Find out exactly how many calories you need each day
This is one of the most common questions in nutrition, and the honest answer is โ it depends. It depends on your age, height, weight, how physically active you are, and what your goal is. A 25-year-old male gym-goer needs dramatically more calories than a 50-year-old woman who works a desk job. That's just biology.
Our calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR), then multiplies it by an activity factor to get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Your TDEE is your maintenance calories โ the amount you need to stay at your current weight.
BMR is what your body burns doing absolutely nothing. Think of it as your idle fuel consumption. For most people, it's somewhere between 1,200 and 2,000 calories depending on size and gender.
TDEE is the real number โ BMR adjusted for your actual activity level. This is what you should base your diet on, not just BMR.
Deficit/Surplus โ 1 kg of body fat contains roughly 7,700 calories. So to lose 1 kg per week, you need a deficit of about 1,100 calories per day. That's quite aggressive and hard to sustain. Most people do better with a 500-calorie deficit targeting 0.5 kg/week.
Calories tell you how much to eat. Macros tell you what to eat. The three macronutrients are protein, carbohydrates, and fat, and each serves a different purpose.
Protein is the most important macro for body composition. It builds and preserves muscle, keeps you full, and actually burns more calories during digestion than carbs or fat. Aim for 1.6-2.2g of protein per kg of body weight if you exercise regularly. For a 70 kg person, that's 112-154g of protein per day.
Carbohydrates are your body's preferred energy source, especially for the brain and during intense exercise. They're not the enemy despite what keto enthusiasts say. The type of carbs matters more than the quantity โ complex carbs from whole grains, fruits and vegetables over simple sugars.
Fat is essential for hormone production, brain function, and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins. Don't go too low on fat โ below 20% of total calories can actually impair hormonal health.
Knowing your calorie target is step one. Actually hitting it consistently is the real challenge. A few things that genuinely help: track food for at least 2-4 weeks using an app like MyFitnessPal โ most people are shocked to discover they eat far more (or less) than they think. Plan meals in advance rather than deciding what to eat when you're already hungry. Keep healthy, calorie-appropriate snacks accessible so you don't reach for high-calorie junk when hunger strikes.
Also โ don't be too rigid. The research on flexible dieting vs strict dieting consistently shows flexible dieters have better long-term compliance and results. Having the occasional high-calorie meal won't derail you. It's the daily average over weeks that matters.