Pregnancy and Breastfeeding Calorie Calculator: Extra Calories and Weight Gain
Free pregnancy and breastfeeding calorie calculator: how many extra calories you need by trimester or baby's age, healthy weight gain by week for your BMI (with twins), a chart to plot your own weight, foods for the extra calories, and key nutrients.
Calories by trimester
Healthy weight gain
The shaded band is the Institute of Medicine / ACOG recommended range for your pre-pregnancy BMI. Your own provider's advice comes first: some pregnancies need a different target.
What an extra calories looks like
Key nutrients
How many extra calories do you need when pregnant?
Less than most people think. Official guidance (the U.S. Institute of Medicine and the Dietary Guidelines) is no extra calories in the first trimester, about +340 calories a day in the second and about +452 a day in the third, on top of what you needed before pregnancy. “Eating for two” is a myth: the extra is about a snack, not a second meal. Twins need more (roughly +600 a day, an estimate; your provider can set it).
This calculator starts from your maintenance calories before pregnancy (BMR by the Mifflin-St Jeor equation times your activity level), then adds the trimester amount.
How much weight should you gain?
Institute of Medicine (2009), adopted by ACOG. Gain is slow in the first trimester (0.5–2 kg in total), then steady: 0.35–0.5 kg (about 1 lb) a week for a normal-weight singleton pregnancy.
Calories while breastfeeding
Making milk burns roughly 330 extra calories a day in the first six months and about 400 from 7 to 12 months for exclusive breastfeeding; about half that for partial feeding. Do not diet hard while establishing supply: slow loss of up to about 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week is considered safe once feeding is established, and calories should stay above about 1,800 a day.
Questions
- Should I count calories in pregnancy?
- You do not need to. Eating to appetite with a balanced diet usually works. Use the numbers as a guide, and track your weight gain with your provider.
- What if I am gaining too fast or too slowly?
- Talk to your midwife or doctor. Both can be managed, and they will consider your own health and your baby's growth.
- Is it safe to lose weight while pregnant?
- Do not diet while pregnant unless your doctor advises it. This page is not for weight loss.
- Is my data private?
- Yes. Everything stays in this browser.
General information, not medical advice. Always follow your doctor or midwife's guidance. Related: Due Date Calculator · Weeks Pregnant Calculator · Water Intake Calculator · TDEE Calculator