NHS BMI and Calorie Calculator
Your BMI, healthy weight range and daily calorie needs.
Your details
For adults 18 and over.
NHS guidance uses lower thresholds for people with a South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean family background, who have a higher health risk at a lower BMI.
Your BMI
24.2
Healthy weight
- Healthy weight for your height
- 53.5 kg to 72.0 kg
- Calories at rest (BMR)
- 1,427 kcal a day
- Calories to stay the same weight
- 1,961 kcal a day
- To lose about 0.5 kg a week
- 1,461 kcal a day
BMI does not measure body fat directly and can be misleading for very muscular people, pregnant women and older adults. Calories use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and are estimates. This is general information, not medical advice: speak to your GP or occupational health about your weight, and see the NHS Better Health website for free support.
How it is worked out
- 1BMI is your weight in kg divided by your height in metres squared, matched to the NHS adult ranges.
- 2Lower thresholds (23 and 27.5) can be used for groups with a higher risk at a lower BMI, as NHS guidance recommends.
- 3Calories use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for resting energy, multiplied by your activity level.
Worth knowing
- BMI can be misleading for very muscular people, pregnant women and older adults.
- Shift work can affect eating patterns and sleep. NHS Better Health has free support.
Common questions
What is a healthy BMI?+
For most adults, 18.5 to 24.9. For people from South Asian, Chinese, other Asian, Middle Eastern, Black African or African-Caribbean backgrounds, NHS guidance uses 18.5 to 22.9.
How many calories do I need a day?+
It depends on your size, age, sex and activity. The NHS uses about 2,000 kcal for women and 2,500 kcal for men as a general guide.
Sources
The rules and figures behind this calculator come from:
- NHS: BMI calculator for adults
- NICE NG246: Overweight and obesity management
- NHS: Understanding calories
General information for adults, not medical advice. BMI is not suitable for children or pregnant women. Speak to your GP or occupational health about your weight.
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