# How many calories should you eat to lose weight?

By Ryan Bulcher, CalTrak developer. Updated November 3, 2026.

Source: https://caltrak.app/guides/how-many-calories-to-lose-weight

To lose weight you eat fewer calories than you burn. The real questions are how much you burn, how big a gap makes sense, and how to tell if your number is right.

## 1. Estimate your maintenance calories

Maintenance, or TDEE, is what you burn on a normal day. It's estimated in two parts. First your resting burn (BMR), from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation using your weight, height, age and sex. Then an activity multiplier, from 1.2 for a desk job with little exercise up to 1.9 for a physical job plus training.

The [calorie calculator](https://caltrak.app/calorie-calculator) does both for you.

## 2. Pick a pace

A pound of body weight is roughly 3,500 calories, which gives you a simple rule of thumb:

| Pace | Daily deficit | Good for |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 0.5 lb (0.23 kg) a week | About 250 calories | Getting close to your goal, or smaller people |
| 1 lb (0.45 kg) a week | About 500 calories | A pace most people can stick with |
| 1.5 to 2 lb (0.7 to 0.9 kg) a week | About 750 to 1,000 calories | More weight to lose, for a limited time |

Faster isn't always better. Bigger deficits are harder to stick to, make you hungrier and make it harder to keep muscle. A common guideline is to lose no more than about 1% of your body weight a week.

## 3. Don't go too low

Very low calorie diets should be done with a doctor. CalTrak and the calculator won't set a target under 1,200 calories a day for women or 1,500 for men. If your pace would need less, they keep the minimum and show you the slower pace it supports.

## 4. Get enough protein

Protein helps you keep muscle and stay full while you're eating less. For weight loss, CalTrak sets protein at about 1.4 to 1.6 g per kg of body weight (roughly 0.64 to 0.73 g per pound), capped at 30% of your calories. Carbs and fat make up the rest.

## Worked examples

**Example 1.** A 35-year-old woman, 5'6" (168 cm), 180 lb (82 kg), moderately active, who wants to lose 1 lb a week.

- BMR is about 1,528 calories, so maintenance is about 1,528 × 1.55 = 2,369 calories.
- Her target is about 2,369 minus 500, so **around 1,870 calories a day**.

**Example 2.** If the same woman picks 2 lb a week, she'd need about 1,370 calories. That's still above her 1,200 minimum, so it's allowed, but it's an aggressive pace that's best kept short.

## 5. Adjust based on what actually happens

The formula gets you close. Your scale tells you the rest. Weigh in several mornings a week and watch the two to three week trend instead of any one day.

- Losing faster than planned and feeling wiped out? Add 100 to 200 calories.
- Not losing after three weeks of consistent logging? Check portions and drinks first, then drop the target 100 to 200 calories.
- As you lose weight your maintenance goes down too, so recalculate every 10 to 15 lb.

## What about exercise calories?

The activity multiplier already assumes your usual exercise, so adding workout calories on top can count them twice. CalTrak's Calorie Burn Bonus avoids that. With Apple Health or Health Connect connected, it only adds activity above your normal maintenance burn. [See how that works](https://caltrak.app/guides/apple-health-calorie-tracking).

**Not medical advice.** If you're pregnant or breastfeeding, under 18, have a medical condition, take medication that affects weight or appetite, or have a history of disordered eating, get a target from a doctor or registered dietitian.

## Questions people ask

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

About 500 calories a day under your maintenance. Use a calculator to estimate maintenance, then adjust after a few weeks based on your weight trend.

**Is 1,200 calories a day enough?**

1,200 is a common minimum for women without medical supervision, and 1,500 for men. Plenty of people lose weight eating more than that, so check your own maintenance first.

**Why did my weight loss stall?**

Usually portions creeping up, drinks or snacks that didn't get logged, water retention, or a lower maintenance now that you weigh less. Look over a week of logging, then adjust 100 to 200 calories if you need to.

## Get CalTrak

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