ParrotPalCalories: deficits, tracking and what you burn
Losing weight takes a calorie deficit, and keeping track of it is the hard part. Start with the calculator, then see what activity burns, which tracking app suits you, and what food diaries tend to miss.
Key facts
ParrotPal’s calorie guides are free and show their maths. The deficit calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation; calories burned come from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities; app comparisons use facts from each company’s own website.
Tools and guides
Calorie deficit calculator
Your maintenance calories and a gentle or standard deficit, in kg or stones.
Steps per day by age
What members walk at each age, and what the research says.
Calories burned: weights vs cardio
Calories an hour by body weight, from the 2024 Compendium.
BJJ calories burned
Drilling, rolling and a typical class, by body weight.
Choosing a tracking app
Best calorie counter app?
An honest UK roundup, written by an app maker, so judge for yourself.
AI calorie trackers
Photo, voice and text logging: where errors creep in and how to check.
Cal AI alternative
Cal AI and ParrotPal side by side, from each company’s own pages.
MyFitnessPal alternative
When MyFitnessPal suits you better, and when ParrotPal might.
Voice logging case study
Logging every meal by voice for 13 days to make weight.
What food diaries show
The weekend effect
How much more UK members log on a Saturday.
The 1,800-calorie paradox
Same logged calories, different scale: what diaries miss.
What the research says
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation was built from measured resting energy use in 498 healthy adults aged 19 to 78, normal weight and obese. It predicts groups well; any one person can sit above or below it.
Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, et al. (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 51(2):241–7. doi:10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241
As a guide, the NHS says an average man needs about 2,500 kcal a day and an average woman about 2,000, varying with age, size and activity.
NHS (2026). Understanding calories. NHS website Healthy weight. www.nhs.uk
Research describes the people who were studied. Where we quote our own members’ figures, they are what members logged, and the method is on our methodology page.
ParrotPal logs meals by voice, text, photo or barcode and keeps the running total for you. 4.7★ on the App Store · iPhone. Get it on the App Store
Questions people ask
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Estimate your maintenance calories, then eat 250 to 500 kcal a day less. The calorie deficit calculator does the sums; your weight trend over a few weeks tells you if it’s right.
What is the most accurate way to count calories?
Weighing food and reading labels is the most accurate. Photo, voice and text logging are faster; check them now and then by weighing a meal.
Related guides and data
Please read. This page is general information, not medical or dietary advice. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to your GP or a dietitian before changing how you eat. Figures are estimates.