Calorie calculator
Lifestyle choices such as diet and fitness are often measured in calories (kcal), so here are some example meals and exercises with associated calorie intake/burn.
Calorie intake from food
Pick a few food items from the list below or click on a meal to quickly see typical calorie counts.
Calorie calculator
Click any food above to add it to your meal
Calorie burn from exercise
Calories burned calculator
Select an exercise above to get started
Calorie estimates are approximate for an average adult (~70 kg) at moderate intensity and will vary depending on body weight, fitness level, age, and effort. This calculator is not a substitute for professional health or fitness advice.
These figures may seem quite low compared to what you’re putting into your body from food. It’s important to note that conscious exercise is just a part of our daily calorie burning cycle.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
The energy required to keep your body ticking over is called your Basal Metabolic Rate, or BMR. Even at complete rest, your body is constantly at work. Your heart is beating, your lungs are breathing, your brain is processing, and your cells are repairing themselves.
Between 60% and 70% of an adult’s total daily calorie use is covered by BMR, just keeping you alive. If you add the additional calories burned by everyday tasks, this makes up the Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). This can include everything from getting dressed in the morning to a full workout.
How calories are measured
What we know as a calorie is in fact a kilocalorie, written as kcal. It actually means 1000 calories in the context of nutrition, since the original chemistry term of ‘calorie’ was one thousandth of a kcal. One kilocalorie is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of one kilogram of water by one degree Celsius. A calorie is simply a unit of energy, so in food, we’re measuring how much energy that food provides to the body. When we talk about burning calories, we’re measuring how much energy the body uses to perform a task.
Calories and weight loss
If we consume roughly the same number of calories as we burn, our weight would stay roughly stable. A consistent surplus leads to the body storing the excess as fat. A consistent deficit (using more than you eat) leads the body to draw on those stores for fuel, resulting in weight loss over time.