Calorie Deficit Calculator: Calories to Lose Weight
Find how many calories to eat a day to reach your goal weight, how many weeks it takes and the date, from your TDEE and a safe weekly pace.
Calories by pace
| Weekly weight loss | kcal/day | Weeks to goal |
|---|
TDEE by the Mifflin-St Jeor equation; 1 kg of body fat is about 7,700 kcal (1 lb about 3,500 kcal). Real weight loss slows down over time because a lighter body burns less: recalculate every few kilos.
What it does
A calorie deficit means eating fewer calories than your body uses in a day. The calculator estimates your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and your activity level, then subtracts the deficit needed for the pace you choose: about 7,700 kcal per kilogram of fat, or 3,500 kcal per pound. It also shows how many weeks it takes to reach your goal weight and on what date.
How to use it
- Type your sex, age, weight, height and activity level.
- Type your goal weight and choose how much to lose per week.
- See the calories to eat each day, the deficit, the weeks to your goal and the date, and compare other paces in the table.
The arithmetic runs in your browser. Nothing you type is sent anywhere and nothing is stored, so you can use these with real numbers.
Frequently asked questions
How big should my calorie deficit be?
A deficit of about 500 to 550 kcal a day loses about 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week, a pace most health services consider safe. Losing more than 1% of your body weight a week is usually too fast.
How long does it take to lose 10 kg?
At 0.5 kg a week it takes 20 weeks. A 30-year-old woman, 165 cm tall and weighing 70 kg, with moderate activity burns about 2,200 kcal a day, so she would eat about 1,650 kcal a day.
What is the minimum number of calories I should eat?
Without medical supervision, common guidance is not to go below 1,200 kcal a day for women and 1,500 for men. The calculator warns you when a pace goes below that.
Why is my weight loss slower than the calculator says?
The 7,700 kcal rule is a simplification. As you lose weight your body needs less energy, and part of the early loss is water. Recalculate with your new weight every few kilos.
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