Calorie Deficit Calculator
How many calories to eat to lose 0.5 to 1 kg a week. Your maintenance calories from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, minus a deficit for the pace you pick, never under a minimum intake.
Your daily target
2,213 kcal/day
To lose about 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) a weekHeld at the minimum of 1,500 kcal a day, so the pace is slower than the one you picked.
- Maintenance (TDEE) 2,763 kcal
- Daily deficit 550 kcal
- BMR (at rest) 1,783 kcal
- Minimum used 1,500 kcal
This target is below your BMR. That is common with larger deficits; it is one more reason to check with your doctor first.
What your target means
The big number is how many calories to eat each day to lose weight at the pace you picked. It is your maintenance calories (TDEE) minus a fixed daily deficit. Eat about that much, weigh yourself several mornings a week, and compare weekly averages.
It is a starting estimate, for two reasons. Your real maintenance can sit 10% or more above or below the equation. And the deficit uses the old rule that 1 lb of fat is about 3,500 kcal (about 7,700 kcal per kg). A 2008 analysis by Kevin Hall found that rule fits people with a lot of body fat and overestimates the loss for leaner people, so expect the scale to move a bit slower than the pace shown.
- Pick the slowest pace you can live with. 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) a week is a deficit of about 550 kcal a day.
- There is a floor. The target never goes under 1,200 kcal a day for women or 1,500 for men. If your deficit would cross it, the calculator holds the floor and shows the slower pace that results.
- Adjust from the trend, not from one weigh-in: if the weekly average has not changed after a few weeks, lower your intake a little.
The formula
Maintenance calories come from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation times an activity factor, exactly as in our TDEE calculator. The deficit comes from the energy content of lost weight.
TDEE = BMR × activity factor
Deficit/day = pace (kg/week) × 7,700 / 7
Target = TDEE − deficit
Target is never below the floor:
1,200 kcal (women), 1,500 kcal (men)Where the floor comes from: we looked for a Canadian minimum and did not find one from Health Canada or Dietitians of Canada. The only Canadian number is in the Food and Drug Regulations, which define a very low energy diet as less than 900 kcal a day (section B.24.001). We use the lower end of the ranges in the 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS obesity guideline instead: 1,200 to 1,500 kcal for women and 1,500 to 1,800 kcal for men. Both sit above the Canadian line.
Worked example in pounds
A 30-year-old man, 180 lb (81.6 kg), 5 ft 10 in (177.8 cm), moderately active, aiming for 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) a week:
- TDEE = 1,783 × 1.55 = 2,763 kcal
- Deficit = 0.5 × 7,700 / 7 = 550 kcal a day
- Target = 2,763 − 550 = 2,213 kcal a day, above the 1,500 kcal floor
Worked example in kilograms
A 35-year-old woman, 65 kg, 165 cm, lightly active, aiming for 1 kg a week:
- TDEE = 1,345 × 1.375 = 1,850 kcal
- Deficit wanted = 1 × 7,700 / 7 = 1,100 kcal, which would leave 750 kcal
- That is under the 1,200 kcal floor, so the target is 1,200 kcal a day: a deficit of 650 kcal, about 0.59 kg (1.3 lb) a week
Daily target by pace
For the details entered in the calculator above. Your current pace is highlighted; change any input and the table follows.
| Pace per week | Deficit | kcal/day | Real pace (kg) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.5 kg (1.1 lb)−550 kcal | −550 | 2,213 | 0.5 |
| 0.75 kg (1.7 lb)−825 kcal | −825 | 1,938 | 0.8 |
| 1 kg (2.2 lb)−1,100 kcal | −1,100 | 1,663 | 1 |
"Real pace" is lower than the pace you picked only when the floor cuts in.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a calorie deficit?
Start from your maintenance calories (TDEE), then subtract a daily deficit. A common estimate is that 1 kg of body weight lost needs a deficit of about 7,700 kcal, so losing 0.5 kg a week takes about 550 kcal a day under your TDEE. This calculator does both steps and stops at a minimum intake.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
It depends on your TDEE. For the default profile on this page (a 30-year-old man, 180 lb, moderately active), maintenance is about 2,763 kcal and the target for 0.5 kg (1.1 lb) a week is about 2,213 kcal a day. Enter your own details above. A 2013 US obesity guideline lists 1,200 to 1,500 kcal a day for women and 1,500 to 1,800 for men as typical weight-loss diets.
Is a 1,000 calorie deficit safe?
A deficit of about 1,100 kcal a day matches the fastest pace offered here (1 kg or 2.2 lb a week). The same guideline uses deficits of 500 to 750 kcal a day. Whether a larger one is right for you depends on your health, so ask your doctor or a registered dietitian first. The calculator never sets a target under 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men).
What is the lowest number of calories I should eat?
We did not find a minimum daily intake for weight loss published by Health Canada or Dietitians of Canada. Canadian food regulations define a very low energy diet as one that provides less than 900 kcal a day, and the foods sold for such diets require a physician’s written order. The US guideline cited here says diets under 800 kcal a day should only be used under medical supervision. This calculator uses 1,200 kcal (women) and 1,500 kcal (men) as its floor, the low end of that guideline’s ranges.
Why am I not losing weight in a calorie deficit?
The target is an estimate. Your real maintenance can differ by 10% or more, and the 7,700 kcal per kg rule overestimates how much you lose in practice, especially for leaner people, according to a 2008 analysis. Weigh yourself several mornings a week, compare weekly averages over a few weeks, and lower your intake a little if nothing moves.
Is this calorie deficit calculator free?
Yes. There is no account and no email. The calculation runs in your browser, so what you type is not sent to us or stored anywhere.
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Medical disclaimer
This calculator gives an estimate, not medical advice. Equations predict the average of a group; your own needs can sit 10% or more above or below. It is built for healthy adults. If you are pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, living with a medical condition such as diabetes, kidney disease or an eating disorder, or taking medication that affects appetite or weight, ask your doctor or a registered dietitian before acting on these numbers.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241-247. DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241
- Hall KD. What is the required energy deficit per unit weight loss? Int J Obes. 2008;32(3):573-576. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0803720
- Jensen MD, Ryan DH, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS Guideline for the Management of Overweight and Obesity in Adults. Circulation. 2014;129(25 Suppl 2):S102-S138. DOI: 10.1161/01.cir.0000437739.71477.ee
- Food and Drug Regulations, C.R.C., c. 870, Part B, Division 24, s. B.24.001 (definition of very low energy diet) and s. B.24.301 (sale on written order of a physician).