Weight loss
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Every weight loss plan eventually comes down to the same question. The answer is less mysterious than the diet industry would have you believe — it is a number, and you can calculate it in about two minutes.
MyVitaMetrics Editorial Team
April 2026
9 min read
Weight loss comes down to eating fewer calories than you burn. The challenge is knowing what that number actually is. Photo: Unsplash
Start with your TDEE, not a random number
The most common mistake people make when trying to lose weight is picking a calorie number out of thin air — usually something they read online like 1,200 or 1,500 kcal — without knowing whether it actually creates a deficit for their body.
For a 90kg, 6ft man who trains five days a week, 1,500 kcal is an extreme deficit that will cost him muscle. For a 55kg sedentary woman, 1,500 kcal might barely be below maintenance. The same number, opposite problems. The only way to arrive at the right figure is to start with your TDEE — your actual daily calorie burn — and subtract from there.
Calculate your TDEE first — then come back here
→
How to calculate your calorie target for weight loss
1
Find your TDEE
Use the
TDEE calculator to get your total daily energy expenditure based on your height, weight, age, sex, and activity level. This is the number of calories your body burns on a typical day.
2
Choose your deficit
Subtract 300 to 500 kcal from your TDEE for a sustainable deficit. A 500 kcal daily deficit produces roughly 0.5kg of fat loss per week. A 300 kcal deficit produces roughly 0.3kg — slower, but easier to sustain long-term.
3
Check the floor
Make sure your target does not fall below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men. Eating below these levels significantly increases the risk of muscle loss and nutritional deficiencies.
4
Reassess every four to six weeks
As your weight drops, your TDEE drops too. Recalculate to keep your deficit accurate. Most weight loss plateaus happen because people forget this step.
Calorie targets by body size — reference guide
The table below shows approximate calorie targets for weight loss (500 kcal deficit from TDEE) at a moderate activity level, age 30. These are starting points, not prescriptions.
Women — weight loss target (moderate activity, age 30)
| Height | 55 kg | 65 kg | 75 kg | 85 kg |
|---|
| 155 cm | 1,320 kcal | 1,475 kcal | 1,630 kcal | 1,785 kcal |
| 165 cm | 1,475 kcal | 1,630 kcal | 1,785 kcal | 1,940 kcal |
| 175 cm | 1,630 kcal | 1,785 kcal | 1,940 kcal | 2,095 kcal |
Men — weight loss target (moderate activity, age 30)
| Height | 65 kg | 75 kg | 85 kg | 95 kg |
|---|
| 165 cm | 1,695 kcal | 1,850 kcal | 2,005 kcal | 2,160 kcal |
| 175 cm | 1,850 kcal | 2,005 kcal | 2,160 kcal | 2,315 kcal |
| 185 cm | 2,005 kcal | 2,160 kcal | 2,315 kcal | 2,470 kcal |
The act of tracking intake — even loosely — consistently improves outcomes. You cannot manage what you do not measure. Photo: Unsplash
How fast should you actually try to lose weight?
The right answer for almost everyone is slower than they want. A deficit of 500 kcal per day producing 0.5kg per week sounds frustratingly gradual when you want results in weeks, not months. But the research on this is fairly consistent: slower fat loss preserves more muscle, maintains metabolic rate better, and is dramatically more likely to stay off.
The problem with aggressive deficits — anything above 1,000 kcal per day — is not just discomfort. Your body adapts. It reduces non-exercise movement, lowers hormone output, and eventually downregulates your metabolic rate. You end up eating very little and not losing much, which is exactly the experience that convinces people their metabolism is broken. Usually it is not. It has just adapted to starvation conditions.
The 7,700 rule
One kilogram of body fat contains approximately 7,700 kcal of stored energy. To lose 1kg of fat, you need to create a cumulative deficit of 7,700 kcal. At a 500 kcal daily deficit, that takes about 15 days. This is why weight loss timelines are predictable — and why people who "don't lose anything" on a low calorie diet are almost always underestimating their intake.
What about protein — does the split matter?
Yes, significantly. When you eat in a calorie deficit, your body needs to get the energy shortfall from somewhere. If protein intake is low, it will take a meaningful portion from muscle tissue. If protein is high — typically 1.6 to 2.2g per kilogram of bodyweight per day — fat loss is preserved as muscle.
This is why two people eating the same number of calories can end up looking very different after six months. The one with high protein and some resistance training loses mostly fat. The one with low protein and no strength work loses fat and muscle, which often results in a smaller but not meaningfully leaner physique. Use the macro calculator to get your protein target alongside your calorie goal.
Why your calorie target will change over time
When you lose weight, you become lighter. A lighter body burns fewer calories, so your TDEE decreases. The 500 kcal deficit you set in week one might be a 300 kcal deficit by week ten, with nothing changed in your diet. This is the most common reason fat loss stalls — not metabolic damage, just physics.
Recalculate your TDEE every four to six weeks, or whenever the scale stops moving for two to three consecutive weeks. Adjust your intake down slightly, or add a small amount of activity, and progress will usually resume. It rarely needs to be dramatic.
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If your calculated weight loss target falls below 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 kcal for men, do not simply eat at that level. Consider a smaller deficit and a longer timeline instead, or seek guidance from a registered dietitian.
Free calculator
See how long it takes to reach your goal weight
Enter your current weight, goal weight, and deficit size. Get a week-by-week timeline.
Calculate your timeline →
Frequently asked questions
How many calories should I eat a day to lose weight?
Eat 300 to 500 kcal below your TDEE. For most adults this lands between 1,400 and 2,200 kcal per day, but the exact figure depends on your body size and activity level. Use the
TDEE calculator to get your baseline, then subtract from there.
Is 1,200 calories a day enough to lose weight?
1,200 kcal is a commonly cited minimum for women, but it is only appropriate if your TDEE is low enough that this represents a moderate deficit. For many people it creates too aggressive a restriction, increasing the risk of muscle loss and making the diet unsustainable. Always calculate your TDEE before choosing a target.
How many calories do I need to cut to lose 1kg per week?
A weekly deficit of approximately 7,700 kcal is needed to lose 1kg of fat, which means a daily deficit of around 1,100 kcal. This is considered aggressive and is not recommended for most people. A 500 kcal daily deficit for 0.5kg per week is more sustainable and preserves more muscle.
What is the minimum calories per day to lose weight safely?
Most nutrition professionals recommend a minimum of 1,200 kcal per day for women and 1,500 kcal per day for men. Eating below these levels without medical supervision significantly increases the risk of nutritional deficiencies, muscle loss, and hormonal disruption.
Should I eat back calories burned during exercise?
If you calculated your TDEE using a moderate or higher activity multiplier, exercise calories are already built in — you do not need to eat them back. If you selected sedentary but exercise regularly, adjust your activity multiplier upward rather than eating back specific workout calories.
Why am I not losing weight even though I'm eating less?
The most common reasons are: underestimating portion sizes (studies consistently show people underreport intake by 20 to 40%), water retention masking fat loss on the scale, or a TDEE that has dropped as your weight decreased. See the full breakdown in our article on
why the scale stops moving in a deficit.
MV
MyVitaMetrics Editorial Team
Science-backed health content reviewed against peer-reviewed nutritional research. All calculators and articles use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation as the primary formula source.
Disclaimer: This article provides general nutritional information based on established research. It is not a substitute for personalised advice from a registered dietitian or medical professional. Always consult a qualified health professional before making significant changes to your diet.
