Rest day calories: keep food steady, skip the panic
On a rest day your workout burn drops away, so your total burn dips a little, not a lot. Most of your burn is BMR, and it does not take a day off. Keep your food about the same, trim only slightly, and trust the weekly deficit.
Today is a rest day. No walk. No gym. No yoga. You open Burnie. The active calories look low. A small worry climbs in. 'Did I lose my deficit? Should I eat less today?' Take a breath. The honest maths is kinder than the worry.
Most of your burn never rests
Your body burns calories even when you sit still. This is your BMR. BMR is the energy your heart, lungs, and brain use just to keep you alive. A food science report says BMR is 45 to 70 percent of your whole-day burn. A 55-kg woman burns about 1,290 kcal a day from BMR alone. So most of your calories are burned without any workout. On a rest day, your BMR stays almost the same. Your heart still beats. You still breathe. You still burn.
Workout day vs rest day
On a rest day I must eat much less, or I will gain fat.
mostly falsemostly false
This fear misses the maths. Most of your burn is BMR. BMR barely changes day to day. The only part you lose on a rest day is the workout. For many people that is just 100 to 250 kcal. That is about one roti with a little ghee. Your body plays a kind trick too. Of the calories a workout burns, only about 72% were truly extra. The other 28% you would have burned anyway, just staying alive. So skipping the workout costs you even less than it seems. Eat your usual target. Your deficit stays safe.
How to handle your rest-day target
The bottom line
Your rest day is not a step backwards. About 45 to 70 percent of your daily burn is BMR. BMR does not rest. The part you skip is only the workout, often just 100 to 250 kcal. So keep your food steady, or trim just a little. Do not eat the burn back, and do not starve either. Trust the weekly deficit. Burnie is FREE, and it never reads your heart rate, sleep, blood pressure, or location, so you stay in charge of the maths.