Calorie deficit calculator.
Find the daily calorie target for your weight loss goal. Enter your maintenance calories and how much you want to lose each week, and see the deficit you need.
Your numbers
LiveOne pound of fat is about 3,500 calories, so losing 1 lb a week needs a 500 calorie daily deficit. Do not drop below roughly 1,200 to 1,500 calories a day.
Daily calorie target
2,000
calories a day, before exercise
An estimate; the 3,500-calorie rule simplifies real fat loss, which varies by person. Not medical advice. Calculations run in your browser; nothing is stored.
How it works
How a calorie deficit works
A calorie deficit means eating fewer calories than your body burns, which forces it to use stored energy and you lose weight. Because one pound of fat holds about 3,500 calories, a 500 calorie daily deficit adds up to roughly one pound a week.
Start from your maintenance calories, your total daily energy expenditure, then subtract the deficit for your goal. A 2,500 maintenance with a 1 lb a week goal means eating about 2,000 calories a day.
Reference
Weekly goal to daily deficit.
The daily deficit for each weekly weight loss goal, and the target on a 2,500 maintenance.
| Weekly loss | Daily deficit |
|---|---|
| 0.5 lb | 250 cal |
| 1 lb | 500 cal |
| 1.5 lb | 750 cal |
| 2 lb | 1,000 cal |
The full guide
The complete guide to calorie deficits.
What a deficit is, how to set a safe one, and why the scale does not always match the maths.
What is a calorie deficit?
A calorie deficit is the gap between the calories you eat and the calories you burn. When you burn more than you eat, your body makes up the difference from its stores, mostly fat, and you lose weight over time.
The size of the deficit sets the pace. A small deficit is easier to sustain; a large one loses weight faster but is harder to stick to and can cost muscle.
Setting a safe deficit
A deficit of 500 calories a day, for about a pound a week, suits most people. Going faster than 1 to 2 lb a week, or eating below roughly 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men, is hard to maintain and can leave you short on nutrients.
Find your maintenance with a TDEE or calorie calculator first, then subtract your chosen deficit rather than guessing.
Why the scale lags the maths
The 3,500-calories-per-pound rule is a useful starting point, but real weight loss is messier. Water, glycogen and hormones swing the scale day to day, and as you lose weight your maintenance falls, so the same deficit slows down over time.
Judge progress over weeks, not days, and recalculate your maintenance as your weight changes.
Keeping the deficit working
Protein, strength training and sleep help you keep muscle while the fat comes off. Tracking honestly for a couple of weeks shows whether your real intake matches your target, since most people underestimate what they eat.
If progress stalls for a few weeks, recheck your maintenance and tighten the deficit a little rather than slashing calories.
The formula
Eat under
your burn.
About 3,500 calories is one pound of fat, so a 500-a-day deficit is roughly a pound a week.
Find your maintenance ›# Daily deficit and target
deficit = weekly_lb × 3500 / 7
target = maintenance − deficit
# worked example
1 lb/week → 500/day → 2500 − 500 = 2000Questions
Deficit questions.
How big should my calorie deficit be?
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For most people a 500 calorie daily deficit, about a pound a week, is a good balance. Faster than 1 to 2 lb a week is hard to sustain. Do not eat below roughly 1,200 calories for women or 1,500 for men.
How do I calculate my calorie deficit?
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Subtract your goal deficit from your maintenance calories. With a 2,500 maintenance and a 1 lb a week goal, the deficit is 500 a day, so you eat about 2,000.
How much is one pound of fat in calories?
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About 3,500 calories. That is why a 500 calorie daily deficit, which is 3,500 over a week, is often quoted as roughly one pound of fat loss.
Why am I not losing as fast as the calculator says?
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The 3,500 rule is a simplification. Water and glycogen swing the scale, and your maintenance falls as you lose weight, so the same deficit slows down. Judge progress over weeks.
Is this calorie deficit calculator free?
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Yes. It is completely free with no sign-up, and every calculation runs locally in your browser, so nothing you enter is stored or sent anywhere.
About the developer
Jean Borg
Jean builds and maintains every calculator on freecalculators.pro from Malta, with a focus on tools that are fast, free and show their working. The calorie deficit calculator uses the standard 3,500-calorie estimate and is for general information, not medical or dietary advice.