The calorie deficit calculator estimates maintenance, subtracts your daily deficit, shows an intake target, and a rough weekly change using ~7,700 kcal ≈ 1 kg fat.
How to use
- Enter sex, age, height, weight, and activity (same logic as TDEE).
- Set deficit kcal/day—presets like 250 or 500 work as starters.
- Read daily goal and weekly hint; split meals on the macro calculator.
Example
Maintenance ~2,500 kcal/day, 500 deficit → goal ~2,000 kcal/day, rough ~0.45 kg/week loss (water and muscle still matter).
Planning tool—set safe deficits with professional guidance.
Frequently asked questions
What is a calorie deficit?
It’s how far below maintenance you eat each day. This page estimates maintenance, subtracts your deficit (kcal/day), shows a daily intake target, and a rough weekly weight-change hint.
Where does maintenance come from?
Same as the TDEE calculator: sex, age, height, weight, activity → BMR × factor. For maintenance only, use that page or the calorie calculator.
Is a 500 kcal/day deficit OK?
A common starting point, not universal. Too large a deficit can mean fatigue or muscle loss; too small slows progress. Adjust with your clinician—this page does not enforce minimum intake.
Weekly weight change estimate?
A planning rule: about 7,700 kcal ≈ 1 kg of fat. Daily deficit × 7 ÷ 7,700 gives a rough weekly change—water, muscle, and lifestyle still matter.
Pair with macros?
Take your daily target to the macro calculator to split protein, carbs, and fat into grams for meals.
Add workout calories on top?
Usually don’t double-count: activity level already embeds typical exercise. Very active plus logging every workout separately can overstate maintenance.
Can I save this scenario?
Yes. Copy link below the form keeps your current inputs so you can share the scenario or save it for later.