Question
What this page answers
This page helps you estimate how many calories to eat to lose weight without guessing at the size of the deficit. The useful answer is personal: maintenance calories minus a deficit you can repeat consistently.
Health toolWeight loss calories
How Many Calories to Lose Weight
Use this page when you want a direct answer to how many calories to eat to lose weight. Start with maintenance calories, subtract a realistic deficit, then adjust from real progress instead of forcing one fixed number.
Updated: May 7, 2026
Looking for a related estimate? Try Weight Loss Calculator or Maintenance Calories Calculator.
What you will get
Clear input, result, and explanation in one place
Weight loss calories
The result shows a daily calorie target and a rough pace of change.
The estimate assumes the deficit is maintained consistently over the selected weeks.
Quick answer
The simple calorie target formula
A common starting formula is weight-loss calories = maintenance calories - 300 to 500 calories per day. Larger deficits may be faster on paper, but they are often harder to sustain and easier to misread if water weight moves around.
Calculator
Enter your values and review the result
Inputs
Live updatesWeight loss intake panel
Enter maintenance calories and a daily deficit to estimate a weight loss target.
The estimate assumes the deficit is maintained consistently over the selected weeks.
Result
Weight loss calories
The result shows a daily calorie target and a rough pace of change.
Current estimate
$1,900 per day target
Estimated change over 8 weeks: 2.2 kg.
Supporting details
- Weekly deficit: $2,100
- Total deficit: $16,800
Example
Example calculation
If maintenance is 2,200 calories and you use a 300-calorie deficit, the target becomes about 1,900 calories per day. With a 500-calorie deficit, the target becomes about 1,700 calories per day. The better choice is the one you can follow while still feeling functional.
Pace
How fast should weight loss be?
Many people do better with a moderate pace rather than the fastest possible target. If the calorie target makes normal meals, training, sleep, or concentration worse, use a smaller deficit and give the trend more time.
Adjustment
How to adjust your calories
Track averages, not one weigh-in. If your average trend does not move after two to three weeks, confirm your maintenance estimate, food tracking, and activity level before reducing calories further.
Next step
What to do next
If the target feels sensible, use the calorie calculator to compare your daily intake and the TDEE calculator to check your activity context.
Trust note
Estimate only
This is a planning estimate, not a health prescription. If you have a medical condition, pregnancy, breastfeeding, a history of disordered eating, or a very low target, get professional guidance before using the number.
Common questions
Start with maintenance calories and subtract a moderate deficit, often around 300 to 500 calories per day for many adults.
Not always. Larger deficits can be harder to sustain and may reduce energy.
Yes. Maintenance is the starting point and the deficit is the adjustment.
Yes. Smaller deficits are often easier to keep up.
Reduce the deficit or revisit your maintenance estimate and activity level.
Two to three weeks is often enough to see whether the average trend is moving, assuming tracking is consistent.
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