Method · work it on paper

Your calorie target

Every chart on this site states the band it was portioned to. This page is how you find out whether that band is yours.

The whole model, in one line

Estimate, not measurement

Resting rate × activity factor = maintenance. Eat below maintenance to lose weight, above it to gain. Every calorie calculator on the internet is some version of that, and every one of them — including this one — carries roughly ±10% of error for any individual, which is why the figures below are printed as ranges rather than as numbers.

SOURCE·Mifflin–St Jeor equation, Am J Clin Nutr 1990;51:241–247·population estimate, ±10% for an individual·REVIEWED JUL 2026

Step one · the number this chart is not Work out your own calorie target Not sure of the target the plan is built around? Get it in Asian-Indian terms. Come back with it and the band on this page marks itself. Behind every figure above The serving each number came from ഈ പ്ലാനിലെ ഓരോ കണക്കും ഇവിടെയുള്ള ഒരു യഥാർത്ഥ സെർവിംഗിലേക്ക് തിരികെ ചെന്നെത്തുന്നു.

Step 1 — resting metabolic rate

Mifflin–St Jeor. Weight in kg, height in cm, age in years.

men    RMR = 10 x weight + 6.25 x height - 5 x age + 5
women  RMR = 10 x weight + 6.25 x height - 5 x age - 161
       maintenance = RMR x activity factor
       print as a range: maintenance +/- 10%

Worked ranges — resting rate, then maintenance at each activity level MIFFLIN–ST JEOR · 1990
Person	Resting	×1.2	×1.375	×1.55	×1.725
Woman, 30, 60 kg, 160 cm	1,160–1,420 kcal	1,400–1,700	1,600–1,950	1,800–2,200	2,000–2,450
Woman, 45, 72 kg, 158 cm	1,190–1,450 kcal	1,425–1,750	1,625–2,000	1,850–2,250	2,050–2,500
Man, 30, 75 kg, 172 cm	1,510–1,850 kcal	1,825–2,225	2,075–2,550	2,350–2,875	2,600–3,200
Man, 45, 85 kg, 175 cm	1,550–1,900 kcal	1,850–2,275	2,125–2,600	2,400–2,950	2,675–3,275

Every cell is a range because the equation is a population fit: two people identical on paper can differ by several hundred kcal a day. Take the middle of a range as the hypothesis and the first fortnight of real weight data as the test.

SOURCE·Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al., Am J Clin Nutr 1990;51:241–247·ranges are ±10% of the fitted value·REVIEWED JUL 2026

Step 2 — activity factor

How you actually live	Multiply resting rate by
Sedentary — desk job, little walking, no training	1.2
Lightly active — some walking, one or two sessions a week	1.375
Moderately active — training three to five days a week	1.55
Very active — hard training six days a week, or physical work	1.725

Nearly everyone overestimates this. A desk job with three gym sessions a week is "lightly active", not "very active" — the gym hour is small next to the other twenty-three.

Step 3 — pick the chart that matches

Every chart on this site publishes the band it was portioned to. Match yours to the nearest one and adjust the serving counts from there.

Goal	Built to	Protein floor	Plans
Weight loss	1,400–1,700 kcal	70 g	സസ്യാഹാരം · Non-vegetarian · Eggetarian · Jain · Vegan
Muscle gain	2,400–2,800 kcal	110 g	സസ്യാഹാരം · Non-vegetarian · Eggetarian · Vegan
Maintenance	1,900–2,200 kcal	65 g	സസ്യാഹാരം · Non-vegetarian · Eggetarian · Jain · Vegan
Diabetes-friendly	1,600–1,900 kcal	75 g	സസ്യാഹാരം · Non-vegetarian · Jain
PCOS-friendly	1,500–1,800 kcal	80 g	സസ്യാഹാരം · Non-vegetarian

What the number cannot tell you

Two people with identical height, weight, age and sex can differ by several hundred calories a day in what they actually burn. Thyroid function, medication, sleep, how much you fidget and how much muscle you carry all move it, and none of them appear in the equation. That is not a reason to ignore the number — it is a reason to treat it as a starting hypothesis and to adjust it after two weeks of real data rather than after two days.

General information only — not medical or nutrition advice. These are illustrative plans built on average values; they are not prescriptions and cannot account for allergies, conditions or medication. Every reference behind this page is dated on the sources page.

The questions this page cannot answer for you

How many calories should I eat a day?

There is no single answer, which is why this page gives a method rather than a number. Estimate your resting rate from height, weight, age and sex, multiply by an activity factor, and you have a maintenance figure. Eat below it to lose weight, above it to gain. The estimate can be 10 to 15% out in either direction for any individual, so treat the first two weeks as calibration.

Which formula does this use?

Mifflin–St Jeor, which is the equation most commonly used in clinical practice for resting metabolic rate. It takes weight in kilograms, height in centimetres and age in years, with a fixed offset by sex. The full calculator, including body-fat-aware options, is on SehatCheck.

Should Indians use a different number?

The energy equations are not India-specific, but the body-composition cutoffs around them are: the WHO recognises lower BMI and waist thresholds for Asian populations, because the same BMI carries more metabolic risk. That affects what a healthy weight is, not how many calories a given body burns.

How big should a deficit be?

Small enough that you can hold it. A deficit of roughly 15 to 20% below maintenance is a common starting point and is what the weight-loss plans on this site are built around. Very aggressive deficits work for a fortnight and then stop working, usually along with the rest of the plan.

Calories and macros are computed from the ThaliFacts dataset, which is based on the Indian Food Composition Tables 2017 (ICMR–NIN), plus the regional dishes estimated for this site and marked est wherever they appear. Energy reconciles against 4P + 4C + 9F on every build. Every source, with the date it was last checked, is listed on the sources page. General information only — not medical or nutrition advice. These are illustrative plans built on average values; they are not prescriptions and cannot account for allergies, conditions or medication.

SOURCE·Computed from ThaliFacts food data·REVIEWED JUL 2026

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This site and nine others like it are built and photographed by two people: Amit Sharma — behind the build; Geeta Patel — the poses, demonstrated. New work goes up on Instagram and Facebook before it reaches a page here.

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