Calorie Calculator
Answer five quick questions and get your daily calorie needs: how much keeps your weight steady, what to eat to lose or gain at a healthy pace, and your daily protein target.
How to read your numbers
Maintenance is what your body burns in a normal day, so eating around it keeps your weight where it is. The losing target sits about 500 kcal below that, which comes to roughly half a kilo a week; slower than a crash diet, and far more likely to stay off. The gaining target adds a modest surplus so the extra goes toward muscle rather than straight to fat. Whichever direction you pick, weigh yourself weekly at the same time of day and judge by the two-week trend, not any single morning.
The protein number matters most
Most Pakistani diets are heavy on roti and rice and light on protein, and protein is what keeps you full, protects muscle while losing weight, and builds it while gaining. Daal, eggs, chicken, yogurt and beef cover most of the target; if you train and struggle to reach your number from food alone, our protein guide explains when a whey shake earns its place and when it is wasted money.
Wondering where your weight stands in the first place? The BMI calculator takes ten seconds and uses the South Asian ranges that apply here.
Common questions
How many calories should I eat a day?
It depends on your size, age, sex and activity, which is what the calculator above works out. As a rough anchor, most Pakistani women maintain on 1,800 to 2,200 kcal and most men on 2,200 to 2,800 kcal.
What is BMR?
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is what your body burns at complete rest, just keeping you alive. This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the formula dietitians consider the most accurate from basic measurements.
What is TDEE?
TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is your BMR multiplied by how active you are; the "maintenance" number above is your TDEE. Eat below it and you lose weight, above it and you gain.
How big should a calorie deficit be?
About 500 kcal below maintenance loses roughly half a kilo a week, which research shows is far more sustainable than crash dieting. Never go below 1,200 kcal a day without medical supervision.
Estimates use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and are for healthy adults. If you have diabetes, thyroid disease, or are pregnant or breastfeeding, set targets with your doctor instead.