Plan your calorie deficit for safe, sustainable weight loss. Get personalized targets with macro breakdowns and timeline estimates.
Weight loss fundamentally comes down to energy balance. When you consistently consume fewer calories than your body burns, it must draw on stored energy — primarily body fat — to make up the difference. One kilogram of body fat contains approximately 7,700 calories, so a daily deficit of 550 calories leads to roughly 0.5 kg of fat loss per week.
Best for those close to goal weight. Minimal muscle loss, easy to maintain.
Gold standard for most people. 0.5 kg/week loss with good adherence.
For those with significant weight to lose. Requires careful macro tracking.
Only under medical supervision. High risk of muscle loss and metabolic adaptation.
A calorie deficit occurs when you consume fewer calories than your body burns. This forces your body to use stored energy (fat) for fuel, resulting in weight loss.
A deficit of 500 calories/day (leading to ~0.5 kg/week loss) is generally recommended for sustainable weight loss. Larger deficits can lead to muscle loss, metabolic slowdown, and nutrient deficiencies.
Eating below your BMR can trigger metabolic adaptation, where your body slows its metabolism to conserve energy. This makes future weight loss harder and can cause hormonal disruptions, muscle loss, and fatigue.
Healthy weight loss is 0.5-1 kg per week. To lose 10 kg, expect 10-20 weeks. Faster rates are possible but increase the risk of muscle loss and metabolic slowdown.
Partially. If your TDEE already accounts for exercise via activity level, you don't need to eat back exercise calories. If you do additional unplanned exercise, eating back 50-75% of those calories helps prevent excessive deficit.