Weight Loss Calorie Goal Calculator
Find the daily calorie target for a chosen weekly weight-loss rate.
Your total daily energy expenditure.
Results update as you type.
This calculator provides estimates based on population research. Results are not medical advice. Consult a qualified healthcare provider before making health or nutrition decisions.
How it works
Losing weight comes down to a sustained calorie deficit, eating fewer calories than your body burns, and a weight loss calorie goal calculator tells you exactly how many calories to aim for each day to hit a target rate of loss. It starts from your total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE, the maintenance level at which your weight stays stable, then subtracts the deficit needed to shed a chosen amount of weight per week. The tool uses the widely cited estimate that one kilogram of body fat stores roughly 7,700 kilocalories, so to lose half a kilogram a week you need a weekly deficit of about 3,850 calories, or 550 fewer per day. A weight loss calorie goal calculator lets you pick a pace that fits your life, from a gentle quarter kilogram a week to a more aggressive kilogram, and shows both the daily target and the total weekly deficit behind it. Slower rates are generally easier to sustain and better preserve muscle, while very aggressive deficits can leave you hungry, tired and prone to rebound. Most guidance suggests not dropping below roughly 1,200 calories a day for women or 1,500 for men without supervision, and this calculator does not enforce that floor, so sanity-check the result. Real-world loss is rarely perfectly linear because water weight, adaptation and adherence all fluctuate. Use the figure as a practical starting target, adjust based on how your weight actually trends over a few weeks, and prioritise nutrient-dense food and protein to stay healthy while losing.
Daily calories = TDEE − (weekly loss × 7700 ÷ 7); weekly deficit = weekly loss × 7700
The calculation relies on the well-known approximation that about 7,700 kilocalories are stored in one kilogram of body fat. Multiplying your chosen weekly loss in kilograms by 7,700 gives the total calorie deficit you must create across the week; dividing that by seven spreads it into a daily shortfall. Subtracting that daily shortfall from your maintenance calories, your TDEE, yields the daily calorie goal that should, on average, produce the target rate of loss over time.
Source:NIH / CDC energy balance guidance (≈7700 kcal per kg)
We review all our tools from time to time to ensure accuracy.
Worked example
How to use this calculator
- 1
Enter your values
Enter maintenance calories (tdee) and target weekly loss.
- 2
Adjust the options
Fine-tune any options to match your situation.
- 3
Read your result
Daily calorie goal updates instantly as you type — no button to press.
Frequently asked questions
Is 7,700 calories per kilogram an exact number?
It is a widely used approximation, not a precise constant. The figure assumes weight lost is pure body fat, but real weight change also includes water, glycogen and some lean tissue, especially early on. Metabolism also adapts as you lose, slightly reducing your burn. So actual loss can run a little faster at first and slower later than the formula predicts. Treat the target as a solid starting estimate and adjust based on your real weekly trend.
How low can I safely set my calorie goal?
Most health authorities advise against dropping below roughly 1,200 calories a day for women or 1,500 for men without medical supervision, because very low intakes make it hard to get enough nutrients and can cost you muscle. If this calculator returns a target below those floors, choose a gentler weekly loss rate or increase your activity to widen the deficit instead. Slower, sustainable loss almost always beats an extreme diet you cannot maintain.
Why is my real weight loss not matching the prediction?
Short-term weight swings from water, sodium, carbohydrate intake, hormones and digestion easily mask fat loss on the scale, so a week can show no change even with a genuine deficit. Metabolic adaptation and small inaccuracies in estimating your maintenance calories or food intake also add up. Judge progress over three to four weeks rather than day to day, and if the trend stalls, tighten your tracking or slightly increase the deficit.
Should I lose weight through diet or exercise?
Both help, but diet usually drives most of the deficit because it is far easier to eat 500 fewer calories than to burn 500 through exercise, and appetite often rises after hard workouts. Exercise remains valuable for preserving muscle, protecting metabolic and heart health, and improving mood. The best approach combines a moderate dietary deficit with regular activity, especially resistance training, so you lose fat while keeping the muscle that keeps your metabolism higher.
How much protein should I eat while losing weight?
Eating adequate protein while in a deficit helps preserve muscle mass and keeps you fuller, which supports adherence. Common guidance is around 1.6 to 2.2 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight for people actively losing weight and training. Spreading protein across meals and pairing it with resistance exercise gives the best muscle-sparing effect. Prioritising protein within your reduced calorie budget makes weight loss healthier and helps ensure most of what you lose is fat.