How many calories should I eat per day?
The honest answer to 'how many calories should I eat' is that it depends on your size, your activity and your goal, and that whatever number you start with will need correcting. What follows is the method rather than a magic figure: estimate, set a goal-based adjustment, sanity-check against a safety floor, then let two weeks of data tell you whether the estimate was right.
Step 1 — estimate what you burn
Start from total daily energy expenditure. Estimate BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor between 1.2 (desk job, no training) and 1.725 (hard training six days a week).
For a 70 kg, 170 cm, 30-year-old man with a desk job and three gym sessions a week, that comes to roughly 1617 × 1.375 = 2220 kcal.
Step 2 — adjust for your goal
Apply a percentage rather than a fixed 500 kcal cut, because the same 500 kcal is a gentle nudge for a 95 kg man and a severe restriction for a 50 kg woman.
- Fat loss — 10% to 20% below TDEE, giving roughly 0.25–0.7 kg loss per week
- Maintenance — TDEE, reviewed monthly
- Lean muscle gain — 5% to 10% above TDEE, giving roughly 0.15–0.35 kg gain per week
- Recomposition for beginners — around maintenance with high protein and progressive training
Step 3 — respect the floor
Very low intakes are where diets break. As a practical floor, most adult women should not go below roughly 1200 kcal and most adult men below roughly 1500 kcal without clinical supervision, and no one should sit below their BMR for months at a time.
If your calculated target falls under that floor, the answer is to increase daily movement rather than cut food further — an extra 3,000–4,000 steps a day widens the deficit without touching the plate.
Step 4 — check protein and fibre, not just calories
Two diets at 1,700 kcal can feel completely different. Set protein at roughly 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight, keep fat above about 0.6 g per kg for hormonal health, and fill the rest with carbohydrate weighted towards whole grains, dal, fruit and vegetables.
On an Indian plate that often means adding curd, paneer, eggs, soya or dal to meals that are already there, rather than replacing familiar food with imported protein products.
What a day looks like at three targets
Rough portion anchors, using a 150 ml katori and a 30 g roti: a 1,500 kcal fat-loss day might be two rotis and dal with sabzi at lunch, a curd-and-fruit snack, paneer bhurji with one roti at dinner, and a boiled-egg breakfast.
A 2,200 kcal maintenance day adds a third roti at lunch, a handful of nuts, and a larger dinner portion. A 2,600 kcal gaining day adds rice at lunch, milk with the evening snack, and an extra chapati at dinner. Nothing exotic changes — the portions do.
Then let the data correct you
Weigh yourself most mornings under the same conditions and compare weekly averages, not daily readings. Water shifts from salt, carbohydrate intake and the menstrual cycle easily mask a real fat loss for a week or more.
If two consecutive weekly averages have not moved in the direction you want, adjust by 150–200 kcal or add movement. That single habit is worth more than any further precision in the starting calculation.
Limitations and when to get help
Calorie targets are general fitness information. They are not appropriate as self-prescribed treatment during pregnancy or breastfeeding, for under-18s, or alongside diagnosed conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disorders, kidney disease, PCOS or any history of disordered eating. In those situations a doctor or registered dietitian should set the target. Please read the Fitholae medical disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1200 calories a day enough?
For many adult women it is at or below the practical floor and hard to meet nutrient needs on. Prefer a smaller deficit plus more daily movement.
How fast should I lose weight?
Roughly 0.5–1% of bodyweight per week is a sustainable range for most people; faster loss increasingly costs muscle.
Do I need to count calories forever?
No. Most people track for 8–12 weeks to learn portions, then track occasionally to recalibrate.
Do cheat days ruin progress?
A single large meal rarely does. A pattern of untracked weekends can erase an entire week's deficit.
Sources & references
- Healthy diet fact sheet — World Health Organization
- Dietary guidance for Indians — ICMR – National Institute of Nutrition
- Weight management information — NIDDK, US National Institutes of Health
Reviewed for accuracy. Ranges cross-checked against WHO healthy-diet guidance and ICMR-NIN dietary guidance for Indians. Read how we write and check content in our editorial policy.
General information, not medical advice. Fitholae provides fitness and nutrition education and does not diagnose, treat or replace care from a qualified professional. If you are pregnant, under 18, or managing a health condition, speak to a doctor or registered dietitian before acting on anything here. See our medical disclaimer.