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Goal planners

Weight loss calculator

A plain-English weight-loss plan: daily calorie target, macros, and a week-by-week projection.

Your stats

Daily calorie target
2,154kcal / day

−750 kcal vs your TDEE of 2,904.

Weekly rate
1.50lb/wk
% bodyweight
0.80% / wk
End weight (12 wk)
182.0lb

Macros

  • Protein
    200g
    37% · 800 kcal
  • Carbs
    193g
    36% · 774 kcal
  • Fat
    64g
    27% · 580 kcal

Weekly projection

WeekProjected weight (lb)
1198.5
4194.0
8188.0
12182.0

How weight loss actually works

Your body burns a certain number of calories each day to stay alive and to do whatever you do. Eat less than that and the difference comes from stored energy — mostly fat, with some water and a little muscle. That is the whole mechanism. Everything else — keto, low-fat, fasting, fancy meal timing — is just a way of getting to a calorie deficit that you find easy to live with.

The single biggest predictor of long-term success is whether the way you eat is sustainable. A modest deficit that you can hold for six months will out-perform a punishing one that you quit after three weeks every time.

How the calculator works

TDEE          = Mifflin–St Jeor BMR × activity multiplier
weekly loss   = bodyweight × pace %
daily deficit = weekly loss × 3,500 / 7
target kcal   = TDEE − daily deficit (minimum 1,200)

This is the same engine as the cutting calculator, with copy aimed at a general audience rather than at lifters specifically. If you train regularly, the cutting calculator uses identical math with a slightly different framing.

Frequently asked questions

How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Enough below what you burn to make progress, but not so far below that you can't stick with it. For most adults that means a daily deficit of 400–700 calories, leading to about half a kilogram (one pound) of fat loss per week. This calculator works out the number from your stats and your chosen pace.
Is one pound per week realistic?
Yes — and for most people it is the sweet spot. Slower than half a pound per week feels invisible; faster than two pounds per week is usually unsustainable for long. The biggest predictor of success is being able to keep going for three to six months, not how fast the early weeks go.
Do I need to count calories forever?
Probably not. Most people benefit from tracking for the first 4–8 weeks until portion sizes and macro splits become intuitive, then loosening up. The goal is to build a default way of eating that lands you near your target without a spreadsheet.
What about exercise?
Helpful, but not the main lever. Most weight loss comes from the food side. Movement helps in two ways: it adds to your daily burn, and resistance training preserves muscle as you lose weight. Walking 8–10k steps a day plus two or three short strength sessions per week is a good baseline.
Why does the calculator suggest a protein target so high?
Because in a calorie deficit, protein is what protects muscle and keeps you full. Hitting at least 0.8 g per pound of bodyweight reliably reduces muscle loss and tends to make the diet feel easier.

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