Your body uses energy all day: to keep your heart, brain and lungs working, to digest food, and to move. The total is your maintenance calories, also called TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Eat less than this and you lose weight; eat more and you gain.
This calculator estimates your TDEE with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, one of the most accurate formulas for everyday use, and then sets a daily calorie target for your goal.
How to use the calorie calculator
- Choose your gender and enter your age, weight (kg) and height (cm).
- Pick how active you are in a normal week. Be honest: most people with desk jobs are "sedentary" or "lightly active".
- Choose your goal: keep your weight, lose weight or gain weight.
You will see your daily calorie target, your maintenance calories and your BMR. Open the table below the result to see the calories for every goal at once.
How it is calculated
BMR (men) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5
BMR (women) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161
Maintenance calories (TDEE) = BMR × activity factor
Daily target = TDEE − 1,100 × (kg to lose per week)| Activity level | Factor |
|---|---|
| Sedentary: desk job, little or no exercise | 1.2 |
| Lightly active: exercise 1–3 days a week | 1.375 |
| Moderately active: exercise 3–5 days a week | 1.55 |
| Very active: hard exercise 6–7 days a week | 1.725 |
| Extra active: physical job or training twice a day | 1.9 |
One kilogram of body fat holds roughly 7,700 kcal. So eating 550 kcal less than you burn each day (3,850 kcal a week) works out to about 0.5 kg of weight loss a week.
Example
A 30-year-old man who weighs 70 kg, is 170 cm tall and is lightly active wants to lose 0.5 kg a week.
- BMR = 10 × 70 + 6.25 × 170 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,618 kcal
- Maintenance calories = 1,617.5 × 1.375 = 2,224 kcal
- Target to lose 0.5 kg a week = 2,224 − 550 = 1,674 kcal a day
To keep his weight he would eat about 2,224 kcal a day, and to gain 0.25 kg a week about 2,499 kcal.
Calories in common Indian foods
These are rough values. The real number depends on portion size and how much oil or ghee is used.
| Food | About |
|---|---|
| 1 medium roti or phulka, no ghee | 80 – 100 kcal |
| 1 katori cooked rice (about 150 g) | 180 – 200 kcal |
| 1 katori dal | 120 – 180 kcal |
| 1 boiled egg | 70 – 80 kcal |
| 1 glass toned milk (200 ml) | 115 – 125 kcal |
| 1 teaspoon ghee or oil (5 g) | 45 kcal |
Tips for using your number
- Go slow. Losing 0.25 to 0.5 kg a week is easier to keep up and protects your muscles.
- Don't eat too little. Women should not go below about 1,200 kcal and men below about 1,500 kcal a day without a doctor's advice.
- Eat enough protein. It keeps you full and protects muscle while you lose fat. Check yours with the protein calculator, and split your calories with the macro calculator.
- Check and adjust. Weigh yourself once a week at the same time. If nothing changes in 2 to 3 weeks, cut or add 100 to 200 kcal a day.
- Every formula is an estimate. Real needs can be 10% higher or lower than the result.
FAQ
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Eat about 250 to 550 kcal a day less than your maintenance calories. That gives a loss of roughly 0.25 to 0.5 kg a week, which most people can keep up.
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what your body burns at complete rest, lying in bed all day. TDEE adds the energy you spend on daily movement, exercise and digesting food. You should eat based on your TDEE, not your BMR. See the BMR calculator for more.
Which activity level should I choose?
Count only planned exercise, such as a gym session, a brisk walk of 30 minutes or more, sports or yoga. If you work at a desk and exercise 2 days a week, choose "lightly active". When in doubt, pick the lower level.
Is 1,200 calories a day safe?
For many women 1,200 kcal a day is the lowest level usually suggested without medical supervision, and for men it is about 1,500 kcal. Eating less than this makes it hard to get enough protein, vitamins and minerals.
Why am I not losing weight at my calorie target?
Most often the calories eaten are more than counted, especially oil, ghee, sweets and drinks. Water retention can also hide fat loss for a week or two. Track honestly for 2 to 3 weeks before changing the target.