Don’t stuff or starve your body. Eat until your body is satisfied, not more.
In the old Yoga tradition fasting is only recommended for balancing your body, mind and spirit. Only eat when you are hungry and not because of stress or boredom.
This is also the reason why the Yoga Diet recommends many small portions with long intervals in between during the day instead of 3 heavy meals.
Every person is unique. Based on age, weight, gender and activity of the moment your body requires more calories.
Formulas to calculate the calories exist. However a true yogi will feel when his or her body is satisfied with food.
Daily required number of calories = average required number of calories to fuel your basic body functions (BMR) x activity factor
Harris-Benedict has calculated the BMR formula in 1918 to calculate the daily required number of calories to fule the basic body functions.
When we know what the average number of calories are (BMR calculated above), we have to multiply this number by the activity factor in the below table.
| Activity | Explanation | Activity factor |
| Inactive | Office job, no sport, only meditation | 1,2 |
| Lightly active | Office work, 1-3 times sport each week | 1,35 |
| Medium active | Office work, 3-5 times sport each week or active work, 1-3 times sport each week | 1,55 |
| Active | Active work, 4-7 times sport each week | 1,75 |
| Very active | Heavy work, 4-7 times sport each week | 1,9 |