Calorie Calculator for Men
Estimate how many calories a man needs each day for his age, size, and training. The male Mifflin-St Jeor formula accounts for greater muscle mass, so your target reflects a man's higher resting burn.
Your details
How your number is built
Resting vs total burn
Men typically burn more calories than women of the same age and height because they carry more lean muscle, which raises resting metabolism. This calculator uses the male Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which adds 5 to the base formula, so your number reflects a larger, more muscular frame. Enter your details to see your maintenance calories plus a target for cutting or bulking.
Cutting: how big a deficit should a man run?
A 500-calorie daily deficit is the standard starting point and produces roughly one pound of fat loss per week. Larger men with more to lose can tolerate a 750 to 1,000 calorie deficit, but going lower gets harder to sustain and tends to sacrifice muscle and gym performance. This tool will not set a target below 1,500 calories for men without flagging it.
Keep protein high, around 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of bodyweight, and lift weights while cutting. That combination signals your body to hold onto muscle and lose fat, so the weight you drop is the weight you want gone.
Lean bulking without gaining fat
To build muscle you need a modest surplus, not a free-for-all. Around 250 to 500 calories above maintenance is enough for most men to gain muscle while keeping fat gain slow. Beginners and those returning after a break can build muscle at the lower end, or even near maintenance, because their bodies respond quickly to training.
Aim to gain about 0.25 to 0.5 percent of your bodyweight per week. Faster than that and the extra weight is mostly fat. Recalculate as you get heavier, since a bigger body burns more and your surplus shrinks over time.
Calorie needs for men after 40
Testosterone and muscle mass gradually decline from around age 30, and with them resting metabolism. A man who maintained on 2,600 calories at 25 might maintain on 2,300 to 2,400 at 50 at the same activity. The decline is not inevitable, though: men who keep lifting and stay active preserve far more muscle and burn than those who become sedentary.
If the scale is creeping up in your 40s despite eating the same, recalculate here with your current stats rather than assuming your old number still holds.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most adult men maintain their weight on roughly 2,200 to 3,000 calories a day, according to U.S. dietary guidance, with taller, younger, and more active men at the higher end. Your exact maintenance figure is your TDEE, shown above from your age, height, weight, and activity.
Eat about 500 calories below your maintenance level for steady loss of roughly a pound a week. Bigger men can push to a 750 to 1,000 calorie deficit, but the tool holds a 1,500-calorie floor for men because very low intakes cost muscle and are hard to stick to.
Men generally carry more skeletal muscle and less fat than women of the same weight, and muscle burns more energy at rest. The male Mifflin-St Jeor formula reflects this by adding 5 calories where the female version subtracts 161, so men get a higher baseline.
A surplus of about 250 to 500 calories above maintenance, paired with progressive resistance training and roughly 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. For a full macro breakdown, use our muscle-gain calculator.
Usually a few hundred fewer than in his 20s. A moderately active man over 40 often maintains on about 2,400 to 2,600 calories, but this varies widely with height, weight, and how much muscle he has kept. Recalculate with current stats rather than relying on an old number.
1,500 is the lowest this calculator will recommend for men, and it suits only shorter or very sedentary men in a deliberate deficit. Most men lose weight comfortably on considerably more. If your deficit lands below 1,500, use a smaller deficit or get professional guidance.
These results are estimates for general educational purposes only and are not medical or nutritional advice. Individual needs vary. Consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or have a medical condition.