BMR: what you burn doing nothing
BMR (basal metabolic rate) is the calories your body spends just staying alive — breathing, heartbeat, body temperature. A 70kg adult male runs about 1,500–1,700 kcal/day at rest. It is 60–70% of your total burn and the starting point for any weight plan. The calorie calculator estimates your BMR from age, sex, height, and weight.
TDEE: your real daily burn
TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) = BMR × activity factor. Sedentary is about ×1.2, light exercise ×1.375, moderate ×1.55, intense ×1.725. A person with BMR 1,600 who exercises three times a week burns roughly 1,600 × 1.55 ≈ 2,480 kcal/day — that is the 'eat this much and stay the same' number.
The only rule that matters: the deficit
To lose weight, intake must fall below TDEE. A safe deficit is about 300–500 kcal/day, which is roughly 0.3–0.5 kg per week. Crash diets create a huge deficit, your body drops BMR to 'save energy,' and the weight comes back the moment you eat normally — the yo-yo effect.
Three myths worth unlearning
- Spot reduction: impossible. Fat leaves the body in proportion; ab exercises build muscle but do not burn belly fat on their own.
- Negative-calorie foods: celery is low-calorie, not negative. Nothing you eat burns more than it contains.
- 'Fat-burning' foods: chili or green tea nudge metabolism by single digits of calories — negligible next to a meal.
BMI's blind spot
BMI only compares height and weight, so a muscular athlete can read 'overweight' with very low body fat. Pair it with BMR and waist measurement for a fuller picture.
The bottom line
There is no shortcut, only 'intake < expenditure.' Find your TDEE with the calculator, build a gentle deficit, keep protein up, and the change three months later will beat any 'magic food' claim.