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Calorie calculator helps you calculate your daily calorie requirement, also known as TDEE is ‘Total Daily Energy Expenditure’ that is the energy you spend every day including your physical activity. That means TDEE is the measure of calories you need for your body functions and other activities.
BMR is the ‘Basal Metabolic Rate’. This tells you the number of calories you would be burning per day in the rested state. That means BMR is the calories you need if you do no activity throughout the day.
TDEE is a measurement of how many calories you spend every day. So should your calorie intake be equal, less or more than TDEE? Well, it depends on your goal: lose, maintain, or gain weight.
If you are trying to lose weight or fat, your calorie intake should be 200-300cals less than TDEE. This will create a calorie deficit and if you are in a caloric deficit, you will lose weight.
For example, if your TDEE is 2500calories, and you are trying to lose weight, then you should look at consuming 2200-2300 calories per day. This is a safe calorie deficit zone. If you create a more sudden and bigger calorie deficit, the body will start losing its metabolism. Staying in a big calorie for the long term affects your metabolism poorly and you will end up gaining more weight than you ever lost.
The crucial thing to remember is to never drop your calories below BMR. This may result in poor bodily functions.
For gains, your calorie intake should be 200-300cals higher than TDEE. How much higher you should go, also depends on your activity levels. Similar to the calorie deficit, a calorie surplus should also not be drastic and sudden. A gradual increase from TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) or the maintenance calorie, is great for gradually gaining lean mass.
Weight training, combined with optimum nutrition helps in muscle growth. While increasing the calorie intake, ensure to increase all the macros, protein, carbs, and fat, in proportion.
If you are trying to maintain your weight, it’s advised to consume calories about equal to the TDEE. The calorie requirement is dependent on your activity levels. Based on variations in your activity levels, you will have to adjust your calorie intake as well.
You need not consume an equal amount of calories every day. Calorie cycling is a great way to make you learn balance. Calorie cycling means to keep varying your calorie intake through the week, in such a way that your overall weekly consumption aligns with your calorie requirements.
For example, if your TDEE is 2500 Calories, your daily consumption over a week could look like 2200, 2100, 3300, 2200, 3000, 2200, or 2500 calories.