Weight loss comes down to consistently eating fewer calories than your body burns. The reliable way to find that number isn't a generic chart — it's calculating your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and subtracting a deficit from it.
Step 1: Find your TDEE
TDEE combines your basal metabolic rate (BMR — the calories you burn just existing) with calories burned through daily movement and exercise. For example, a 35-year-old woman, 5'5", 160 lbs, with a moderately active lifestyle (exercise 3–4 times/week) has a TDEE of roughly 2,100 calories/day. A 35-year-old man, 5'10", 190 lbs, with the same activity level lands closer to 2,600 calories/day.
Step 2: Set your deficit
Since roughly 3,500 calories equal 1 lb of body fat, a daily deficit determines your weekly rate of loss:
- 250 cal/day deficit ≈ 0.5 lb/week — slow, easy to sustain
- 500 cal/day deficit ≈ 1 lb/week — the most common recommendation
- 750–1,000 cal/day deficit ≈ 1.5–2 lbs/week — faster, but harder to maintain and more likely to cause muscle loss
Using the woman from the example above (TDEE 2,100), a 500-calorie deficit puts her target at 1,600 calories/day — enough to lose about 1 lb/week while still eating a reasonable volume of food.
Why crash diets backfire
Going too low too fast (under 1,200 calories/day for most women, under 1,500 for most men) often triggers muscle loss, fatigue, and a slower metabolism — and it's hard to sustain long enough to matter. A moderate, sustainable deficit beats an aggressive one you abandon after two weeks.
Adjust as you lose weight
Your TDEE drops as your body weight drops — a lighter body needs fewer calories to maintain itself. A good rule of thumb: recalculate your TDEE and deficit every 10–15 lbs lost, or if your weight loss stalls for more than two weeks despite consistent eating.
Protein matters more than the number
At a calorie deficit, eating adequate protein (roughly 0.7–1g per pound of body weight) helps preserve muscle mass, which keeps your metabolism higher during weight loss. This matters more than hitting your calorie target exactly.
Calorie needs vary by age, sex, height, weight, and activity level — these examples are illustrative, not personalized. If you have a medical condition or specific health goals, consult a doctor or registered dietitian before starting a new eating plan.
Calculate your own target
Use the Calorie & TDEE Calculator to get your personalized maintenance calories and a deficit target based on your stats.