How Many Calories Should You Eat to Lose Weight?

To lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than your body burns. The size of that gap — your calorie deficit — determines how fast you lose. Here's how to find your number.

Step 1: Find your maintenance calories (TDEE)

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the calories you burn in a normal day. It's your resting metabolism (BMR) multiplied by an activity factor. Our free calorie calculator estimates it from your age, sex, height, weight, and activity level.

Step 2: Subtract a deficit

A deficit of about 500 calories per day produces roughly one pound of fat loss per week — a sustainable, widely recommended pace. A 250-calorie deficit yields about half a pound per week and is even easier to maintain.

Step 3: Don't go too low

Dropping below about 1,200 calories per day for women or 1,500 for men is hard to sustain and can backfire. Slow and steady wins. Once you have your number, the daily challenge is hitting it — which is exactly what effortless photo logging is designed to make possible.