Whether your goal is losing fat, building muscle or simply maintaining your health, everything starts with a realistic estimate of your daily energy needs — and then a sensible split of that energy into protein, carbohydrates and fat.
Step 1: Estimate your BMR
Your Basal Metabolic Rate is the energy your body burns at complete rest. As a rough anchor, BMR lands between 1,400 and 1,800 kcal per day for most adults.
Step 2: Apply your activity level
Multiply BMR by an activity factor to get your TDEE — Total Daily Energy Expenditure:
- Sedentary (desk job, little exercise) — × 1.2
- Lightly active (1–3 workouts per week) — × 1.375
- Moderately active (3–5 workouts per week) — × 1.55
- Very active (6–7 workouts per week) — × 1.725
TDEE is your maintenance number: eat roughly this much and your weight stays flat.
Step 3: Adjust for your goal
- Fat loss — eat about 15–20% below TDEE, a mild deficit you can actually sustain
- Muscle gain — eat about 5–10% above TDEE, combined with resistance training
- Recomposition — eat at maintenance and prioritise protein and training
Step 4: Split your macros
Protein first: 0.8–1.6 g per kg of body weight, toward the higher end when dieting or training hard. Fill the rest according to preference:
- Balanced — 30% protein / 40% carbs / 30% fat
- Higher carb — 25% / 50% / 25% — suits endurance training
- Higher fat — 35% / 30% / 35% — suits lower-carb preferences
Put it into practice
Skip the guesswork: the free Calorie & Macro Calculator computes your BMR, TDEE and macro targets in seconds. Pair it with the BMI Calculator for context and the Water Intake Calculator to round out your daily baseline.
