How Many Calories to Lose Weight: Complete Calculator & Daily Targets

Quick Answer: To lose weight, eat 300–500 calories below your TDEE per day. A 500-calorie daily deficit yields ~1 lb (0.45 kg) per week of fat loss. The exact number depends on your TDEE, current body weight, and how aggressive you want the cut to be. Use the calculator on this page for your personalized target.

The simple math (and where it breaks)

The classic rule: 3,500 calories = 1 lb of body fat.

That gives the standard prescription:

The 3,500 rule is a useful starting point, but it overpredicts long-term loss for two reasons: TDEE drops as you lose weight (every 10 lb of fat lost cuts TDEE by ~50 kcal/day), and metabolic adaptation cuts another 5–10%. Plan on real-world losses being 70–80% of the 3,500 prediction over multi-month cuts.

Daily calorie target by current TDEE

Pick your TDEE, then read across.

Don't know your TDEE? Use the TDEE calculator on the homepage — takes 30 seconds, gives you your maintenance number plus deficit-and-surplus ranges.

How aggressive should your deficit be?

Use this decision flow:

Pick a 10–15% deficit if:

• You have less than 20 lb to lose, or
• You're already below 18% body fat (men) / 25% (women), or
• You have a physically demanding job or train hard 5+ days/week, or
• You've yo-yo dieted before and want long-term maintenance over speed

Pick a 20% deficit if:

• You have 20–50 lb to lose, and
• You can be patient and consistent for 8–16 weeks, and
• You can hit a high protein target (≥0.8 g/lb body weight)

Pick a 25% deficit only if:

• You have 50+ lb to lose, or
• You're doing a deliberate 4–6 week mini-cut, and
• You can take a planned maintenance break every 8 weeks

Don't go below your BMR for sustained periods. For most adult women that's ≥1,200 kcal; for most men ≥1,500 kcal. Below the BMR floor, micronutrient gaps and hormonal disruption become near-certain.

Calories burned vs calories eaten — what to track

Track food intake, not exercise. Two reasons:

1. Food trackers are more accurate than activity trackers. A scale and a barcode app gets within 5–10% of true intake. Apple Watch and Fitbit overestimate exercise burn by 20–50%.
2. Your TDEE already includes exercise. When you set "moderately active," the ×1.55 multiplier covers your typical training. Don't double-count by eating back what your watch says you burned.

The exception: if you do unusually high activity on a given day (3-hour hike, century ride, marathon), eat back 50–70% of the estimated burn to support recovery.

Practical meal examples at common targets

1,500 kcal day (typical female –20% from 1,875 TDEE)

• Breakfast (350 kcal): Greek yogurt 1 cup, berries 1/2 cup, granola 1/4 cup
• Lunch (450 kcal): Chicken breast 5 oz, brown rice 1/2 cup, large salad with 1 tbsp olive oil
• Snack (200 kcal): Apple + 1 tbsp peanut butter
• Dinner (500 kcal): Salmon 5 oz, sweet potato 1 medium, steamed broccoli with garlic
• Macros: 130 g protein / 145 g carbs / 50 g fat

1,800 kcal day (typical female –10% from 2,000 TDEE)

• Breakfast (400 kcal): 3-egg omelet with 1 oz cheese, whole-grain toast
• Lunch (550 kcal): Turkey wrap, 2 oz turkey, hummus, vegetables, side fruit
• Snack (250 kcal): Cottage cheese 1 cup with pineapple
• Dinner (600 kcal): Lean beef stir-fry 5 oz, vegetables, 3/4 cup rice
• Macros: 145 g protein / 180 g carbs / 60 g fat

2,000 kcal day (typical male –20% from 2,500 TDEE)

• Breakfast (500 kcal): Oats 1 cup, banana, whey protein scoop, 1 tbsp peanut butter
• Lunch (600 kcal): Chicken bowl — 6 oz chicken, 1 cup rice, beans, salsa, light cheese
• Snack (300 kcal): Protein shake + 1 oz almonds
• Dinner (600 kcal): Salmon 6 oz, quinoa 1 cup, asparagus with olive oil
• Macros: 175 g protein / 200 g carbs / 65 g fat

2,400 kcal day (typical male –10% from 2,650 TDEE)

• Breakfast (550 kcal): 4 eggs, 2 slices whole-grain toast, fruit, coffee with milk
• Lunch (700 kcal): Lean beef burrito bowl with rice, beans, cheese, guacamole
• Snack (350 kcal): Greek yogurt + granola + berries
• Dinner (800 kcal): Pasta with 6 oz ground turkey, marinara, parmesan, side salad
• Macros: 200 g protein / 250 g carbs / 75 g fat

See TDEE meal planning for the full plans at every common calorie target.

What if I'm not losing weight on my deficit?

After 2 full weeks of consistent eating with no scale change, work this checklist in order:

1. Re-weigh your food. Spot-check 3 days with a digital scale. Most people who plateau are eating 200–400 kcal more than they think. Cooking oil is the #1 culprit.
2. Drop activity multiplier one tier. "Moderately active" is genuinely demanding (≥10,000 steps/day plus structured training 4–5×/week). Most people are "lightly active" in real life.
3. Recalculate TDEE. Every 10 lb of weight loss reduces TDEE by ~50 kcal. After 6 weeks of cutting, you've earned a recalculation.
4. Audit weekend eating. Most people are 80% on-target Mon–Fri and 50% on-target Sat–Sun. Weekend overage often eats the entire week's deficit.
5. Plan a 1-week diet break. Eat at maintenance, not deficit. Restore leptin, regain training intensity, then resume cutting. See diet breaks guide.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories should I eat to lose 1 pound a week?

Eat 500 calories per day below your TDEE. So if your TDEE is 2,200, target 1,700 kcal/day for ~1 lb/week of loss.

How many calories to lose 2 pounds a week?

A 1,000-calorie daily deficit. This is achievable for people 50+ lb overweight (TDEE 2,800+), but unsafe for most under 200 lb because it would require eating below BMR. Default to 1 lb/week unless you're starting at a much higher body weight.

Should I exercise to create the deficit, or eat less?

Best results come from a combination — but eating less is more reliable per unit of effort. A 60-minute moderate workout burns 300–400 kcal; a single skipped 600-kcal restaurant meal achieves more. Use exercise for health, fitness, and muscle preservation, and rely on a modest food deficit for the calorie math.

Can I lose weight at maintenance calories?

Yes — body recomposition (losing fat and gaining muscle simultaneously at maintenance) works for beginners, returning athletes, and people with higher body fat. It's slow on the scale (1–2 lb of net change per month), but the body composition change can be substantial. See body recomposition guide.

What's the minimum number of calories I should eat?

Don't eat below your BMR for sustained periods. As a floor: 1,200 kcal/day for women and 1,500 kcal/day for men, both with medical supervision recommended. Below those floors, micronutrient adequacy is hard to achieve and hormonal/metabolic side effects ramp up.

Why does my deficit stop working after a few weeks?

Three reasons combine: (1) you weigh less, so TDEE dropped; (2) NEAT drops 100–300 kcal as your body conserves energy; (3) tracking accuracy slips over time. The fix is to recalculate every 4–6 weeks and tighten tracking, not to slash calories further.

Calculate your exact deficit: Use the calculator at the top of this page, or check our main TDEE calculator for a full breakdown including macros and weekly projections.