How Many Calories Should You Eat to Lose Weight?
The amount of calories you need to eat in a day to lose weight depends on your Total Daily Calorie Needs and how much of a calorie deficit you want to create.
You want to eat fewer calories than you burn in a day. This way, your body burns energy from your fat stores.
Use this Calorie Deficit calculator to figure out how many calories to eat in a day.
Calorie Deficit Calculator
Activity Level
X CloseChoose an activity level that best suits your lifestyle. Your activity level will help to estimate the approximate number of calories you need in a day. However, you do not need to use that number and can set your own calorie goal by going to the Preferences page after you finish going through Set Up.
If you are not sure which level to choose, then choose 'Sedentary'.
| Sedentary | Little or no exercise, desk job |
| Lightly Active | Light exercise, sports 1-3 days per week |
| Moderately Active | Moderate exercise, sports 3-5 days per week |
| Very Active | Hard exercise, sports 6-7 days per week |
| Extremely Active | Hard daily exercise or sports and physical job or twice daily training, i.e marathon, contest, etc. |
1500 cals
Your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the estimated minimum level of energy required to sustain the body's vital functions when at rest.
1500 cals
Your Total Daily Calorie Needs is the estimated total number of calories you need to maintain your current weight based on your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) and your level of activity.
1200 cals
Your Calculated Calorie Deficit is the number of calories you need to eat in a day to lose weight according to your setted target.
Gender: female Age: 39 Height: 5ft 3in Weight: 8st 9lb
Why Count Calories to Lose Weight
To put it very simply, you need to create a “calorie deficit” to lose weight. What that means is, you want to eat less calories than your body burns in a day. For example, if your body burns 1800 calories a day but you eat only 1600 calories a day, you create a calorie deficit of 200 calories a day and you’ll lose weight. If your body burns 2100 calories a day and you eat 2400 calories a day, you’re creating a calorie surplus of 300 calories, and you’ll end up gaining weight over time.
What is Calorie Deficit
A calorie deficit is the number of calories you need to eat in a day to lose weight compared to the calories to maintain your weight. You create a calorie deficit by either eating less calories, burning more calories (through exercise) or a combination of the two. When you create a calorie deficit, your body will dig into your fat stores for the extra energy it needs. When you burn up your fat stores, you lose weight.
How to use the Calculator
Use this Calorie Deficit Calculator, you can figure out your Basal Metabolic Rate, your Total Daily Calorie Needs and how many calories you should be eating to create a calorie deficit. The calculator will give you a few choices for a calorie deficit. If you’re not sure which calorie deficit to choose, go for the 20% calorie deficit. It’s moderate enough to show results, but not so aggressive you’ll be gnawing on wood out of hunger. Bear in mind, the results are estimates but it should give you a good starting point.
Note
The recommended Maximum Deficits (The Calorie Floor) is 1200 calories for women and 1800 calories for men per day. Too few calories can make you ravenously hungry and reduce your metabolism and muscle mass.