⚠️ When calorie tracking needs clinical help
Talk to a clinician rather than adjusting your intake further if you notice:
• Restricting, bingeing, or purging, or distress that dominates your day
• Rapid unintended weight loss you did not set out to cause
• Fainting, dizziness, or missed periods while dieting
• Tracking that has become compulsive and hard to stop
Guidelines & Official Guidance
Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030
The current edition, released January 2026 by USDA and HHS. Short enough to read in one sitting, and the basis for federal nutrition programs.
Steps for Losing Weight (CDC)
The CDC's guidance on gradual weight loss, including why 1 to 2 pounds a week is the target and how activity and intake work together.
Calculators & Databases
NIH Body Weight Planner
A validated model from NIDDK that estimates the intake and activity needed to reach a goal weight and then maintain it. More realistic than fixed-formula calculators because it accounts for metabolic adaptation.
USDA FoodData Central
The USDA's reference database for the nutrient content of foods. The source most other calorie databases are ultimately derived from.