Nobody knows how many calories you need to eat. The calorie calculator merely provides an educated guess, a starting point.

I don’t recommend daily calorie restriction. I recommend you eat your TDEE. In fact, I don’t recommend dieting at all. I’m not a fan of alternate-day fasting or fasting regimens that slash your calories (a.k.a. intermittent energy-restriction diets). Nevertheless, I’ve included those options in the results so you can compare and make informed decisions.

It’s a misconception that intermittent fasting means you’re starving yourself. Don’t confuse intermittent fasting with energy restriction. And don’t combine the two either. 

I advocate intermittent fasting combined with CALORIE ADEQUACY and nervous system training: this approach is a sustainable fat-loss solution.

Longer daily fasting windows are not a flex. Pay attention to how you feel. For women, this can change throughout your cycle and through perimenopause and menopause. Personally, I don’t fast longer than about 16 hours a day. I tend to break my fast at roughly the same time each day with veggies and protein. I’ve been intermittent fasting with a flexible approach since 2012. Throughout perimenopause I’ve felt stronger, leaner, and more regulated… which I credit to combining intermittent fasting with nervous system training.

I recommend you calculate your TDEE on my calculator. How does this number compare to your current calorie intake? This will help you determine whether you need to cut back on “extra junk calories” or if you need to reverse diet. A reverse diet (slowly titrating calories upward) may be appropriate if the calculator number is more than 300 calories above what you currently eat.

My best advice:

• Make choices that facilitate long-term consistency.
• Remember that results come from regulating your nervous system. Living in Flight or Freeze is a recipe for hormone disruption, sleep disturbances, fat storing, chronic fatigue, and burnout.
• Consistency requires sustainable choices … not restriction or training like a maniac.