Fat Loss17 October 2026
How Many Calories Should You Actually Eat?
Most working professionals guess their calories — and guessing is why the scale will not move. Here is the maintenance-calorie math every plan should start with.
Most people guess their calories. Guessing is the number one reason a fat-loss phase stalls in week three. Here is the math instead.
Step 1: Estimate your BMR Your basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the energy your body burns at complete rest. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation estimates it from your height, weight, age and gender — it is the same science built into the TDEE calculator on this site.
Step 2: Multiply by your real week BMR times an activity factor gives your maintenance calories. Desk-bound days pull the factor down; hard training pushes it up. Be honest about your week, not the week you wish you had.
Step 3: Adjust for the goal A moderate deficit of roughly 20 percent drives fat loss without wrecking training. Building leans the other way — a small surplus. Recomposition sits at maintenance with high protein and progressive training.
The part everyone skips Sustainability beats aggression every single time. The best calorie target is the one you can hold for twelve weeks — not the one that looks impressive for twelve days.
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