for an average of 5 hours a day. Going back and forth throughout the day, I am doing an average of 6,000 steps. Other than that I play intense sports twice a week for a minimum of 1 hour. I workout 5 days a week, with 70 minute sessions of heavy to moderate weight training with 5 sets each for a 10-12 rep range. I do a minimum of 5 exercises per session for a specific day (example: 5 different angles for chest day). I incorporated exercises like deadlifts, squats, bench press and leg press with heavy weights in my workouts divided throughout the week. I currently weight 207 pounds and my height is 5’11”. I am trying to lose weight by eating 2,500 calories a day, with about 240 grams of protein, 220 grams of carbs and 65 grams of fat. Is this plan ideal for me? Am I going in the right direction? I have fat accumulation around my waist. I have lots of back fat and fat around my love handles. My waist is 38″ at this moment and I want to to reduce it to about 34″. Would this plan of mine get me to my goal? I want to gain and maintain muscle mass along the way as well. This is my third week following this regimen. I have gained good definition in my legs, chest, shoulders and back. My maintenance calories are in the range of 3,000 calories. I got this number by using a handful of calculators I found online. Do you think this number is correct? With my level of daily activities, does that qualify me to be “moderately active” or “active”, or somewhere in between?

    • Hi Hassaanwsm – Your level of activity would be considered “moderately active” in regards to choosing an “activity multiplier” when using a calorie calculator. We just ran your stats using our calculator which came out to 3,151 calories per day. If you’re eating around 2,500 calories per day with the amount of activity and you are not losing fat, then you can do a couple of things. The first is to add additional cardio after your weight training workout. Start with 30 minutes of cardio (bike, elliptical) post-workout and increase it to 45 minutes per session if you’re not losing enough body fat. After 4-6 weeks, if you are still struggling with fat loss, then you really need to look closely at your diet and the specific foods you’re eating. Your diet plays a huge role in getting lean, so make sure you are eating very clean.

  38. Carla bainter on

    I weigh 325 pounds and I’m 5’3″. I’m sick of this! I want to go to Six Flags and ride everything and not have to worry that I will be shamed into having to get off because I’m too fat. Besides that, I can barely stand like 5 minutes before I’m in pain, or shop for 15 minutes before I’m completely exhausted and in severe pain. I hate this! I’m a beautiful woman and I can remember when I was 70 pounds lighter and guys would always be checking me out. Now, my eyes and boobs are all they stare at. It’s so hard to enjoy life with this extra load!

    • Hi Carla – Sorry to hear the extra weight is getting you down. What are you currently doing to help you shed the excess pounds (exercise program, nutrition plan)?

  39. I am 20 years of age and my weight is 80kg and my height is 155cm. I go to the University, but due to a fracture in my leg I can barely exercise or walk. Please suggest a diet plan so I can lose weight and how many calories should I need to burn per day to reach 55kg?

    • Hi Fraggy – You can read our Nutrition 101 article for more information on the specific foods to eat along with a sample meal plan. You can use the calculator on this page to find your base calories needed per day. Take that number and try to create a 500 calorie deficit per day through either burning calories with cardio exercise or reducing your food intake. This will allow you to lose 1 pound per week which is a very safe and healthy amount of weight loss.

  40. I’ve started my bulk and now I’m ready to cut. I put in my numbers and it came up with 1,711 calories per day as maintenance. Since I’m cutting, I am subtracting 250 from that number – which comes out to 1,461 calories. I work as a property manager so I’m at the desk all day, but I lift weights 4-5 days a week. My question is although I am going to start eating 1,461 calories, do the macros matter? Should I be hitting a certain amount of protein, carbs and fat or is it just based on calories when trying to lose fat? I also wanted to know if I should be doing cardio in order to lose fat. I’m not trying to lose weight but only fat and I want to keep the muscle that I’ve gained during my bulk. I know muscle will be lost during the cutting phase but is cardio mandatory? I’m not a fan of cardio but will do it if needed. I’m an ectomorph (skinny-fat) female. I’m skinny but tend to hold fat in the tummy area. Hopefully building muscle and losing fat while cutting will help!

    • Hi Mia – Your macros definitely matter. It’s not just the calories consumed, but where those calories come from that will have a major impact on the amount of muscle you build and the amount of body fat you burn. The key is finding what type of macronutrient breakdown works best for your body. You might try tweaking your carbs initially to see how you look and feel. This macronutrient will probably have the biggest impact on your physique. In regards to cardio, it really depends on how much body fat you pack on during your bulk. If you start seeing excess fat being accumulated around certain areas of your body then you need to either cut your calories a little or add in some cardio to burn off those excess calories. Since you already have some excess fat around your stomach, your best bet is to probably include regular cardio into your routine. The combination of heavy weight lifting, clean eating and cardio should provide the best results for adding lean muscle while staying lean.

  41. I’m a 52 year old female and weigh 125 pounds. I need to lose weight and tone up. How many times should I eat per day and what should I eat?

    • Hi Shelly – You should focus on eating every 2.5 to 3 hours throughout the day for the best results (4-6 meals per day). Try to include a lean protein at each meal. For ideas about which foods to eat, check out our Nutrition 101 article for more information.

  42. If I burn 800 calories per day, how many days will it take to lose 15 kg? My height is 5 feet 2 inches and I weigh 134 pounds.

    • Hi Nirali – It takes a deficit of 3,500 calories to lose 1 pound of fat. Since 15 kg is equal to 33 pounds, it will take 115,500 calories and just over 144 days to lose all the weight.

  43. I’m 17 years old and I’m 5’7″. I love to workout and build muscle. I normally eat between 850 to 900 calories per day and sometimes a little more. Is this okay?

    • Hi Amy – You should definitely focus on eating more calories than that each day! You’re not providing your body with enough nutrients to run optimally, especially when you factor in your workouts. Your basic BMI (without doing any exercise) will be much higher than 900 calories being burned each day. You can use the calculator on this page to find out the specific number. You should focus on eating at least 1,500 calories per day at a minimum and probably even more depending on your current body weight. Eating only 850-900 calories per day is basically starving yourself, so make sure to include more nutrient dense foods and overall calories into your diet to optimize your results.

  44. Craig Douglas on

    I am 40 years old and weigh 345 pounds. I want to hit my goal of 200 pounds. I have been lowering my calorie intake per day to 1,800 calories. If I do this, will it effectively help me lose weight or will it slow down my metabolism? At my current weight, I am allowed over 3,000 calories to maintain. Would it be smarter to eat 500-1,000 less per day? Does it make any difference overall?

    • Hi Craig – For your current body weight and overall size, eating only 1,800 calories per day is pretty low. Your best bet is to reduce your overall calories per day by 500 (total of 2,500 calories per day) and include some weight training to build muscle mass along with 30-45 minutes of cardio exercise per day to burn additional calories. You want to keep your “furnace” stoked (metabolism) and create the deficit with calorie burning via cardio exercise rather than reducing calories through your diet.

  45. I’m 16 years old and weigh 146 pounds. I wrestle once a week, but I’m on my feet 24/7 so what would that count for as my activity level?

  46. I’m a 40 year old male weighing 204 pounds at 5ft 11in. I walk 2 miles 5 out of 7 days and hit the gym 4 times per week doing light weights and higher reps for 1 hour. My current goal is to lose body fat but maintain muscle mass. I’m not working right now as I’m off sick so I’m not as active as I would be when working since I would move around more. Recently, I shocked my system into an 1,867 calorie diet and lost 3.6 pounds in a week and it was probably from muscle mass along with some fat. I’m sure I went into starvation mode, but I wanted to kick start things. I think I just wanted the scales to decrease a little to be honest. I want to kick start my metabolism and I’m confused about which activity level I’m at. Would I be “Moderate” or “Very Active”? My maintenance calories using your calculator shows 2,950 which is 1,100 more than what I’m eating right now and sounds very high. Where should I be at to burn fat, maintain muscle mass or slightly increase using zig-zag calorie cycling? Should my cardio increase using HIIT or is walking sufficient. I’m also eating clean with macros at 40/40/20. Again, this is just in the last week from when I started and I’d like to continue but also increase my metabolism.

    • Hi Karl – Based on your information, you should choose “Moderately Active” for your activity level when using our calculator. Since your baseline calorie needs are 2,950 per day, you should start by lowering your calories down by 500 so will end up at 2,450 calories per day. This will allow you to lose about 1 pound per week (3,500 calories in a pound of fat). Do this for 2-3 weeks and see how you look and feel. Track your physique by taking photos each week (front, back, side) in order to closely monitor your body composition. Taking photos is very important since you will be able to visually see if you’re losing body fat from around your waist and lower back which is the main area men store fat. In order to shock your system and boost your metabolism, you might want to focus on HIIT cardio vs basic exercise like walking. HIIT will burn many more calories and really kick start the fat burning process! If you can do cardio first thing in the morning on an empty stomach, that works great also. If you’re not losing fat after 2-3 weeks, cut your calories down by another 300-500 per week and go from there. You might also want to play around with your macros and decrease your carbs down to 25-30% and increase fat to around 25-30%. Carbs are the key macronutrient to tweak in order to see big changes in your physique. Best of luck to you 🙂

      • Thanks for getting back. As for weight training, what do you recommend? Continue with low weight/high reps or increase weights and reduce rep range but not hypertrophy. Example: using machines and doing bicep curls, I will do 5 sets for 20 reps at 19kg (when I was trying to build mass I was at 50kg on machine for 6 reps). For HIIT, how many times per week? 3 to 5 times or a nice average of 4 times, or as much as possible HIIT workouts on an empty stomach? What about hormone release to assist in fat burning? Won’t this halt it on an empty tank? For benefits, I know about targeting fat stores first thing in the morning, but is it more important to have these hormones released in the system doing HIIT later in the day to speed up fat burning?

        • Hi Karl – For weight training, try to stimulate muscle growth with heavier weights and lower reps (6-8 reps after full warm-up). You want to push your muscles to grow and this is done by overloading them with heavy weights. For HIIT cardio, try starting out at 2-3 times per week and work up to 4-5 sessions if you have the energy for it. HIIT takes a lot out of you so gauge it and see how you feel with just a few sessions per week. You can do normal steady-state cardio on the other days for 45-60 minutes if you need to lose additional body fat. In regards to early morning fasted cardio, there is a large debate on this topic. Some people love it while others insist it does not matter when cardio is performed during the day. Since your body is in a catabolic state after an overnight fast, you might try drinking a BCAA (Branched Chain Amino Acids) supplement which comes in a powered form and you can drink it before and during your workout (like Amino 1 or Xtend). This will provide your body with muscle preserving amino acids during your intense HIIT cardio workout. Proponents of this argue that drinking a BCAA supplement is technically not “fasted cardio” and it also spikes insulin too high since you’re essentially consuming protein. It comes down to trial and error in this regards. You might try doing fasted cardio without anything for 1-2 weeks and then see how you look and feel. Then, try drinking a BCAA supplement before and during your HIIT workout for 1-2 weeks and track your results. Then, perform HIIT cardio later in the day for another 1-2 weeks, and once again, monitor your results. It all comes down to tweaking certain things to see what works best for you.

  47. Karmae Johnson on

    I don’t know why, but this is so confusing to me. I’ve been working out for over a month now with my weight only fluctuating between 191-193 pounds. I started off at 194 pounds. I have been working out for an hour and 30 minutes 6 days per week. 3 days I will do HIIT with strength training and the other 3 days I do light cardio with different exercises. I have completely changed my diet to healthy eating. I drink a protein shake after my workouts. My breakfast is usually two eggs, two turkey bacon strips and wheat toast. My lunch is a chicken salad with very light dressing. My dinner is something like grilled chicken with a baked potato and some veggies. I even watch my portions! I am a 5’8″, 194 pound female and my goal is to be 160 pounds by this summer. I’ve only been eating about 1,200 calories a day. I see where my problem is after using the calculator you guys provide. Would it be okay if I eat 1,600 calories a day instead of 2,000? My regular exercise routine burns about 500-900 calories a day.

    • Hi Karmae – It would definitely be beneficial to increase your calories based on your high level of exercise per week. 1,200 calories is simply not enough food and bumping this number up to 1,600 calories per day is a great start. Try this caloric level for 2-3 weeks and see how you look and feel. Don’t always go by the scale. Take photos of yourself and just look in the mirror to see how you are progressing. Your goal should be to reach that 2,000 calorie per day mark and make sure it’s all nutrient dense foods which it looks like you are already doing. Best of luck to you 🙂

  48. I’m a 57 year old male, 5’8″ and around 195 pounds. I have slightly high blood pressure as well as chronic bronchitis. I really would like to start a lifestyle change with a proper diet and resistance training regimen to increase muscle mass and to help with my breathing. Anything I should consider prior to starting, as long as my physician gives the go ahead?

    • Hi Gerry – After being cleared by your doctor to start a nutrition plan and fitness program, the key thing to remember is to start slow and gradually increase the intensity of your workouts over time. Don’t get discouraged if you can’t lift a lot of weight or get tired during your workouts. Shoot for short workouts in the range of 20-30 minutes and see how you feel and then build from there. Best of luck 🙂

  49. I just started personal training. It’s for almost an hour, 5 days a week. It is extremely strenuous and I have to take breaks to catch my breath. I’m 44 years old and weigh about 200 pounds at 5 feet 6 inches tall. I need to lose about 50 pounds or more to be healthy and strong. How many calories a day should I be eating to lose weight the healthy way?

    • Hi Kim – For the “Activity Level” on the calculator, you can choose “Very Active” since you’re working out very hard multiple days per week. If you also have a very physical job (manual labor), you can choose “Extremely Active” to get the most accurate number of calories per day.

  50. I am a 62 year-old man who eats 2,000-2,500 calories a day and walks 9 miles every day. I get on the scale and am gradually losing. I weighed 113.6 pounds on a Monday, but everything remained the same and by Sunday I weighed 116 pounds! Why the change when everything remained the same?

    • Hi Ron – It could be caused by several things like sodium intake and overall water balance. Your body can fluctuate several pounds over the course of a day if you’re holding onto water. The next time this happens try to think about the foods you ate during the day and whether the contained a lot of salt. This could be the reason for the weight difference.

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