How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

The short answer

There is no single calorie number that fits everyone. Your starting point is maintenance — the amount that keeps your weight roughly stable — minus a modest deficit. For many adults, that deficit is about 300–500 calories a day. A larger cut is not automatically better. A smaller one you can repeat is more useful.

What maintenance calories (TDEE) means

TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the energy you use across a normal day: resting metabolism plus movement, training, and daily life. Eat around that level and weight tends to stay put. Eat below it and, over time, weight tends to come down. That gap is the calorie deficit.

Online calculators estimate TDEE from age, sex, height, weight, and how active you are. They are a starting guess. The reliable check is what happens when you log your food and watch your weight for a few weeks.

How to set a calorie target for fat loss

1. Estimate your maintenance calories. Maintenance, or TDEE, is roughly what you burn in a normal day. A calculator gives a starting number from age, sex, height, weight, and activity. Treat it as an estimate, not an exact target.
2. Subtract a modest deficit. A practical start is about 300–500 calories below that estimate. Smaller is easier to keep up. You do not need an aggressive cut to lose weight.
3. Keep a sensible floor. Do not chase the lowest number you can tolerate. If you feel drained, overly hungry, or your intake is very low for your size, ease the deficit. This is general information, not a medical plan.
4. Log what you actually eat. A target only works if you know your intake. Log meals by search or barcode, including drinks, oils, and snacks. Compare the daily total with your goal.
5. Adjust after two to three weeks. Watch the trend, not one day's scale weight. If weight is steady, reduce intake slightly or add activity. If loss is faster than you want, add calories back.

A simple worked example

Suppose a calculator puts maintenance at 2,400 calories:

• Modest deficit of 400 → daily target about 2,000 calories
• A 500-calorie daily deficit is often described as roughly 0.5 kg a week, because a kilogram of body fat is on the order of 7,000–7,700 calories. Real weeks vary.
• Once calories are set, split them into protein, carbs, and fat. See how to track macros for that step.

Why the first number is only a start

Calculators do not know your exact metabolism, step count, or how generously you pour olive oil. If you have been logging honestly and your average weight has not moved for two to three weeks, the estimate was a little high — lower the target slightly. If you are losing faster than you want, or you feel wiped out, raise it.

• Under-logging is the usual reason a “deficit” does not show up: cooking oil, sauces, drinks, bites, and weekends.
• Water and food weight can hide fat loss for several days. Use a weekly average, not one morning.
• Protein helps you keep muscle while calories are lower. A practical range many people use is about 1.6–2.2 g per kg of body weight.

How an app makes this easier

You need two numbers side by side: what you planned to eat, and what you actually logged. ChowTracker is a calorie and macro tracker for iPhone and Android. You log meals by search or barcode, see the daily total, and adjust your goal as the trend becomes clear. The workflow is covered in how ChowTracker works.

Frequently asked questions

This guide is general information, not medical or dietetic advice. Calorie needs differ, and very low intakes are not appropriate for everyone. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, or want a personal plan, speak with a qualified professional.