How Many Calories a Day Can I Eat?

Your daily calorie requirement is driven by your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the sum of the energy your body uses just to keep you alive (your basal metabolic rate) plus the calories burned through movement and daily activity. Several key factors shape this figure:

• Sex: On average, men tend to have higher calorie needs than women because of a greater proportion of lean muscle mass. General guidance suggests many women need around 1,600–2,000 calories a day to maintain weight, while many men need around 2,000–2,500 — though these are broad population ranges, not personal prescriptions.
• Age: Calorie needs tend to decrease gradually with age as metabolic rate slows and activity levels change.
• Body size and composition: A larger body or higher muscle mass means a higher metabolic rate and greater calorie needs at rest.
• Activity level: Someone with a physically demanding job or an active exercise routine burns considerably more than someone mostly sedentary.

For weight loss, a modest calorie deficit — consuming less than your body burns — is the general principle. However, the size of that deficit, and whether it is appropriate for you, is something to discuss with your prescriber or doctor rather than set independently. Learn more about how many calories you should consume each day and explore the broader question of what calories actually are and why they matter.

Calories on Mounjaro and Wegovy

Many people on GLP-1 medicines naturally eat less because of reduced appetite and lowered "food noise" — the persistent mental preoccupation with food that many describe before starting treatment. As a result, your actual intake may drop significantly, sometimes without much conscious effort. This makes tracking what you do eat more important, not less: eating too little protein or too few total calories can affect energy, muscle mass, and how you feel day to day. Understanding how many calories your body burns each day gives useful context for setting a sustainable target. For a more specific breakdown by sex, see our guide on daily calorie needs for men.

Knowing your calorie target is only half the equation — hitting it consistently, especially when appetite is unpredictable on a GLP-1 medicine, is where most people find it hard. GLP Trackr's AI-powered food photo scan makes logging effortless: point your phone camera at a meal and the app estimates calories, protein, and macros instantly, without manually searching a database or weighing ingredients.

You can also set a personal daily calorie target inside the app and see at a glance how your intake compares throughout the day. Combined with protein and water goals, it gives you a complete nutritional picture — particularly useful when smaller portions mean every bite needs to count. Explore the GLP Trackr calorie calculator hub for more tools and guidance built around GLP-1 life, including a deeper look at understanding calorie counts.

GLP Trackr is available free on the App Store and Google Play — start a 7-day free trial and see how effortless daily calorie tracking can be when the app does the heavy lifting.

The figures above are general educational ranges drawn from population-level guidance. They are not a personal calorie prescription. Any specific targets for your situation — particularly if you have a health condition or are adjusting your eating significantly — are best agreed with your prescriber or doctor, who can take your full history into account.