Calorie calculator
What you burn in a day, roughly, and what a sensible deficit looks like, plus a protein target, which is the number most people are actually missing.
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How this is calculated
Maintenance uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which is the one most commonly used clinically and is generally more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict formula. It estimates your resting metabolic rate from your sex, age, height and weight, then multiplies it by an activity factor.
The fat loss figure is maintenance minus 18%. That is deliberately moderate. A larger deficit loses weight faster on paper and in practice loses more muscle, makes training worse, and is abandoned sooner.
The protein target is 1.8 g per kilogram of bodyweight, in the middle of the range that research supports for preserving muscle during a deficit.
Hitting that protein number on a vegetarian diet
This is where most people in Surat come unstuck. A normal Gujarati day can easily land at 40–50 g of protein without anyone doing anything wrong, and the target above is often double that.
The fix is addition rather than replacement: a full bowl of dal or chana with both main meals, curd or chaas daily, milk, paneer a few times a week, and, if you eat them, eggs. The Gujarati diet guide goes through this in detail.
Treat the number as a hypothesis
Any calculator is an estimate, typically within about 10%. Use the figure for a fortnight while tracking your weight and your waist, then adjust. If nothing has moved in two weeks, the estimate was high for you; if you are losing quickly and your training is falling apart, it was low.
And do not eat back what your watch says you burned. Activity is already in the multiplier, and wearables overestimate energy expenditure substantially. Counting it twice is the commonest way a deficit disappears without anyone noticing.
Where a doctor comes in
If you are pregnant, under 18, managing diabetes, thyroid disease, PCOS or an eating disorder, or taking medication that affects appetite or weight, speak to a doctor before acting on any of this.
Calories FAQ
- How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
- A deficit of roughly 15–20% below your maintenance calories is enough for steady fat loss without wrecking your training or your sleep. This calculator estimates maintenance using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and your activity level, then shows what a moderate deficit looks like.
- How accurate are calorie calculators?
- They are an estimate, usually within about 10% for most people. Use the number as a starting point for two weeks, then adjust based on what your weight and waist actually do. Your own results are the real calculator.
- How much protein should I eat while losing fat?
- Roughly 1.6 to 2.2 grams per kilogram of bodyweight per day supports muscle retention during a deficit. For a vegetarian Gujarati diet this usually means adding dal, chana, curd, paneer and milk deliberately rather than hoping to hit it by accident.
- Should I eat back the calories I burn in the gym?
- No. Activity is already accounted for in the activity multiplier this calculator uses, and both fitness trackers and gym machines routinely overestimate calories burned. Eating them back a second time is the most common reason a deficit quietly disappears.