Calculate your caloric needs
Your body requires energy to carry out daily activities. This energy comes from the foods and drinks we consume. These foods are measured in units of calories. The following calculator will give you an approximate idea of how many calories you need for your goal (fat loss, weight maintenance or muscle building).
Activity Levels Explained
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- Lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
- Moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
- Very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)
- Extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training)
Based on Steps
It’s also possible to estimate your activity levels based on your average daily step count.
- Sedentary is less than 5,000 steps per day
- Low active is 5,000 to 7,499 steps per day
- Somewhat active is 7,500 to 9,999 steps per day
- Active is more than 10,000 steps per day
- Highly active is more than 12,500
Understanding Caloric Needs
Our bodies require energy to function. Each day, we expend an amount of energy known as Total Daily Energy Expenditure. This is made up of calories required to perform the basic functions of being alive (what you’d burn if you lay in bed all day), energy for digestion, for planned exercise and for all the other movements and activities the day presents us with.
Once we know our total expenditure, we can work out how many calories we need to consume to lose, maintain or gain weight. Eating fewer calories than you consume will result in fat loss while eating more will increase weight.
Calories in Common Fruits
| Food | Size | Calories |
| Apple | 1 medium | 80 |
| Banana | 1 medium | 105 |
| Orange | 1 medium | 60 |
| Strawberry | 100g | 38 |
| Blueberry | 100g | 45 |
Calories in Common Foods
| Food | Size | Calories |
| Chicken Breast | 145g | 154 |
| Salmon | 100g | 200 |
| Egg | large | 79 |
| Pizza | 1 slice | 180 |
| Big Mac | 1 | 508 |
Calories in Common Vegetables
| Food | Size | Calories |
| Broccoli | 100g | 34 |
| Carrots | 100g | 41 |
| Potato | 1 medium | 110 |
| Peas | 100g | 81 |
| Courgette | 100g | 18 |
Calories in Common Drinks
| Drink | Size | Calories |
| Coca-Cola | 330ml | 139 |
| Lager | 1 pint | 210 |
| Semi-skimmed Milk | 200ml | 100 |
| White wine | 175ml | 131 |
| Orange Juice | 200ml | 86 |