Guides › How many calories should you eat to lose weight?
How many calories should you eat to lose weight?
The short answer
Eat below your maintenance calories. Find maintenance with the calorie calculator, then subtract a deficit — about 500 calories a day for roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week.
A worked example
Say your maintenance is 2,300 calories. A 500-calorie deficit puts you at 1,800/day for about 0.5 kg/week. Want it faster? The deficit calculator maps any goal weight and pace to a daily number and timeline.
How big should the deficit be?
A loss of 0.25–1 kg per week is the sustainable range. Bigger deficits lose more muscle and are harder to stick to. As a floor, most people shouldn't drop below ~1,200–1,500 calories a day without professional guidance.
Protein and fiber make a deficit easier
Hunger is what derails diets. Prioritise high-protein foods and high-fiber foods — they're filling for their calories, so the same budget feels like more food.
Track, then adjust
Your calculated number is a starting estimate. Log your food, weigh in weekly, and if the scale stalls for 2–3 weeks, lower intake slightly or move more.
Log it in one tap
Make it effortless — Snap a photo and Nourish's AI logs the calories and macros for you.
FAQ
Why am I not losing weight in a deficit?
Usually it's under-logging (bites, oils, drinks add up) or a deficit that's smaller than you think. Tighten your tracking for two weeks and judge the trend.
Is 1,200 calories enough?
It's a common floor for smaller women, but many people need more. Use your own calculated maintenance rather than a one-size number, and don't go very low without guidance.
Should I do cardio too?
Movement raises the calories you burn, making the deficit easier — but you can't out-train a diet. Food is the bigger lever for weight loss.