Free Macro Calculator for Indians (Protein, Carbs & Fat)

Most online macro calculators are built for an American 90kg gym-goer eating chicken and oats. Indian diets — rice, dal, roti, paneer, snacks, chai — need a setup that respects how we actually eat. This calculator runs the same Mifflin-St Jeor formula Wellitica uses inside the app, tuned with protein targets that fit real Indian meals.

How the numbers are calculated

Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories you burn at rest. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation (Mifflin et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51:241–247, 1990) is the most validated formula for everyday use — a 2005 comparison by Frankenfield et al. in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association tested four competing equations against indirect calorimetry measurements and found Mifflin-St Jeor to be the most accurate for non-obese adults:

• Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5
• Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161

Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is BMR multiplied by an activity factor (1.2 to 1.9). Your daily target is TDEE adjusted for your goal — about 500 kcal under for fat loss, unchanged for maintenance, and ~300 kcal over for lean muscle gain.

Why protein is set higher for Indian diets

Indian meals are usually carb-heavy and protein-light by default. To hit a meaningful protein target you usually need to be deliberate about paneer, dal, eggs, milk, curd, or whey. This calculator sets protein at 1.8–2.2g per kg of bodyweight depending on your goal — consistent with the International Society of Sports Nutrition's position stand (Jäger et al., Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 14:20, 2017), which recommends 1.4–2.0g/kg for active individuals, and a 2018 meta-analysis of 49 studies by Morton et al. (British Journal of Sports Medicine, 52:376–384) confirming that higher protein intakes during fat loss help preserve muscle mass.

Carbs and fat — and why they're flexible

Fat is set at ~27% of calories (a moderate, sustainable level consistent with WHO dietary guidelines). Carbs are whatever's left after protein and fat — usually the largest macro by gram count for Indian diets, which is fine. Carbs aren't the enemy; excess calories are.

What to do with these numbers

1. Pick a goal (lose / maintain / gain) and stick with it for at least 3 weeks.
2. Track your meals daily — even rough logging beats no logging. This guide on counting Indian food calories will speed you up.
3. After 3 weeks, adjust your calorie target by ~10% if your weight isn't moving in the right direction.

Skip the spreadsheet — let the app do it

Wellitica runs this exact calculation in onboarding, then tracks every meal against it and adjusts as your body changes. Free on Android — download here.