Calorie Deficit Calculator
Calculate how many calories you should eat per day to reach your weight loss goal. Get a personalized plan with realistic timelines.
About Calorie Deficit
What is a calorie deficit?
A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body burns. This forces your body to use stored fat for energy, resulting in weight loss.
How much deficit is safe?
A deficit of 500-750 calories per day is generally considered safe and sustainable. This leads to about 0.5-0.75 kg (1-1.5 lbs) of weight loss per week. Larger deficits can lead to muscle loss and metabolic slowdown.
Minimum calorie intake
Men should not eat below 1,500 calories and women should not eat below 1,200 calories per day without medical supervision. Our calculator ensures your target stays above these minimums.
How We Calculate Your Calorie Deficit
Step 1: Calculate Your TDEE
We first calculate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation for BMR, then multiply by your activity factor.
Step 2: Apply Your Chosen Deficit
Target Calories = TDEE - Daily Deficit
• Slow (250 cal deficit): ~0.25 kg (0.5 lb) per week
• Moderate (500 cal deficit): ~0.5 kg (1 lb) per week
• Aggressive (750 cal deficit): ~0.75 kg (1.5 lb) per week
Step 3: Calculate Time to Goal
Weight to lose = Current weight - Goal weight
Weeks to goal = Weight to lose ÷ Weekly loss rate
Based on the fact that 7,700 calories = ~1 kg of body weight.
Safety Minimums
We ensure your target calories never go below 1,500 for men or 1,200 for women, as eating below these levels without medical supervision can be harmful.
Track Your Deficit with Pandish
Stay on track with your calorie goals. Pandish makes it easy to log meals and monitor your daily intake.