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Calorie Deficit Calculator

How many calories to eat each day to reach your goal weight at a safe pace, with the daily deficit, the expected goal date and safety warnings.

To lose weight you need to take in less energy than you burn — a calorie deficit. This calculator works out how big that deficit should be and how many calories to eat each day to reach your goal weight at the pace you choose, from a gentle 0.25 kg (half a pound) to 1 kg (2 pounds) a week. It also estimates the date you'll reach your goal and shows every pace side by side.

It starts from your total daily energy expenditure, calculated from your sex, age, height, weight and activity level with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. It warns you when a target drops below the minimum intake usually advised without medical supervision, when the pace is too fast for your weight, or when your goal is below the healthy range for your height. Everything runs in your browser.

How to use Calorie Deficit Calculator

  1. Enter your sex, age, height, current weight and activity level.
  2. Enter your goal weight.
  3. Choose a pace: 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 or 1 kg a week (½, 1, 1½ or 2 lb).
  4. Read your daily calorie target, the deficit and your estimated goal date.

Features

  • Daily calories for your goal and pace.
  • Maintenance calories (TDEE) from Mifflin-St Jeor and your activity.
  • Estimated date to reach your goal weight.
  • All four paces compared in one table.
  • Warnings for very low intake, fast loss and an unhealthy goal.
  • Works for gaining weight too.
  • Metric and imperial units; nothing stored or sent.

How the deficit is calculated

A kilogram of body fat stores about 7,700 kcal of energy (about 3,500 kcal per pound). To lose 0.5 kg a week you need a weekly deficit of about 3,850 kcal, or 550 kcal a day. The calculator subtracts that daily deficit from your maintenance calories, which are your BMR times your activity factor.

Pace per weekDaily deficitGood for
0.25 kg (½ lb)about 275 kcalSlow and easy to keep up; close to your goal
0.5 kg (1 lb)about 550 kcalThe usual recommendation for most people
0.75 kg (1½ lb)about 825 kcalLarger bodies with more to lose
1 kg (2 lb)about 1,100 kcalOnly with plenty to lose; check with a doctor

Safe limits

Most health services recommend losing about 0.5 to 1 kg (1 to 2 lb) a week. Faster loss tends to cost muscle as well as fat, makes it harder to get enough nutrients and is harder to sustain. The calculator flags a pace above 1 percent of your body weight a week. It also warns when your target is under 1,200 kcal a day for women or 1,500 for men, the usual minimum without medical supervision, and when your goal weight is below a BMI of 18.5 for your height.

Why the goal date is an estimate

Weight loss is not perfectly linear. As you get lighter your body burns less, so the same intake gives a smaller deficit; early weeks often show a faster drop from water and stored carbohydrate, and day-to-day weight can swing by a kilogram or more. Recalculate every few kilograms, and judge progress by the trend over several weeks rather than single weigh-ins.

Making a deficit work

Eat enough protein (about 1.2 to 2 g per kg of body weight helps keep muscle), lots of vegetables and fibre for fullness, and keep up strength training. Track what you eat for a few weeks, because portions are easy to underestimate. Sleep matters too: short sleep raises hunger. If the scale stalls for several weeks, lower your intake by 100 to 200 kcal or add activity, rather than cutting drastically.

Frequently asked questions

How big should my calorie deficit be?

For most people about 500 kcal a day, which gives roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of loss a week. Smaller deficits are easier to keep up.

What is the minimum I should eat?

Usually not below 1,200 kcal a day for women or 1,500 for men without medical supervision.

Why am I not losing weight on a deficit?

Common reasons are underestimated portions, water retention, or a TDEE lower than estimated. Track carefully for two to three weeks and adjust by 100 to 200 kcal.

Can I use this to gain weight?

Yes. Enter a goal above your current weight and the calculator shows a calorie surplus instead.

Is 1 kg a week safe?

Only for people with a lot of weight to lose, and preferably with a doctor's advice. For most people 0.5 kg a week is better.

Is my data stored?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere.

Does exercise change the result?

Yes: a higher activity level raises your maintenance calories, so you can eat more for the same pace.

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