---
title: Calorie Deficit Calculator: Daily Calories and Goal Date
url: https://progresslens.app/tools/calorie-deficit-calculator/
language: en
updated: 2026-11-13
---

# Calorie deficit calculator

Enter your goal weight and pace to see how much to eat each day, your deficit, and roughly when you’ll get there.

Short answer

To lose 0.5–1% of your bodyweight a week, eat about 500–1,000 kcal below your TDEE (roughly 7,700 kcal per kg of fat). Enter your goal weight above to see your daily calories, the weeks it takes and the month you’ll get there.

Calculated in your browser. Nothing you enter is sent anywhere.

## How big should a deficit be?

Losing about 0.5–1% of your bodyweight a week is a common evidence-based range. Faster than that and more of what you lose tends to be muscle, and hunger makes it hard to keep going. Each kilogram of body fat is roughly 7,700 kcal, so 0.5 kg a week needs a deficit of about 550 kcal a day.

## Why the scale lies in week two

Water and food in your gut swing your weight by 1–2 kg day to day. Watch the weekly average, your waist measurement and matched photos. When the scale stalls but your waist keeps shrinking, the deficit is working. Read [losing inches but not weight](https://progresslens.app/guides/losing-inches-but-not-weight/).

## See how far you’ve come.

Take a check-in, tap AI Analyze and get your Progress Report: body-fat range, what changed, fat or muscle, and whether to cut or bulk. On iPhone, iPad and Android, with no account. Your photos stay on your phone.

FAQ

## Frequently asked questions

**How many calories should I eat to lose 1 kg a week?**

That needs a deficit of about 1,100 kcal a day, which is only sensible for people with a lot to lose. For most people 0.5–0.75 kg a week is more sustainable.

**Is a 500 calorie deficit enough?**

Yes, for most people: about 0.45 kg (1 lb) a week. It’s a good default.

**Why have I stopped losing weight?**

Your TDEE drops as you get lighter, and tracking tends to drift. Recalculate every month, and check your waist and photos before cutting more.

**What’s the lowest I should eat?**

Without medical supervision, many guidelines suggest not going below about 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men). The calculator stops there.

## More free tools

[Body fat estimatorYour look plus a tape measure, no upload.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/body-fat-estimator/)[Bulk or cut calculatorCut, lean bulk or recomp, with a weekly rate.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/bulk-or-cut-calculator/)[TDEE calculatorMaintenance calories, and to cut or bulk.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/tdee-calculator/)[Macro calculatorProtein, carbs and fat for your goal.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/macro-calculator/)[GLP-1 weight loss calculatorOzempic and Mounjaro trial averages for you.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/glp-1-weight-loss-calculator/)[Protein calculatorGrams a day for muscle, fat loss or GLP-1.Open →](https://progresslens.app/tools/protein-calculator/)

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ProgressLens is an AI progress photo app for iPhone, iPad and Android that turns your check-in photos and tape measurements into a Progress Report: your body-fat range, what changed, whether you are losing fat or muscle, and whether to cut, lean bulk, recomp or maintain.
App Store: https://apps.apple.com/app/progresslens/id6806300575
Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=app.progresslens