Updated · Built and checked by the PlinzoTools team, formulas tested against published sources
Calculate a target daily calorie intake for a safe, sustainable weight-loss rate.
2000 kcal/day
This tool converts a weekly weight-loss goal into a daily calorie target, using the standard energy-balance approximation that one pound of body weight is roughly equivalent to 3,500 kilocalories.
Enter your maintenance calories (TDEE -- use the TDEE Calculator if you don't know it), your target weekly weight loss in pounds, and your sex. Your target daily calories appear instantly.
Daily Deficit = (Weekly Loss (lb) × 3,500) / 7
Target Calories = TDEE - Daily Deficit
The result is floored at a widely cited safe minimum (1,500 kcal/day for men, 1,200 for women) rather than allowing an aggressive goal to produce an unsafe number.
A moderate deficit (0.5-1 lb/week) is generally more sustainable than an aggressive one. This tool floors calories at a commonly cited safe minimum, but consult a healthcare provider before starting any significant calorie restriction, especially below that floor.
Start with the default inputs: a hypothetical maintenance of 2,500 kcal per day and a goal of losing 1 lb per week. The weekly energy gap is 1 times 3,500, or 3,500 kcal, and dividing by 7 gives a daily deficit of 500 kcal. The target is 2,500 minus 500, or 2,000 kcal per day. A goal of 0.5 lb per week halves the gap to 250 kcal per day and gives a target of 2,250.
Now a case where the safety floor matters. Imagine a hypothetical woman with a maintenance of 1,800 kcal who enters a goal of 2 lb per week. The deficit would be 1,000 kcal per day, giving 800, which is below the 1,200 floor for women. The tool then shows 1,200 and labels the result as capped at the safe minimum. Her real deficit at that target is only 600 kcal per day, so the pace she would actually achieve is closer to 1.2 lb per week by this approximation, not the 2 lb she typed. Whenever you see the capped label, the tool is telling you the goal is faster than its limits allow.
Target = the larger of (TDEE - weekly loss x 3,500 / 7) and the floor (1,500 for men, 1,200 for women)
The 3,500 kcal per pound rule is a simplification. Real weight change is uneven: water, food volume, hormonal cycles and glycogen can hide fat loss for a week or two, and as you lose weight your maintenance figure falls, which shrinks your real deficit unless you adjust. Recalculate maintenance every few weeks or after a meaningful change in weight. Judge progress with weekly averages rather than day-to-day readings.
A deficit that is too large can affect energy, training, mood and nutrient intake. People who are pregnant or breastfeeding, have diabetes or another medical condition, take medications, are under 18, or have a history of disordered eating should not use a calculator like this to set intake, and should speak to a doctor or registered dietitian first. This tool is educational only.
Eating too little for too long can slow metabolism, cause muscle loss, and create nutrient deficiencies -- the floor reflects widely cited safe minimums, not a guarantee of safety for every individual.
0.5-1 lb/week is a commonly recommended sustainable range; faster loss increases the risk of muscle loss and rebound weight gain.
It's a widely used approximation, not an exact biological constant -- real-world results vary by individual metabolism, water retention, and other factors, so treat the estimate as a starting point.
It means your goal would have put the target below the safe minimum, so the tool raised it to 1,500 for men or 1,200 for women. Your actual deficit is smaller than the goal you entered.
No. It only uses maintenance calories, your weekly loss goal and the sex selection for the floor.
Every few weeks, or after a meaningful weight change, because maintenance calories drop as you get lighter.
The deficit is zero and the result equals your maintenance calories, unless that is below the safety floor, in which case the floor is shown.
Reference: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention