Work out how many calories you need a day to lose weight, keep it steady or gain, and see what that looks like in Nigerian food.
How the calculator works
First it estimates the energy your body burns at rest, using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 times your weight in kilograms, plus 6.25 times your height in centimetres, minus 5 times your age, plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women.
That is multiplied by how active you are to give your maintenance calories: what you can eat each day without gaining or losing. To lose weight it takes 15% off maintenance; to gain, it adds 10%. It is the same maths CalChopAI uses to set your daily goal when you sign up.
Making it work with Nigerian food
The hard part is not the target but counting what is on the plate. The palm oil in a ladle of egusi can move it by a hundred calories or more, and most calorie apps have never heard of amala. Our calorie guide lists 91 foods by the portions people actually eat, and CalChopAI counts them from a photo.
Common questions
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Eat less than your maintenance calories. This calculator sets your goal 15% below maintenance, which for most people means losing around a quarter to half a kilo a week: slow enough to keep up, and easier to stick to than a crash diet.
How is this worked out?
Your resting energy comes from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which uses your sex, age, height and weight. That is multiplied by your activity (1.3 for 0 to 2 workouts a week, 1.5 for 3 to 5, 1.7 for 6 or more) to give maintenance. Losing weight takes 15% off; gaining adds 10%.
Why won't it go below 1,200 calories?
Below about 1,200 calories a day it gets hard to eat enough protein, vitamins and minerals, so the calculator never suggests less. If you think you need less than that, speak to a doctor or dietitian.
How accurate is it?
Formulas like this are usually within about 10% of what people really burn, but everyone is different. Use it as a starting point, track what you eat for two or three weeks, and adjust if your weight isn't moving the way you expect.
These are estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, or managing a health condition, talk to a doctor or dietitian before changing how you eat.
Hit the number
Knowing your target is the easy part. CalChopAI tracks it for you.
Snap your plate and get the calories, protein, carbs and fat, with Nigerian food counted properly.