Calorie Deficit Calculator
Find out exactly how many calories you need to eat every day to sustainably lose weight and reach your goals.
To lose weight, your body must burn more calories than it consumes. When you eat fewer calories than your body needs to maintain its current weight, you create a calorie deficit, forcing your body to burn stored fat for energy.
The 3500 Calorie Rule
Generally, one pound of body fat contains about 3,500 calories. Therefore, to lose 1 pound per week, you need a deficit of 500 calories per day (500 calories × 7 days = 3,500 calories).
Safety Limits
It is not recommended to drop your calories too low. As a general rule, men should not consume fewer than 1,500 calories a day, and women should not consume fewer than 1,200 calories a day. Eating too little can lead to malnutrition, muscle loss, and a severely slowed metabolism. If your calculated deficit drops below these numbers, our calculator will automatically bump it up to the safe minimum limit.