Your ideal figure

Maintaining a healthy weight means balancing how many kJ you take in from food and drink against your individual daily needs.

How many kJ are right for you?

How many kJ are right for you?

What should your recommended daily kJ intake be?


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(Only available for ages 10+)
How physically active is your occupation or main part of the waking day:

  • Light - e.g. office worker, precision mechanic, mostly seated, retired.
  • Moderate - e.g. assembly line, housework, sales, student, regular walking.
  • Heavy - e.g. mechanic, construction, farming, frequent lifting.

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(Only available for ages 10+)
How physically active are you outside of work or the rest of the waking day:

  • Light - no strenuous leisure activity, eg light home duties, light gardening, small screen activities, homework, walking for pleasure.
  • Moderately active - occasional active leisure activity or sport, eg strenuous gardening several days per week, or brisk walking on most days.
  • Very active - frequent, strenuous leisure activity or training eg jogging, strenuous cycling or gym classes on most days.

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Reset

(Only available for ages 18+)

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0 kJ - 0 kJ
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Calculator results are based on population averages and are approximations. Individual needs are likely to vary. A range of ideal kJ figures is provided as a guide, where possible.

If you want a tailored, personal weight management plan, you should consult your doctor or accredited practising dietitian.

This calculator is provided for instruction and is not intended for medical diagnosis or treatment.

It doesn't provide for pregnant or breastfeeding women, and may be less suitable for people involved heavily in sporting activities, with some health conditions or for ethnicities whose weight-to-age ratio differs from the population average.

Calculations are based on the approach by McNeill, in Garrow, James & Ralph (eds), 2000, Human nutrition.

What does this figure mean?

This figure shows you approximately how many kJ your body needs each day to maintain weight or get closer to your weight goal over a healthy period. Eat more than this without increasing your activity level on a regular basis and you would not get closer to your weight goal. You could even gain weight.

But everyone's body works differently, and this is just a starting point. A good guide to whether you are getting the ideal number of kJ is whether you are gaining or losing weight. We might have suggested a range of kJ above, and it might take some trial and error. If needed, adjust your kJ intake by 500 kJ a day for a few weeks then check against your goal. As your weight changes, re-calculate your ideal figure.

The good news is: small changes can make a big difference.

If you would like more information about healthy weight or you're concerned you may be under or over weight, the best thing is to: