Ideal Calorie Deficit Calculator
Estimate a daily calorie deficit and target calorie intake from your maintenance calories and preferred weekly weight-loss pace. Informational only, not medical advice.
This tool uses a simple energy-balance estimate. Real-world outcomes vary and individual needs can differ substantially.
Privacy: runs locally in your browser. No values are stored or transmitted.
How it works
This calculator converts a target weekly loss into an estimated weekly calorie deficit, then divides by 7 to estimate a daily deficit.
Estimated daily calorie target = maintenance calories − daily deficit.
Examples
- 2,200 kcal/day maintenance and 0.5 kg/week → about 550 kcal/day deficit
- 2,400 kcal/day maintenance and 1 lb/week → about 500 kcal/day deficit
- Useful as a planning estimate, not a guarantee
FAQ
- What does this calculator estimate?
It estimates a daily calorie deficit and an estimated calorie target based on maintenance calories and a chosen weekly weight-loss pace.
- How is the calorie deficit calculated?
A common rule-of-thumb is that about 7,700 kcal corresponds to 1 kg of body weight, or about 3,500 kcal per pound.
- Is this a medical recommendation?
No. This is an informational estimate only. Appropriate calorie targets vary by person and context.
- Can I use pounds or kilograms?
Yes. You can choose kg/week or lb/week as your target rate.
- Are my values stored?
No. All calculations run locally in your browser and are not stored or transmitted.