Calorie calculator
Your maintenance calories, or TDEE, are what you burn in a day. Eat about that much and your weight stays steady; eat a little less to lose fat, a little more to gain muscle. Enter your details to see all three.
1,950 kcal
A day, at your activity level. Your body uses about 1,400 kcal at complete rest.
These are starting points. Weigh yourself a few times a week and adjust by 100–200 kcal if your weight moves faster or slower than you want after two to three weeks.
Now work out your proteinGeneral information for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have diabetes, a thyroid condition or an eating disorder, or are under 18, ask a doctor or registered dietitian before changing how much you eat.
How the calculator works
First it estimates the calories your body uses at complete rest with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, from your sex, age, height and weight. Then it multiplies that by an activity level. To lose weight it subtracts 500 kcal (never going below your resting calories); to gain muscle it adds 300 kcal.
| Activity level | Multiplier | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Mostly sittingDesk job, little walking or exercise | × 1.2 | 1,700 kcal |
| Lightly activeExercise or long walks 1–3 days a week | × 1.375 | 1,950 kcal |
| Moderately activeExercise 3–5 days a week | × 1.55 | 2,200 kcal |
| Very activeHard exercise 6–7 days a week | × 1.725 | 2,450 kcal |
| Athlete or physical jobTraining twice a day, or heavy manual work | × 1.9 | 2,700 kcal |
The example column is a 28-year-old woman, 65 kg and 170 cm. Most office workers who exercise a few times a week fit “Lightly active” or “Moderately active”; when unsure, pick the lower one.
Making the number work with Indian meals
Calories add up fastest in ghee, oil, fried snacks, sweets and sugary chai, not in dal, sabzi or roti. Logging a normal week of meals shows where your calories come from before you cut anything. Read how to log Indian meals without measuring every gram, and keep protein up while you eat less with the protein calculator.
Log meals, see your calories
Iterofit counts calories and protein for Indian meals, with search and barcode scan, next to your workouts and a daily check-in. Free on iPhone and Android.
See what Iterofit tracksQuestions
What is TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure: the calories you burn in a day, including rest, daily movement, exercise and digesting food. Eating about this much keeps your weight steady.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
About 500 kcal below your maintenance calories is a common starting point for slow, steady loss. This calculator never sets the target below your resting calories; for a bigger deficit, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian.
How many calories does an Indian adult need?
ICMR-NIN uses about 2,110 kcal a day for a sedentary Indian man and 1,660 kcal for a sedentary woman as reference values. Your own number depends on your size, age and activity, which is what this calculator estimates.
How accurate is this calculator?
It uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which a systematic review found to estimate resting calories more accurately than other common formulas in healthy adults. It is still an estimate. ICMR-NIN lowered its resting-calorie figures for Indians by 5% in 2020, so some Indian adults may need slightly less than shown. Track your weight for two to three weeks and adjust.
Should I add the calories my watch says I burned?
No. Your activity level already includes typical exercise. Adding watch calories on top usually counts them twice.
Why does it ask for sex?
The equation was built from measurements of men and women, who on average burn different amounts at rest. Choose the option closest to your body.
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Sources
- Mifflin et al. (1990): a new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals
- Frankenfield et al. (2005): comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate, systematic review
- FAO/WHO/UNU: Human energy requirements (2001)
- ICMR-NIN: Nutrient Requirements for Indians, RDA and EAR 2020 (brief note)