The Best Online Calorie Calculator

The Best Online Calorie Calculator

Calorie counting is something that thousands upon thousands of people do on a daily basis, all over the world. It helps people to stay on track with their weight loss goals and their lifestyles.

Before you start counting calories, it’s important to know how many calories a day you should be consuming for your activity level, weight, and height.

Every person will have different needs and requirements. A great way to figure out how many calories you should be consuming is through online calorie calculators. Here is one that I’ve personally used before.

more: Find Out How Many Calories You Should Eat Per Day To Lose Weight

There are also converters online that you can use to convert between different types of calories and common food energy units such as kilojoules and joules. Here is a great energy converter that I can recommend.

How Do Calorie Counters Work?

Most online calorie calculators are based on an equation by Mifflin-St Jeor that calculates your bmr (basic metabolic rate). Your basic metabolic rate is how much energy your body expends on a daily basis, while you are resting. Here is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation:

For women: bmr = 10 x weight (in kg) + 6.25 x height (in cm) – 5 x age (in years) – 161

For men: bmr = 10 x weight (in kg) + 6.25 x height (in cm) – 5 x age (in years) + 5

When you follow that equation, the answer that you get is the amount of calories you can consume in a day to maintain your body weight, if you are just resting and not doing any physical activity.

more: 7 Scientifically Proven Ways To Lose Belly Fat

If you wanted to find out a more realistic estimate based on your activity level, you would multiply the number by 1.2-1.95, depending on your activity level.

How to Lose Weight

One of the easiest ways to lose weight is to limit the amount of calories you consume. On average, 1 pound of body fat equates to around 3,500 calories.

Therefore, if you create a weekly deficit of 3,500 calories, you would lose 1 pound of fat a week. This is a very realistic goal to achieve, and since the weight comes off slower, it usually stays off.

In order to lose one pound a week, you would need to create a deficit of 500 calories a day. If you normally consume 2500 calories a day, limit your calories to 2000 a day, and you will see results.

more: The Easiest Ways To Lose Weight Without Counting Calories

It’s important to always consume at least 1,600 calories a day, or else your body might go into starvation mode and hold onto everything because it doesn’t know when the next time it will have food is.

What Are The Different Types of Calories?

There are three main sources of calories that people eat: calories that come from carbohydrates, calories that come from protein, and calories that come from fat.

Generally, calories that come from protein and fat keep you full longer. Empty calories come from foods such as alcohol, junk food, and candy. Empty refers to the notion that these calories are void of nutrients, and will promote weight gain.

Did you know that if you eat foods which are harder to chew, they will naturally burn more calories?

more: How To Burn 500 Calories A Day

This is because these foods (such as fruits, vegetables, lean meats, and whole grains) force the body to burn more calories since more calories are used to digest these foods.

The more you chew, the fuller you will feel as well. There are also negative-calorie foods, which are foods that require more energy to be digested than the food provides in the first place. Celery is a great example of this food.

Some foods that you eat are considered “high-calorie,” while others are considered “low-calorie.”

Fruits and vegetables are the most popular low-calorie foods that people recommend you eat. Junk food, fast food, and fried foods are typically always high-calorie.

Generally speaking, higher calorie foods are less filling, contain less fiber, and can lead to weight gain. If you are trying to lose weight, try to consume as much low-calorie foods as possible.

more: 6 Proven Ways To Lose Belly Fat

The Worst Type of Calories

The worst type of calories that you can consume (for weight loss, and for your health, too) are empty calories.

Beverages (whether it’s alcohol, soda, or juice) are usually full of empty calories. These calories come from sources that contain no nutrients, no fiber, and they do more harm than good.

Did you know that one can of soda contains up to 180 calories? Calories from drinks are bad because they do not fill you up.

You can easily consume up to 500 calories a day from drinks without even realizing it. These calories stay and collect in your body, leading to weight gain.

Most of the calories in drinks come from sugar and carbs. They cause insulin spikes and give you sugar rushes. Even most fruit juices are full of empty calories and don’t contain any fruit.

more: 28 Evidence Based Weight Loss Tips

The best thing to drink throughout the day would be water. However, if you want something else, coconut water is great, along with tea.

If you crave the carbonation from soda, try substituting it with sparkling water. If you want to drink juice, try to get juices that are made from 100% fruits and vegetables, with no sugar added.

more: Take The Quiz – Do You Know The Unique Veggies That Burn Abdominal Fat?

This Calorie Calculator Tells You How Many Calories You Need Per Day

Everyone needs a different amount of calories a day. This number will vary depending on factors such as your weight, height, activity level, gender, and age. For example, a 30-year-old, 6-foot male that regularly goes to the gym will require much more calories than a sedentary, 5-foot tall, 50-year-old woman. On average, adult males need to consume anywhere between 2000-3000 calories per day in order to maintain their weight. Women need less, their requirements are anywhere between 1,600-2,400 calories a day to maintain their weight. This information is provided by the United States Department of Health.

calorie calculator

Calories in our Favorite Healthy Foods

Here is a list of popular healthy foods along with the amount of calories they contain.

  • Apples (80 calories per apple)
  • Brown rice (216 calories per 1 cup cooked brown rice)
  • Quinoa (229 calories per 1 cup cooked quinoa)
  • Broccoli (30 calories per 1 cup of chopped broccoli)
  • Spinach (10 calories per 1 cup)
  • Grapes (104 calories per 1 cup)
  • Carrots (45 calories per 1 cup of grated carrots)
  • Watermelon (46 calories per 1 cup of diced watermelon)
  • Corn (128 calories per 1 cup of boiled corn)
  • Sweet Potato (100 calories per 1 medium sweet potato)
  • Oatmeal (150 calories per 1/2 cup of dry oats)
  • Salmon (233 calories per 4 oz)
  • Couscous (176 calories per 1 cup of cooked couscous)
  • Lettuce (8 calories per 1 cup of chopped lettuce)
  • Almonds (132 calories per 1/4 cup of raw almonds)
  • Orange juice (112 calories per 1 cup of orange juice)

more: Calories Burned Calculator

Calories in Unhealthy and Processed Foods

Here is a list of common processed food that people consume, along with the amount of calories they contain.

  • White bread (70 calories per slice)
  • Chocolate chip cookies (220 calories per cookie)
  • Fries (450 calories per a medium serving of fries)
  • Hamburgers (460 calories per hamburger)
  • Pizza (280 calories per slice)
  • Beer (155 calories per 355 ml)
  • Coca-Cola (110 calories per 1 cup)
  • Potato chips (160 calories per 1 oz)
  • Chicken nuggets (48 calories per 1 chicken nugget)
  • Ice cream (267 calories per 1 cup of ice cream)
  • Donuts (220 calories per 1 donut)

more: Food Calorie Calculator

How Many Calories Can I Burn Exercising?

Here is a list of common exercises that you can do to lose weight and gain muscle, along with how many calories you can burn per 1 hour of each exercise.

The calories listed will be for an average weight of 150 pounds. The heavier you are, the more calories you will burn, and the less you weigh, the fewer calories you will burn.

  • Walking at a pace of 3.5 miles per hour (260)
  • Biking at a pace of 10 miles per hour (281)
  • Canoeing (281)
  • Hiking (422)
  • Jogging (493)
  • Jump rope (844)
  • Rock climbing (774)
  • Running at a pace of 5 miles per hour (563)
  • Ice skating (493)
  • Skiing in the snow (493)
  • Swimming for leisure (422)
  • Boxing with a punching bag (430)
  • Golf (281)
  • Dancing (317)
  • General house cleaning (250)
  • Soccer (397)
  • Football (500)
  • Basketball (422)

more: Online Calorie Calculator

What are the Calories in Each Nutrient?

The main macronutrients in our diet are carbohydrates, fats, and proteins. Each of these macronutrients has different amounts of calories.

For example, fat generally has 8.8 calories per gram. Common sources of fat are avocados, nuts, seeds, oils, butter, etc. Fats are much more calorie dense than carbs and proteins are.

This is why people typically eat less fat, and they are full for longer periods of time. Carbohydrates and proteins are very similar in terms of the amount of calories they contain. Both carbs and proteins have 4.1 calories per gram.

Calories can be very complex. I have provided you with the basics in this article so that you can create a plan for yourself and your lifestyle, no matter what your goals are.

Whether you want to lose weight, maintain your weight, or gain weight, calories are such an important factor. The amount of calories you consume will determine the results that you achieve.

30 comments… add one
  • jasmine March 7, 2018, 3:02 pm

    my diet isn’t working and i dunno why. my friend told me to try using an online calorie calculator to effectively and religiously track my calorie intake. she also mentioned that it gives accurate details on how hard i have to work to achieve my goals. the information on this article will also help me.

  • krysta March 6, 2018, 2:13 pm

    wow, i didn’t realize i did not know much about calories. all i know is i should limit my calorie intake and then i’m good! thanks for sharing this, it has been really informative and helpful.

  • tricia March 5, 2018, 6:44 pm

    i want to stay on track with my weight loss goal but the first time i tried this, it didn’t work. i would always miss things no matter how i try. after reading this though, i realize how really important this is so i think i will give it a try again.

  • justiene March 2, 2018, 4:43 pm

    i understand that my calorie intake is the most important part of my diet regardless of what my goals are. this online calculator is just perfect. i’m gonna start using it.

  • annamarie March 1, 2018, 5:09 pm

    online calculator is fantastic! i love that it provides simple guidelines that everyone can use if they want to lose or gain weight.

  • czarina February 28, 2018, 4:52 pm

    the amount of calories each person needs is unique. it’s always best to check first before getting into a diet for great results.

  • lauryn February 27, 2018, 1:09 pm

    i tried using this trick and it helped me in ways i never even imagined. i’m not used to tracking the food that i eat but this has been so effective for me. u better try it.

  • liv February 26, 2018, 3:30 pm

    thanks so much for sharing this. i never realized until now that i am so prone to consuming empty calories. i now understand this better.

  • marlyn February 22, 2018, 8:29 pm

    wow, this article is just the best guide i have ever had about calorie. i realize i don;t really have a good understanding of this topic and now i’m glad i was able to read this.

  • mariah February 21, 2018, 7:14 pm

    if you want to stay fit and really on track in keeping up with your diet, you should get one of these calorie calculators. i didn’t like the idea at first, but now i can’t live without it.

  • riley February 20, 2018, 11:36 pm

    yikes, i don’t like counting calories or taking note of what i eat and calculate and stuff. but after reading this, i realize the importance and i might try it real soon. thanks for always keeping me motivated.

  • sadie February 19, 2018, 1:26 pm

    limiting calorie to lose 1pound a week will be a great start. i think i will try this and see if it works for me too. thanks for the very detailed explanation.

  • adelaine February 19, 2018, 11:31 am

    great! now i know how to start my weight loss journey. i am so excited!

  • adeline February 16, 2018, 7:48 pm

    great! now i know how to start my weight loss journey.

  • bettina February 15, 2018, 8:25 pm

    hmmm..is this only for a techy person? i would like to try but i find it very confusing…

  • kaylee February 14, 2018, 2:38 pm

    wow! i’ve been trying to lose weight and this will help me achieve best results!

  • lizzy February 13, 2018, 6:38 pm

    i think this is a great tip anyone wanting to start can really use. thanks for your efforts in sharing what you know. i can also share this with friends who can use it.

  • gabriela February 12, 2018, 1:17 pm

    160 calories per 1 oz of potato chips?! wow, i think i should start eating in moderation and track my calorie intake religiously.

  • lucy February 10, 2018, 3:50 pm

    i believe that one of the easiest ways to lose weight is to limit the amount of calories you consume so it’s really important to have a calorie calculator.

  • amelia February 8, 2018, 9:26 pm

    it’s best to know how you rank in calorie intake and the best amount for you, your body type, etc.

  • carlisle February 7, 2018, 3:07 pm

    i’m never without my calorie counter anymore. this helps me keep track of what i eat and my progress too.

  • jacky February 6, 2018, 12:26 am

    i haven’t tried using one of these but maybe i can try using 1 now.

  • cindy February 4, 2018, 6:47 pm

    you can’t go wrong with water. bye bye soda!

  • mariz January 31, 2018, 11:39 pm

    I have an online calorie calculator saved on my tablet and i use it daily

  • hope January 29, 2018, 9:30 pm

    this is true. calories are indeed an important factor when it comes to weight management.

  • nympha January 25, 2018, 3:57 pm

    hmmm, this will help me track my calorie intake the right way.

  • lily January 24, 2018, 7:18 pm

    wow! i will start counting my calorie intake moving forward.

  • danielle January 23, 2018, 10:48 pm

    i’ve never tried using any of these. aren’t these a lot of work? i’m not so techie.

  • danica October 9, 2017, 11:52 pm

    i never liked counting calories and all sorts, but i think after reading this i can give it a try.

  • lorraine October 2, 2017, 7:43 pm

    love the tips! thanks for sharing them to us.

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