How Many Calories Should I Eat per Day?
7 min read
The number of calories you should eat depends on your age, sex, size, activity level and goals. This guide explains how to find your personal number and use it effectively.
Start with your maintenance calories
Maintenance calories are the amount that keeps your weight stable. They equal your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which combines your resting metabolism and your activity.
A typical adult woman needs roughly 1,800–2,200 calories and a typical adult man 2,200–2,800, but the only reliable way to know yours is to calculate it and verify with real results.
Adjust for your goal
To lose weight, eat about 500 calories below maintenance for roughly 1 pound of loss per week. To gain muscle, eat 250–500 above maintenance while training.
Avoid extreme deficits — eating too little slows progress, costs you muscle and is hard to sustain.
Track and refine
Use the Goby AI app to scan foods and log calories effortlessly. After two to three weeks, adjust your intake based on how your weight is actually trending.