How many calories should I eat to lose weight?

If you've typed "how many calories should I eat to lose weight" into a search bar, you don't want a lecture — you want a number you can act on today. Here it is, plus how to make it your number rather than a generic one off the internet, and how to adjust it when the scale stops moving. No crash diets, no maths degree required.

The short answer

To lose weight you need to eat fewer calories than you burn — that's the whole game (we explain exactly why in calorie deficit explained). The practical version is two steps:

1. Find your maintenance calories — the amount that keeps your weight steady. This is your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure).
2. Eat about 300-500 kcal a day below it — for most people that works out around a 15-20% deficit (smaller, lighter people sit at the lower kcal end).

That shortfall loses around 0.5-1 kg (1-2 lb) a week, which is the rate the NHS recommends and the rate that protects the most muscle. As a very broad starting point, the NHS 12-week weight loss plan sets a daily limit of 1,900 kcal for men and 1,400 for women — but those are defaults for an "average" body, so let's get yours.

Step 1 — estimate your maintenance (TDEE)

Your maintenance depends on your size, age, sex and how much you move — which is why a 1.9 m active man and a 1.55 m desk-based woman need wildly different numbers. Start with the TDEE calculator to get your maintenance, then set your fat-loss target below.

The calculator already subtracts a sensible deficit for you. If you'd rather do it by hand, take your maintenance and knock off 15-20%.

Step 2 — pick a sensible deficit

Bigger is not faster in any way that lasts. Match the deficit to how much you've got to lose:

• More body fat to lose: you can sit nearer the top of the range (around 500 kcal, ~1%/week of bodyweight).
• Already fairly lean: go gentler — closer to a 300 kcal deficit, ~0.5%/week — to protect hard-won muscle. (The ISSN position stand notes slower loss preserves lean mass better in leaner people.)
• Mind the floor: a common practical floor is roughly 1,200 kcal for women and 1,500 for men; the NHS specifically warns that very-low-calorie diets under 800 kcal a day should only be followed under medical supervision.

Two non-negotiables make the deficit work for fat loss rather than against you:

• Keep protein high (around 1.6-2.2 g per kg of bodyweight) to hold onto muscle — see how much protein to build muscle.
• Lift weights or train. A deficit tells your body to lose tissue; resistance training tells it to keep the muscle and burn the fat. More on the full picture in how to lose fat.

Step 3 — build it into real meals

A target you can't hit is useless. Turn your number into 3-4 repeatable, protein-led meals using our how to build a meal plan guide, and lean on high-protein foods to stay full on fewer calories. The plan you actually enjoy beats the "perfect" plan you quit in a fortnight.

Step 4 — adjust from your real trend

Here's what generic calculators never tell you: your number changes as you lose weight. A lighter body burns fewer calories, so the deficit that worked in week one quietly becomes maintenance by week eight. So:

• Weigh in consistently and judge progress on the 2-3 week trend, not the daily scale (which swings with water, salt and food).
• If the trend has been flat for 2-3 weeks, take another 100-150 kcal off — or add steps — and reassess.
• Want the maths on timing? The weight-loss timeline calculator projects how long your goal will take at your chosen rate.

If you're a woman wondering whether any of this works differently for you, the short answer is no — the principles are identical — but we cover the nuances (cycle, training, mindset) in weight loss for women.

If you have a health condition, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are unsure where to start, speak to your GP before making big changes to your diet.

That's the entire method in four steps: estimate, deficit, build, adjust. The catch is the adjusting — most people set a number once, never recalibrate, and stall. That constant recalibration is exactly what the Method automates: we set your starting calories from your real data, then move them week by week from your actual trend, so you keep losing without guessing or white-knuckling it. If you'd rather have your number set, protected and adjusted for you — by a coach, around your life — our fat-loss programme is built for precisely this.