How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight?

Weight loss relies on a simple rule: eat fewer calories than your body burns each day. Once you know how much energy you burn, you can pick a safe calorie goal that helps you shed fat without feeling starved or exhausted.

Step 1: Find Your Maintenance Calories

Before you start cutting back, you need to know your starting point. Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the total number of calories that keeps your weight stable. For most adults, this daily number is somewhere between 1,800 and 3,000 calories, depending on your age, gender, height, and activity. Guessing this index is the biggest reason most diets fail—it’s like trying to save money without knowing how much you spend.

Step 2: Subtract a Sensible Deficit

Once you know your daily calorie expenditure, you should subtract a small amount from that total to create a calorie deficit. A deficit of 500 kcal/day typically leads to a loss of approximately 1 lb/week. This pace is steady, realistic, and sustainable. Slashing your calories too low might seem faster, but it almost always backfires—causing cravings, low energy, loss of muscle, and quick weight gain as soon as you stop. Then, you should keep these two simple safety rules in mind:

• Never consume fewer than 1,500 kcal/day for men or 1,200 kcal/day for women without medical supervision. Caloric intakes below these levels make it difficult for the body to obtain necessary nutrients.
• Aim to lose no more than 1% of your body weight per week to burn excess fat rather than losing healthy body tissue.

To address this, you can try our Calorie Deficit Calculator to get more accurate results. Our calculator automatically does this math based on your current personal stats, ensuring your goals remain within a safe and healthy range.

Step 3: Protect Muscle While You Cut

When you drop calories, your body looks for extra energy everywhere. If you aren't careful, it will burn away your muscle along with your fat. Keeping your muscle keeps your metabolism strong and helps you look fit rather than just skinny. Here is how to protect your muscle while losing fat:

• Eat enough protein: Aim for 0.7 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight each day. Protein also keeps you full longer, which makes dieting much easier.
• Do some strength training: Lift weights or do bodyweight exercises 2 to 3 times a week. This tells your body that you still need your muscle, so it burns fat for fuel instead.

People who combine a basic high-protein diet with simple strength workouts lose nearly the same amount of weight as those who do only cardio, yet they retain almost all of their muscle mass. You can determine your ideal daily ratio of protein, carbs, and fats using our Macro Calculator.

Why the Scale Stalls (and What to Do)

It is completely normal for your weight loss to slow down or stall after a few weeks. Before you get frustrated, keep in mind why this happens:

• A lighter body needs less fuel
• Water weight hides fat loss
• Portions slowly get bigger

So, how to break a stall? Just give it at least one week to see if the scale moves on its own. If you are still stuck, recalculate your TDEE for your new weight (do this every 10 to 15 pounds lost), track your food carefully, and then lower your daily intake by just 100 to 200 calories.