How the macro calculator works
First it finds your daily calorie target: maintenance calories from the revised Harris-Benedict equation, minus a deficit (or plus a surplus) for your pace, never below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men. Then it splits those calories:
- Protein: 2.0 g per kg of body weight when losing or gaining, 1.8 g per kg when maintaining.
- Fat: 25% of calories when losing or gaining, 30% when maintaining, at 9 kcal per gram.
- Carbs: whatever calories remain, at 4 kcal per gram.
This is exactly how the Calo AI app sets its targets, so your numbers carry over if you start tracking.
Example: a 28 year old woman, 158 cm and 65 kg, lightly active, losing at a steady pace, gets about 1,448 kcal: 130 g protein, 142 g carbs and 40 g fat.
Hitting your protein on an Indian diet
Carbs are easy in Indian food; protein takes planning. Build each meal around one protein source: dal or rajma, paneer, curd, eggs, chicken or fish, soya chunks. A katori of dal gives far less protein than most people assume, so pair it with curd or paneer. Our protein calculator lists everyday sources with grams per serving.
Adjusting your macros
- If you are always hungry, move some carbs to protein and fibre-rich vegetables.
- If workouts feel flat, keep carbs higher on training days.
- If your weight has not moved in three weeks, lower calories by 100 to 200 kcal from carbs or fat, not protein.