Calorie Deficit Calculator (Weight Loss per Week)
Enter your maintenance calories and goal to get a daily calorie target and timeline.
Your numbers
Your results
Calorie Deficit Calculator (Weight Loss per Week) by TheCalcTools
How the Calorie Deficit Calculator (Weight Loss per Week) works
A common planning figure is that about 7,700 kcal of deficit removes 1 kg of body fat (3,500 kcal per pound). Losing 0.5 kg a week needs a daily deficit of about 550 kcal.
Real weight loss slows over time as your body adapts and as maintenance calories fall with weight, so treat the timeline as optimistic. Intakes below about 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) should be medically supervised.
The formula
Worked example
Using the default values shown in the calculator:
| Maintenance calories per day (TDEE) | 2400 |
|---|---|
| Current weight | 85 |
| Goal weight | 75 |
| Target loss per week | 0.5 kg (about 1 lb) |
| Sex (for the minimum intake) | Male |
- 0.5 kg a week = 0.5 × 7,700 ÷ 7 = 550 kcal a day below 2,400: target 1,850 kcal.
- 10 kg to lose: about 20 weeks.
Result:
| Daily calorie target | 1,850 |
|---|---|
| Daily deficit | 550 |
| Weeks to reach the goal | 20.0 |
| Check | Within common guidance |
Frequently asked questions
How fast should I lose weight?
Many health services recommend about 0.5 to 1 kg (1 to 2 lb) a week.
Why use TDEE?
Total daily energy expenditure is what you burn including activity; use the TDEE calculator to estimate it.
Sources and further reading
- Wikipedia: Calorie restriction
- NHS: Losing weight
- Hall KD et al. (2011) Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet 378:826
Related calculators
More in Health & Fitness · All calculators
This calculator gives general estimates for information and education. It is not medical advice and does not diagnose anything. Talk to a qualified health professional about your own situation. See our disclaimer.