How Many Calories Per Day to Lose Weight? The Honest Answer

TL;DR

The number of calories you need per day to lose weight sits 300–500 kcal below your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). For most women that's 1,500–1,800 kcal, and for most men 2,000–2,400 kcal. Lose weight faster than that and you'll shed muscle and end up in the yo-yo cycle. Calculate your TDEE first, then set your deficit, then check reality after 2–3 weeks.

Go to the TDEE Calculator →

The short answer: a one-size-fits-all number won't help

You'll see numbers floating around online like "1,200 calories for women, 1,500 for men." These blanket figures ignore the fact that a 30-year-old office worker who's 5'7" and a 55-year-old nurse who's 5'3" have completely different daily needs.

The only sensible answer is: calculate your TDEE, then subtract 300–500 kcal.

Step 1: Find your personal TDEE

Your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) is the calorie burn at which your weight stays stable. Four factors determine it:

The quickest estimate uses the Mifflin-St Jeor formula:

• Women: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age − 161
• Men: BMR = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age + 5

Then multiply by your activity factor:

• Inactive (desk job, no exercise): × 1.2
• Lightly active (1–3× exercise/week): × 1.375
• Moderately active (3–5× exercise/week): × 1.55
• Very active (6–7× exercise/week): × 1.725

Step 2: Set a realistic deficit

Once you know your TDEE, the rule is simple:

• Moderate deficit (recommended): TDEE − 300 to − 500 kcal
• Aggressive deficit (short term only): TDEE − 500 to − 750 kcal
• Crash diet (not recommended): TDEE − 1,000 kcal

Why not go bigger? Because a larger deficit doesn't burn fat faster — instead it:

1. Breaks down muscle — the body sacrifices expensive muscle tissue to conserve energy
2. Slows your metabolism — NEAT drops automatically (you unconsciously move less)
3. Drives cravings — your odds of falling off the wagon climb sharply

Concrete examples

Example 1: Woman, 35 years old, 70 kg, 165 cm, desk job

BMR = 10 × 70 + 6.25 × 165 − 5 × 35 − 161 = 1,396 kcal
TDEE = 1,396 × 1.2 = 1,675 kcal
To lose weight: 1,675 − 400 = ~1,275 kcal/day

Realistically achievable: 0.4–0.5 kg of fat loss per week.

Example 2: Man, 30 years old, 85 kg, 180 cm, exercises 3×/week

BMR = 10 × 85 + 6.25 × 180 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,830 kcal
TDEE = 1,830 × 1.55 = 2,836 kcal
To lose weight: 2,836 − 500 = ~2,335 kcal/day

Realistically achievable: 0.6–0.8 kg of fat loss per week.

Example 3: Woman, 50 years old, 80 kg, 160 cm, barely active

BMR = 10 × 80 + 6.25 × 160 − 5 × 50 − 161 = 1,389 kcal
TDEE = 1,389 × 1.2 = 1,667 kcal
To lose weight: 1,667 − 350 = ~1,315 kcal/day

Here a smaller deficit would be better, because the TDEE is already low. A smarter move is to add 5,000 steps a day → TDEE rises to ~1,800 kcal, and the deficit becomes much easier to tolerate.

Table: Calorie needs for weight loss by profile

These numbers are averages. Your individual TDEE can vary by ±200 kcal — which is exactly why a personal calculation matters.

Step 3: Reality check after 2–3 weeks

TDEE is an estimate — not a law of nature. What really counts is the change on the scale:

• Weight loss of 0.5–1%/week → perfect, keep going
• Weight loss < 0.25%/week → increase the deficit by 100–150 kcal
• Weight loss > 1.5%/week → shrink the deficit by 100–150 kcal (protect your muscle!)
• Stalled > 3 weeks → honestly reassess your activity, weigh your portions

Tip: Weigh yourself in the morning after using the bathroom, without clothes, every day. Then take the weekly average. Daily readings swing by ±2 kg from water, salt, and stool weight — that tells you nothing. Only the 7-day trend is meaningful.

What you absolutely need to avoid

Mistake 1: Eating below your BMR

Eating less than your basal metabolic rate (BMR) over the long term puts you at risk of:

• Hormonal problems (thyroid, estrogen, testosterone)
• Loss of muscle mass
• Fatigue, poor concentration, low mood

The lower safety limit is roughly 1,200 kcal for women and 1,500 kcal for men — and even then only short term.

Mistake 2: "Zero-carb" or crash diets

Severely unbalanced diets work great for the first 2 weeks (lots of water flushes out), but they almost always lead to bouts of intense cravings and weight regain. Studies show that 80% of crash diets end with a higher weight than before they started.

Mistake 3: Double-counting exercise calories

If you use the activity factor of 1.55 (moderately active), you've already accounted for exercise. So if you then think you "get to eat an extra 300 calories because I burned them" — you're counting twice. Smartwatches typically overestimate calorie burn by 30–50%.

Mistake 4: Ignoring liquid calories

Juices, smoothies, fancy coffees, alcohol — these often add up to 300–600 kcal/day that slip by unnoticed. A latte macchiato with syrup has 250 kcal. A glass of wine, 150 kcal. This is often the gap between "in a deficit on paper" and "stuck on the scale."

Where to go from here

Once you know your calorie needs, the next steps are:

1. Distribute your macros — protein first, then fat and carbs based on preference
2. Move more — more steps means more wiggle room with food
3. Strength training — protects muscle mass during a deficit, so you actually lose fat

Go to the Macro Calculator →
Go to the TDEE Calculator →
How Fast Can You Lose Weight? →
Calorie Deficit Chart →
Lose Weight Without Hunger →

Sources

• Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals (1990)
• Hall KD et al. Energy balance and its components: implications for body weight regulation (2012)
• Deutsche Gesellschaft für Ernährung (DGE) – Referenzwerte Energie
• Hall KD et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight (2011)