Calories calculator
Do you want to lose weight? Or are you wondering how to build visible muscles and train your fitness? Or do you simply want to find out how to keep your body weight in balance with diet and exercise?
With our sophisticated calorie calculator, you can determine your basic metabolic rate, also known as calorie consumption, and your required calorie intake in just a few minutes. This value and our tips will help you achieve your personal goals faster.
Calorie consumption: The composition of your calorie requirements
First things first: our daily energy requirements are very individual and are influenced by different factors. This is often referred to as the personal basic metabolic rate. To calculate this as accurately as possible, it is important to take into account your biological sex, age, height and weight. Your lifestyle also has a decisive influence on your calorie requirement: do you prefer to get on your bike in everyday life or do you prefer to sit on the train? Does your job fall into the category of desk-based activities or are you physically demanding? And do you only wear your sports outfit on the couch or in the gym? Basically, the influences on calorie requirements are divided into two categories:
The basal metabolic rate
The basal metabolic rate is the amount of energy (calories) that your body needs just to maintain all vital organ functions. Your heart, your brain, your breathing - they all require and consume a lot of energy every day.
How is the basal metabolic rate calculated?
The so-called Harris-Benedict formula has proven useful for the calculation:
Basal metabolic rate (kcal/day) = 66.47 + (13.7 * body weight in kg) + (5 * height in cm) − (6.8 * age in years)
Basal metabolic rate (kcal/day) = 655.1 + (9.6 * body weight in kg) + (1.8 * height in cm) − (4.7 × age in years)
The active metabolic rate
active metabolic rate is the energy required over and above the basic metabolic rate. Brushing your teeth every day, hanging up freshly washed clothes, shaking your favorite SHEKO shake - each of these movements consumes extra calories.
You can therefore influence your energy expenditure with your daily activities. This includes the way to the bus, to the supermarket or to your friends as well as your daily dose of sport. Because when you exercise intensively, you burn a lot of calories. If you slip into your running shoes straight after getting up in the morning and trot around the block for three quarters of an hour, you will have already burned around 500 calories before breakfast. The same applies to an extended session with the barbell. And the best thing is: if you build up new muscles thanks to weight training, you will even increase your basal metabolic rate in the medium term.
The sum of basal metabolic rate and activity-related energy expenditure: Total energy expenditure
The sum of basal metabolic rate and activity-related energy expenditure equals the total energy expenditure. This is also commonly referred to as calorie requirement .
Adjust calorie intake according to goal
No matter what your goal is, knowing your calorie expenditure and needs is key to a healthy, balanced lifestyle. One of the biggest reasons for a failed diet is misjudging your calorie needs. That's where our calorie calculator comes in! It helps you determine how many calories you should consume to reach your goal. Our calorie calculator differentiates between the goals of weight loss, muscle gain, and weight maintenance.
Weight loss through a calorie deficit
To lose weight, you need to burn more calories than you consume through food . The foundation for this is a balanced diet that includes sufficient protein , combined with regular exercise and enough sleep.
To lose weight, you need to maintain a calorie deficit . This means you eat fewer calories than you burn. To lose weight effectively and without the yo-yo effect, it's important to choose a healthy calorie deficit. This means you should never eat fewer calories than your basal metabolic rate , as your body needs energy even at rest.
Note: Your basal metabolic rate is the absolute minimum number of calories you should eat daily – even if you are trying to lose weight!
With a moderate calorie deficit of 300 to a maximum of 500 calories , you can lose weight healthily and sustainably. A healthy weight loss of 0.5 kg per week is generally considered a guideline. A larger calorie deficit can slow down your metabolism and lead to cravings, as your body tries to compensate for the higher deficit. When the body switches to energy-saving mode, it uses muscle instead of fat reserves as an energy source – and this is something you absolutely want to avoid! Less muscle not only means less strength, but also a lower calorie expenditure – which, in turn, makes fat loss more difficult in the long run.
Our calorie calculator not only determines your basal metabolic rate and total daily energy expenditure, but also provides you with a healthy range for your calorie deficit when you select the "Weight Loss" goal. This range, along with tips for the distribution of proteins, carbohydrates, and fats, helps you lose fat while maintaining your muscle mass.
OurBalance Shakes are the perfect support for achieving your daily calorie deficit. They offer you a quick, complete meal with only around 200 calories. At the same time, they provide you with valuable protein as well as 27 vitamins and minerals.
Our calorie calculator can help you determine your basal metabolic rate as a guide to your daily calorie intake during a muscle building phase. If you come in sweaty from the training area, SHEKO Shakes provide you with a good portion of protein to help increase your muscle mass.
Protein is the true champion when it comes to satiety. Especially when trying to lose weight, you should therefore pay close attention to meeting your daily protein requirements.
💡 5 benefits of protein at a glance:
- Effective satiety: Proteins have a fascinating satiating effect and help to unconsciously reduce calorie intake.1
- Protection against cravings: Proteins contribute to stabilizing blood sugar levels and thus reduce the risk of cravings.²
- Avoiding the yo-yo effect: Proteins support a lasting change in diet and thus prevent falling back into old habits.³
- Metabolism booster: Proteins stimulate metabolism and burn significantly more calories directly during digestion compared to carbohydrates and fats.⁴
- Muscle building and maintenance: Proteins promote the maintenance and building of muscle mass, which in turn increases the basal metabolic rate and daily calorie expenditure.⁵
Carbohydrates provide energy and, when consumed in appropriate amounts, are an integral part of a healthy diet. Not all carbohydrates are created equal, so it's incorrect to claim that all carbohydrates are bad. There are simple carbohydrates (glucose and fructose) as well as complex carbohydrates (such as those found in vegetables or legumes) .
Complex carbohydrates contain fiber and other essential nutrients that are important for your health. Therefore, focus primarily on vegetables, legumes, whole grains, fruits, and potatoes to meet your recommended carbohydrate intake.
Like carbohydrates, fats provide energy. However, they are equally essential for cell growth , organ protection , and maintaining body temperature . They also enable our bodies to absorb certain nutrients and produce vital hormones . Flaxseeds, nuts, avocados, olive oil, fish, and dark chocolate are particularly beneficial.
Maintaining weight by meeting calorie needs
To maintain your ideal weight, it's important to balance your calorie intake with your calorie expenditure – meaning you should consume exactly as many calories as you burn through your basal metabolic rate and activity level combined. Our calorie calculator helps you determine your daily target calorie intake for maintaining your weight. By adjusting your diet to the recommended calorie intake, you can ensure you neither overeat and gain weight unintentionally nor undereat and lose muscle mass.
Need some delicious recipe inspiration to plan your balanced meals? You'll find plenty in our recipe gallery !
Muscle growth through calorie surplus
If you want to build muscle or gain weight in general, it's important to maintain a moderate calorie surplus by consuming more calories than you burn . Ideally, this surplus should be 300-500 calories per day .
Besides sufficient calories, a high protein intake plays a crucial role. The amino acids from proteins serve as building blocks for new muscle cells. Therefore, ensure you meet your daily protein requirements to optimally support muscle growth. Regular strength training is also recommended to further stimulate muscle growth.
Our calorie calculator determines your daily calorie needs and shows you a guideline to help you consume more calories than you burn. This allows you to manage your calorie surplus in a healthy way.
Our tip: After a sweaty workout, ourBalance Shakes provide you with a good portion of protein to support the building of your muscle mass.
Calorie calculator: Conclusion
No matter what your goal is, our free calorie calculator quickly and accurately determines your calorie needs, providing the foundation for your personalized training or nutrition plan. A balanced diet and exercise are the most effective building blocks for achieving your personal goals. Our calorie calculator also provides you with individually recommended amounts of the three macronutrients – specific amounts for protein, carbohydrates, and fats – to help you create balanced meals.