Activity Levels Explained

Sedentary

Little to no exercise

Desk job or very minimal movement throughout the day

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​Lightly Active

Light exercise (e.g., walking, yoga) 1–3 days per week

Light daily movement like standing, errands, chores

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​Moderately Active

Moderate exercise 3–5 days per week (e.g., gym workouts, fitness classes)

Fairly active lifestyle outside of workouts

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Very Active

Intense training 6–7 days per week

Active lifestyle (on feet a lot, walks often, physical job or hobby)

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Extra Active

Very intense training (twice daily sessions, athlete-level)

Physically demanding job (e.g., builder, full-time PT, dancer)

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WHAT TO DO NEXT

Once you have the number from the calculator (target intake per day), this is the number for your maintenance calories. If you eat at this number daily, you will maintain your current weight.

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Cut (Fat Loss)

Subtract 300 - 500 from your maintenance calories per day. That's your daily calorie allowance.

Rate of Loss: 0.5–1% of body weight per week.

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Bulk (Muscle Gain)

Add 200 - 500 to your maintenance calories per day. That's your daily calorie allowance.​ This will allow you to gain lean muscle over time. Fat will also be gained.

Rate of Gain: 0.25–0.5% of body weight per week.

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 Aggressive Cut

Subtract 600 - 1,000 from your maintenance calories. Only used for short-term, rapid fat loss phases and is not sustainable in the long term.

• Rate of Loss: 1–1.5% of body weight per week.