How many calories should I deficit to lose weight?
For sustainable and safe weight loss, it is advisable to aim for losing about 1-2 pounds a week. This means eating 500 to 1000 calories below your maintenance calories a day.
A calorie deficit means consuming fewer calories than your body uses in a day. To calculate your calorie deficit for weight loss, follow these two basic steps:
Step 1: Calculate your maintenance calories
The first step to calculating your calorie deficit is to find out how many calories you need in a day to maintain your weight, also called maintenance calories.
Multiply your weight by 15
A rough estimate for calculating maintenance calories for a moderately active person is multiplying body weight in pounds by 15 (you roughly need 15 calories per pound of your body weight to maintain your current weight).
Moderately active means engaging in physical activity equivalent to walking about 1.5-3 miles a day at 3-4 miles an hour, in addition to daily living activities.
So, if you weigh 150 pounds, your maintenance calories will be 150 × 15 = 2,250 calories.
Figure out your BMR and TDEE
Another way to calculate your maintenance calories is knowing your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
BMR is the number of calories needed to maintain basic life-sustaining functions, such as breathing, maintaining blood pressure, and digesting food. One popular formula for calculating BMR is the Harris-Benedict formula. According to this formula:
- Male BMR formula = 66 + (6.23 × weight in pounds) + (12.7 × height in inches) − (6.8 × age in years)
- Female BMR formula = 655 + (4.3 x weight in pounds) + (4.7 x height in inches) – (4.7 x age in years)
BMR chart shows a male (5" 7" 170 lbs. 43 years old) and a female (5' 3" 130 lbs. and 36 years old)| BMR | Weight (lbs.) | Height (inches) | Age (years) | Total BMR |
|---|
| Male | 170 | 5' 7" | 43 | 1734 |
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| Female | 130 | 5" 3" | 36 | 1347 |
|---|
Next, you need to calculate your TDEE, which is the total number of calories you burn including your BMR. Your TDEE equals your maintenance calories. To calculate your TDEE:
- TDEE = 1.2 × BMR if you have a sedentary lifestyle (little to no exercise and work a desk job)
- TDEE = 1.375 × BMR if you have a lightly active lifestyle (light exercise 1-3 days per week)
- TDEE = 1.55 × BMR if you have a moderately active lifestyle (moderate exercise 3-5 days per week)
- TDEE = 1.725 × BMR if you have a very active lifestyle (heavy exercise 6-7 days per week)
- TDEE = 1.9 × BMR if you have an extremely active lifestyle (strenuous training 2 times a day)
Based on the above TDEEformula, a male (5’ 7” and 155 lbs.) and a female (5’ 4” and 110 lbs.) have a sedentary lifestyle as shown in the below chart.
TDEE chart shows a male (5’ 7” and 155 lbs.) and a female (5’ 4” and 110 lbs.) sedentary lifestyle| Physical activity (Exercise) | Male TDEE | Female TDEE |
|---|
| No Exercise | 2081 | 1617 |
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| Light Exercise (1-3 days/week) | 2385 | 1853 |
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| Moderate exercise (3-5 days/week) | 2688 | 2088 |
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| Heavy exercise (6-7 days/week) | 2992 | 2324 |
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Step 2: Calculate your calorie deficit
According to the American Heart Association, you need to eat 500 calories less than your maintenance calories a day to lose 1 pound of weight a week.
So, if your TDEE is 2,000 calories, eating 1,500 calories a day for 7 days may help you achieve a weight loss of 1 pound a week as long as you keep your daily activities consistent. Increased physical activity means more weight loss.
If you are a beginner, you can start with a deficit of 200 to 300 calories initially and then build up to eating 500 to 750 calories under your maintenance calories.
FAQs
Since you're moderately active, you will use an activity factor of 1.55. Therefore, your TDEE is 2,170 calories (1,400 x 1.55). This means your body burns around 2,170 calories per day, including your BMR and physical activity. To create a healthy calorie deficit, you can subtract 300 to 500 calories from your TDEE.
Do you calculate calorie deficit from BMR or TDEE? ›
Since you're moderately active, you will use an activity factor of 1.55. Therefore, your TDEE is 2,170 calories (1,400 x 1.55). This means your body burns around 2,170 calories per day, including your BMR and physical activity. To create a healthy calorie deficit, you can subtract 300 to 500 calories from your TDEE.
How to calculate your calorie deficit to lose weight? ›
To perform a manual calculation, moderately active people can multiply their current body weight by 15 to estimate how many calories they would need each day. Anything less than this is a deficit.
How do I calculate my BMR to lose weight? ›
Calculate Basal Metabolic Rate
Your basal metabolism rate is produced through the following basal metablic rate formula: Men: BMR = 88.362 + (13.397 x weight in kg) + (4.799 x height in cm) – (5.677 x age in years) Women: BMR = 447.593 + (9.247 x weight in kg) + (3.098 x height in cm) – (4.330 x age in years)
How many calories should I eat to lose weight if my BMR is 1400? ›
How Many Calories Should I Eat Daily to Lose Weight? For example, if your BMR is 1,400 (the average for American women) and you are moderately active, your AMR would be 2,170 (1,400 x 1.55). Since a pound of fat is equal to 3,500 calories, you would need to cut 500 calories per day to lose a pound per week.
What is the most accurate calorie deficit formula? ›
Multiply your activity level value with BMR, you will get your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). Subtract the TDEE from the total number of calories you consume. If the above number is negative, you are in a calorie deficit.
How many calories should I eat if my BMR is 1600? ›
Most people's BMR is between 1000 – 2000. This means that they need to take in between 1000 – 2000 calories each day to fuel their basic functions while in a resting state.
What is a realistic calorie deficit for weight loss? ›
Make These Changes
To lose a pound of fat, you'll need to burn 3,500 more calories than you consume in a week. In other words, to drop one pound a week, you must have a deficit of 500 calories a day. For two pounds, you'll need a deficit of 1,000 calories a day.
What calorie deficit do I need to lose 2 pounds a week? ›
To lose 2 pounds per week, you need to create a calorie deficit of 1,000 calories per day. This is only safe if a healthcare provider has approved it. Calorie needs depend on a variety of factors such as metabolism, current weight, height, and activity level, which are different for everyone.
How much of a calorie deficit is needed to lose 20 pounds? ›
Losing 20 pounds in 1 month may be easier than 2 weeks, but it's still unrealistic for most people. Once again, it comes down to your TDEE and simple math. To lose 20 pounds in 1 month, you'd need to create an average deficit of 2,500 calories per day for 4 weeks.
You should never eat less than your BMR as this is the basic number of calories your body needs to perform basic functions like breathing and digestion. Use your BMR to calculate your TDEE, and then you can eat less than your TDEE to lose weight.
Which BMR formula is most accurate? ›
Of these equations, the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation is considered the most accurate equation for calculating BMR with the exception that the Katch-McArdle Formula can be more accurate for people who are leaner and know their body fat percentage.
What is the formula for TDEE? ›
Calculating TDEE using the formula TDEE = BMR x Activity Factor involves two steps: Step 1: Calculate your BMR using the following formula. So your BMR is 1536.25 calories per day. Step 2: Multiply your BMR by your activity factor to calculate your TDEE.
How do I figure out my calorie deficit? ›
Once you know your daily calorie requirement, subtract your calorie deficit goal from that number. For example, if your daily calorie need is 1,800 calories and you want a 500-calorie deficit, your new daily calorie target is 1,300 calories (1,800 – 500 = 1,300).
How do I calculate the calories I need to lose weight? ›
Katch-McArdle Formula:
1 pound, or approximately 0.45 kg, equates to about 3,500 calories. As such, in order to lose 1 pound per week, it is recommended that 500 calories be shaved off the estimate of calories necessary for weight maintenance per day.
How to create a calorie deficit? ›
You can reach a calorie deficit by reducing your calorie intake or increasing your calorie output through physical activity. You can also do both together. 3 For example, you'll create a 500-calorie deficit by cutting 250 calories from your diet per day and burning an additional 250 calories through exercise.
Do I need to eat less than my BMR or TDEE? ›
If you've found your BMR and converted it to TDEE, you know what your body requires in a day to stay at its current weight. That's your starting point. You need to consume less than your TDEE if you want to achieve weight loss.
Is a calorie deficit under your BMR? ›
You should never eat less than your BMR as this is the basic number of calories your body needs to perform basic functions like breathing and digestion. Use your BMR to calculate your TDEE, and then you can eat less than your TDEE to lose weight.
Is calorie deficit based on active or total calories? ›
If you have set a goal to burn extra calories for weight loss, use the active number rather than the total number to determine whether you have reached your target.
Do you subtract exercise calories from TDEE? ›
TDEE = BMR plus all the calories you use living life, working, playing, eating, exercising and everything in between.
