TempoLife › Calculators › Calorie Deficit Calculator
Calorie Deficit Calculator
To lose weight you eat fewer calories than you burn. Enter your details and a target pace to see your daily calorie goal and how long it will take.
Free · no signup · updated August 2026
Don’t just calculate it — track it
A number is a starting point. TempoLife takes your target and shows your real day against it — food logged by photo, barcode or search, plus weight, steps and fasting in one place. Free to start.
How a calorie deficit works
You lose weight when you eat fewer calories than you burn — a deficit. Because roughly 7,700 calories equals 1 kg of body fat (about 3,500 per pound), a steady daily gap adds up to a predictable weekly loss:
| Weekly loss | Daily deficit |
|---|---|
| 0.25 kg (0.5 lb) | ≈ 275 kcal |
| 0.5 kg (1 lb) | ≈ 550 kcal |
| 0.75 kg (1.5 lb) | ≈ 825 kcal |
| 1 kg (2 lb) | ≈ 1,100 kcal |
Faster is not better: aggressive deficits are hard to sustain and can cost muscle, so this tool holds your target at a floor of about 1,500 calories for men and 1,200 for women and warns you if a pace would push below it. As you lose weight your TDEE falls, so recalculate every few kilograms — and pair the deficit with enough protein using the macro calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How big should a calorie deficit be?
A deficit of about 500 calories a day loses roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) a week and is sustainable for most people. Larger deficits lose faster but are harder to hold and can cost muscle. This tool caps the target at a sensible floor and warns if a pace goes too low.
How many calories to lose 1 kg or 1 lb?
Roughly 7,700 calories equals 1 kg of body fat, and about 3,500 calories equals 1 lb. Spread over a week, losing 0.5 kg needs about a 550-calorie daily deficit; losing 1 lb needs about 500.
What is the lowest safe calorie intake?
As a general guide, adults should not drop below about 1,500 calories a day for men or 1,200 for women without medical supervision. If your pace pushes below that, this calculator holds you at the floor and flags it.
Why has my weight loss stalled?
As you lose weight your TDEE falls, so an old deficit becomes maintenance. Recalculate every few kilograms, and log intake honestly — unrecorded bites are the usual culprit. Tracking in an app makes the drift obvious.
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Estimates for general information only, not medical advice. BMR/TDEE use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation; individual needs vary.
