Goal Weight Calorie Calculator
for Weight Loss, Gain, or Maintenance

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This weight loss, gain, and maintenance calorie calculator will calculate the daily calorie target you will need to aim for in order to achieve and maintain your desired weight.

Weight Management

Weight management is really a very simple concept.

Your body requires a certain number of calories (units of energy) each day in order to support its daily activity level.

If you take in fewer daily calories than your body needs for its daily activity level, your body will use storage body fat to subsidize your intake -- causing you to lose weight.

On the other hand, if you take in more daily calories than your body needs for daily activity, your body will add to its fat reserves -- causing you to gain weight.

This means there are basically three ways to lose or gain weight:

1. Adjust your daily caloric intake.
2. Adjust your daily activity level.
3. A combination of #1 and #2.

First Things First

Before using the weight loss goal calculator I recommend you first calculate your body fat percentage (using the military/tape method) in order to get a more accurate estimate of your daily calories required for loss, gain, or maintenance.

Can't Decide on a Goal Weight?

If you are having trouble deciding how much you would like to weigh, you can calculate your ideal weight here.

What To Do To Increase Calories Burned?

If your daily calorie consumption is above the target suggested by the calculator, and you prefer to make up the difference by increasing your activity level -- instead of by reducing your calorie intake -- visit the exercise calorie calculator to put together a plan for increasing your calories burned.

Now that you know your body fat percentage and have a firm goal weight in mind, it's time to use the weight calorie calculator to calculate the daily calorie target you want to aim for in order to achieve your goal.

Weight Calorie Calculator
Instructions: Select your gender and enter your age, height and weight. Next enter your body fat percentage (optional), choose your daily activity level, and enter the number of pounds you wish to lose or gain. Finally, enter the number of days, weeks, months, or years you would like to achieve your weight loss goal by, then click the "Calculate Calories Needed for Goal Weight" button. Mouse over the blue question marks for a further explanation of each entry field. More in-depth explanations can be found in the glossary of terms located beneath the Weight Calorie Calculator.
Are you male or female?	Female Male
How old are you?
How tall are you?	ft. in.
How much do you weigh?
What percent of your weight is body fat? (optional)
How active are you on an average day? Hardly Slightly Moderately Very Extremely
# of lbs. you desire to Lose Gain :
# of Days Weeks Months Years to achieve goal weight:
Goal Weight Calories
Calorie target per day for current weight maintenance:
Calorie target per day to achieve goal weight:
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Weight Calorie Calculator Glossary of Terms

Calorie: The energy required to raise the temperature of 1 gram of water by 1 degree Celsius. The typical adult needs 1,000 to 1,400 calories per day just to fuel basic organs (minimum requirement is referred to as Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR). An additional 400-600 calories are needed to go from laying still all day to moving around during the day. For every 3,500 calories you take in that are over and above the amount you need to maintain your weight, you will gain 1 pound.

Are you male or female?: Select your gender.

How old are you? Enter your current age as a whole number.

How tall are you? Enter your height in feet and inches.

How much do you weigh? Enter your weight in pounds

What percent of your weight is body fat? Optional: Enter your body fat percentage if you know it, expressed as a percentage (for 28%, enter 28). Refer to the Weight Loss Calculators section to calculate your body fat percentage.

How active are you on an average day? Select the activity level that best describes your own daily activity level (Hardly, Slightly, Moderately, Very, Extremely).

Pounds you desire to Lose/Gain: Select whether you want to lose or gain weight, then enter the number of pounds you wish to lose or gain.

Time frame to achieve goal weight: Select the desired time periods (days, weeks, months, years) and then enter the number of periods you want to take to achieve your weight loss goal.

Calorie target per day for current weight maintenance: This is the estimated number of calories you will need to consume per day in order to maintain your present weight.

Calorie target per day to achieve goal weight: This is the estimated daily caloric intake target you will need to aim for in order to achieve your goal weight.

Body Fat Percentage: The total weight of your fat divided by your weight. Consists of essential body fat (1-3% in men, 8%-12% in women) and storage body fat.

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