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How Many Calories Should I Eat to Lose Weight?A Simple 3-Step Method
· 4 min read
There's no single magic number. The right calorie target depends on your size, age, sex and how much you move, but the method for finding it is the same for everyone: estimate what you burn, eat a bit less than that, then let your real results correct the estimate.
Step 1: Estimate your maintenance calories
Maintenance is the number of calories that keeps your weight steady. The most widely used estimate is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which gives your resting burn (BMR):
| Formula | |
|---|---|
| Men | (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5 |
| Women | (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161 |
Working in pounds and inches? Weight in kg = lb ÷ 2.2, height in cm = inches × 2.54.
Then multiply your BMR by how active you are:
| Activity level | Multiply BMR by |
|---|---|
| Mostly sitting (desk job, little exercise) | 1.2 |
| Lightly active (walking, exercise 1-3 days a week) | 1.375 |
| Active (exercise 3-5 days a week or on your feet all day) | 1.55 |
| Very active (hard training most days, physical job) | 1.725 |
Most people overestimate their activity. If you're unsure, pick the level below the one you think you are.
Step 2: Take off 300-500 calories a day
A deficit of about 500 calories a day works out to roughly 0.5 kg (about 1 lb) of fat a week, because a kilo of body fat holds around 7,700 calories. Smaller deficits (300 a day) are slower but easier to stick to, and sticking to it is what actually matters.
As a rough floor, most adults shouldn't go below about 1,200 calories (women) or 1,500 calories (men) a day without a doctor or dietitian involved.
Worked examples
| Person | BMR | Maintenance | Target to lose ~0.5 kg / 1 lb a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woman, 32, 165 cm (5'5"), 75 kg (165 lb), lightly active | ~1,460 | ~2,010 | ~1,500-1,700 |
| Man, 40, 178 cm (5'10"), 92 kg (203 lb), desk job | ~1,840 | ~2,205 | ~1,700-1,900 |
| Man, 25, 183 cm (6'0"), 80 kg (176 lb), active | ~1,825 | ~2,830 | ~2,350-2,550 |
Step 3: Check after two weeks and adjust
The formula is a starting point, not a verdict. Weigh yourself a few mornings a week, at the same time, and look at the average, not single days. Water, salt and carbs can swing the scale by 1-2 kg (2-4 lb) overnight.
After two to three weeks:
- Losing about 0.5-1% of your body weight a week? Keep going.
- Not moving at all? Either your maintenance is lower than estimated or your logging is missing things. Check your logging first (see below), then drop 150-200 calories.
- Losing much faster and feeling drained? Add 150-200 calories back. Fast loss is harder to keep up.
Why most people "eat 1,500 and don't lose"
The maths almost always works. The logging usually doesn't:
- Cooking oil and butter. One tablespoon of oil is about 120 calories, and it rarely gets logged.
- Portions by eye. "A bowl of pasta" can be 300 or 900 calories. Generic database entries assume small reference portions.
- Drinks. Lattes, juice, soft drinks and alcohol add up fast and feel like they don't count.
- Weekends. Five careful days and two untracked ones can wipe out the week's deficit.
- Restaurant food. It's typically 30-60% richer than the home version of the same dish. Our guide to counting calories when eating out covers this.
Protein makes the deficit easier
Aim for roughly 1.6 g of protein per kg of body weight (about 0.7 g per lb) while losing weight. Protein keeps you fuller, and it helps you keep muscle so more of what you lose is fat.
Track it without the tedium
The hardest part of a calorie target isn't the maths, it's logging every day without it taking over your life. In DietTracker you just say or type what you ate, the way you'd tell a friend, and it works out calories and macros against a target set from your own height, weight and activity. It's free to start, so you can try DietTracker free and see where your first week actually lands.
This is general information, not medical advice. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or have a history of disordered eating, talk to a doctor or dietitian before changing how you eat.