Calorie Deficit Calculator
kcal
500 kcal
Target Daily Calories2,000 kcal
Weekly Deficit3,500 kcal
Weight Loss / Week1.00 lb
Eating 2,000 kcal/day creates a 500 kcal daily shortfall, projected at about 1.00 lb of fat loss per week.
The Calorie Deficit Calculator turns a maintenance calorie figure into a weight-loss eating target and a realistic weekly progress estimate. You enter your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) and the size of the deficit you want to run; the tool subtracts the deficit to give your daily intake goal and projects fat loss using the rule that roughly 3,500 calories equals one pound of body fat.
Formula
target = TDEE − deficit; weeklyLoss = (deficit × 7) ÷ 3500
- TDEE
- Total daily energy expenditure (maintenance calories)
- deficit
- Calories eaten below maintenance each day
- 3500
- Approximate calories stored in one pound of body fat
How it works
- Enter your maintenance calories (TDEE), the number you would eat to keep your current weight steady.
- Choose a daily deficit with the slider; the calculator subtracts it from your TDEE to set your target intake.
- It multiplies the daily deficit by seven for a weekly shortfall, then divides by 3,500 to estimate pounds of fat lost per week.
Worked example
Someone with a 2,500 calorie TDEE runs a 500 calorie daily deficit.
- Target intake = 2,500 − 500 = 2,000 kcal/day.
- Weekly deficit = 500 × 7 = 3,500 kcal.
- Weekly loss = 3,500 ÷ 3,500 = 1.0 lb.
Eat 2,000 kcal/day for an estimated 1 lb of fat loss per week.
Frequently asked questions
- How big a deficit is safe?
- A deficit of 250 to 750 calories per day, producing about 0.5 to 1.5 lb of loss weekly, is generally considered sustainable. Very large deficits risk muscle loss, fatigue, and nutrient shortfalls.
- Why is my real weight loss slower than the estimate?
- The 3,500-calorie rule is a simplification. Water retention, metabolic adaptation, and inaccurate calorie tracking all blunt results, so judge progress over several weeks rather than day to day.
- Where does the maintenance calorie number come from?
- It is your TDEE, the calories you burn in a typical day from resting metabolism plus activity. A TDEE calculator estimates it from your age, sex, weight, height, and activity level.