How Many Calories Should Women Consume Each Day?

There is no single number that applies to every woman. Daily calorie requirements are determined by several interacting factors, and understanding them helps you use any estimate meaningfully rather than treating it as a rigid rule.

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

BMR is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest — simply to keep your heart beating, lungs breathing, and cells functioning. For women, BMR is generally lower than for men of the same weight, largely because of differences in average muscle mass. Body weight, height, and age all feed into this calculation.

Activity level

Total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) multiplies your BMR by an activity factor. A woman with a mostly desk-based day has a meaningfully lower TDEE than one who is on her feet for hours or exercises regularly. This is the single biggest variable after BMR.

Age

Calorie needs tend to decrease gradually with age, partly because muscle mass often declines over time and metabolism shifts accordingly. Women in their 20s typically have higher requirements than women in their 50s or 60s with similar activity patterns.

Health and weight goals

A modest calorie deficit is commonly used to support weight loss; maintenance requires eating at roughly TDEE; and some women — for example, those who are very active or recovering from illness — need a surplus. General guidance from sources such as NHS nutrition information suggests that a calorie deficit of around 500 calories per day is a commonly referenced starting point for gradual, sustainable weight loss, but the right target for any individual should be shaped by their own circumstances and, where relevant, their healthcare team.

GLP-1 medicines and appetite

Many women on Mounjaro or Wegovy find their appetite drops significantly, sometimes to the point where eating enough protein and overall calories takes conscious effort. This makes calorie awareness more important, not less — eating too little for too long can lead to muscle loss and fatigue. If you are unsure what calorie range is appropriate for you, your prescriber or doctor is the right person to ask.

For a broader look at how daily calorie targets are calculated for different people, see our guide to daily calorie needs across different individuals, or explore the GLP Trackr calorie calculator hub for more tools and guidance.

Knowing your calorie range is only useful if you can consistently see where you actually land each day — and that is where GLP Trackr's food logging makes a real difference.

The app's AI photo scan lets you point your camera at a meal and get an instant breakdown of calories, protein, and macros without typing a thing. On days when appetite is low and meals are small or improvised, this removes almost all the friction from logging. You can also search foods manually or scan a barcode, so whatever you are eating, the data gets captured.

Once your daily calorie and protein targets are set in the app, GLP Trackr shows you at a glance how you are tracking against them — making it straightforward to spot days when you have eaten too little as well as days when you have gone over. The targets feature keeps calories, protein, water, and fibre visible in one place so nothing slips through.

If you want to understand how your food intake connects to your weight progress over time, the app's insights surface those patterns from your own data — giving you something genuinely useful to discuss with your prescriber or doctor at your next appointment.

You might also find it helpful to read about how to work out how many calories to eat each day or to explore personalising your calorie target on a GLP-1 journey.

GLP Trackr provides general tracking and informational support — it is not a substitute for advice from your prescriber or doctor. If you have questions about the right calorie level for your specific health situation, please speak with your healthcare professional.

Ready to take the guesswork out of daily nutrition? Download GLP Trackr on the App Store or Google Play and explore all the tracking features free for your first 7 days.