I Want to Lose Weight but Don't Know How Many Calories to Eat

The single most important number in weight loss is the one most people never calculate: how many calories your body actually burns in a day. Without this number, every diet is a guess. With it, weight loss becomes math — predictable, controllable, and far less stressful than you think.

This guide walks you through the entire process. No science degree required. By the end, you will know your number, understand how to create a safe deficit, and have a ready-to-use meal plan that fits your calorie target.

What Is TDEE and Why Does It Matter for Weight Loss?

TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure. It is the total number of calories your body burns in a full day, including everything — breathing, digesting food, walking, exercising, even fidgeting.

To lose weight, you need to eat fewer calories than your TDEE. This is called a calorie deficit. It is the only mechanism that causes fat loss, regardless of what diet you follow. Keto, paleo, intermittent fasting, Mediterranean — they all work when they create a deficit. They all fail when they do not.

A landmark review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition analyzed 20+ popular diets and concluded that total calorie intake, not macronutrient composition, was the primary driver of weight loss.

How Do I Calculate My TDEE Step by Step?

Your TDEE is calculated in two steps.

Step 1: Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). This is how many calories your body burns at rest — just keeping you alive.

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is the most widely used and validated formula:

• Men: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) + 5
• Women: BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) - (5 x age) - 161

Step 2: Multiply by your activity level.

Activity Level	Description	Multiplier
Sedentary	Desk job, little to no exercise	BMR x 1.2
Lightly active	Light exercise 1-3 days per week	BMR x 1.375
Moderately active	Moderate exercise 3-5 days per week	BMR x 1.55
Very active	Hard exercise 6-7 days per week	BMR x 1.725
Extremely active	Physical job + daily intense exercise	BMR x 1.9

Example Calculations

Example 1: Sarah, 35-year-old woman, 75 kg (165 lbs), 165 cm (5'5"), lightly active.

• BMR = (10 x 75) + (6.25 x 165) - (5 x 35) - 161 = 750 + 1031 - 175 - 161 = 1,445
• TDEE = 1,445 x 1.375 = 1,987 calories per day

Example 2: Mike, 28-year-old man, 90 kg (198 lbs), 180 cm (5'11"), moderately active.

• BMR = (10 x 90) + (6.25 x 180) - (5 x 28) + 5 = 900 + 1125 - 140 + 5 = 1,890
• TDEE = 1,890 x 1.55 = 2,930 calories per day

Example 3: Lisa, 42-year-old woman, 95 kg (209 lbs), 170 cm (5'7"), sedentary.

• BMR = (10 x 95) + (6.25 x 170) - (5 x 42) - 161 = 950 + 1063 - 210 - 161 = 1,642
• TDEE = 1,642 x 1.2 = 1,970 calories per day

What Is a TDEE Reference Table by Body Size?

Here is a quick reference table so you can estimate your TDEE without doing the math yourself. These are approximations for moderately active individuals.

Women (Moderately Active)

Weight	Height	Age 25	Age 35	Age 45
55 kg (121 lbs)	160 cm (5'3")	1,870	1,790	1,710
65 kg (143 lbs)	165 cm (5'5")	2,050	1,970	1,890
75 kg (165 lbs)	165 cm (5'5")	2,200	2,120	2,040
85 kg (187 lbs)	170 cm (5'7")	2,370	2,290	2,210
95 kg (209 lbs)	170 cm (5'7")	2,530	2,450	2,370

Men (Moderately Active)

Weight	Height	Age 25	Age 35	Age 45
70 kg (154 lbs)	175 cm (5'9")	2,530	2,450	2,370
80 kg (176 lbs)	178 cm (5'10")	2,710	2,630	2,550
90 kg (198 lbs)	180 cm (5'11")	2,880	2,800	2,720
100 kg (220 lbs)	183 cm (6'0")	3,060	2,980	2,900
110 kg (243 lbs)	185 cm (6'1")	3,230	3,150	3,070

Nutrola calculates your personalized TDEE during onboarding and adjusts it as your weight changes. You do not need to recalculate manually — the app updates your target automatically.

How Big Should My Calorie Deficit Be?

This is where most people go wrong. They cut too aggressively, feel terrible, and quit within two weeks.

Research published in Obesity Reviews found that moderate deficits (300-500 calories per day) produced nearly the same long-term fat loss as aggressive deficits (700-1,000 calories per day), but with significantly better adherence, less muscle loss, and fewer metabolic adaptations.

Deficit Size	Daily Deficit	Expected Weekly Loss	Sustainability
Conservative	300 cal/day	~0.6 lbs (0.27 kg)	Very high — barely noticeable day to day
Moderate	500 cal/day	~1 lb (0.45 kg)	High — the sweet spot for most people
Aggressive	750 cal/day	~1.5 lbs (0.68 kg)	Moderate — works short-term, harder to maintain
Very aggressive	1,000 cal/day	~2 lbs (0.9 kg)	Low — risk of muscle loss, fatigue, and bingeing

The recommendation for beginners: start with a 400-500 calorie deficit. This means if your TDEE is 2,000, eat 1,500-1,600 calories per day. You will lose roughly 1 pound per week, which adds up to 50+ pounds in a year.

Important Safety Minimums

• Women should generally not eat below 1,200 calories per day without medical supervision.
• Men should generally not eat below 1,500 calories per day without medical supervision.

If a 500-calorie deficit puts you below these numbers, use a smaller deficit and be patient.

Just Tell Me What to Eat: Meal Plans at 1,400, 1,700, and 2,000 Calories

1,400 Calorie Meal Plan

Best for: smaller women with a sedentary lifestyle and a moderate deficit.

Meal	What to Eat	Calories	Protein
Breakfast	2 scrambled eggs with spinach, 1 slice whole wheat toast	300	22g
Lunch	Large chicken salad with mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, 1 tbsp olive oil dressing	380	35g
Snack	Greek yogurt (150g) with 5 strawberries	140	15g
Dinner	Grilled white fish (150g), roasted zucchini and peppers, 1/2 cup brown rice	400	32g
Snack	10 almonds	70	3g
Total		1,290-1,400	107g

1,700 Calorie Meal Plan

Best for: most women and smaller men with a moderate deficit.

Meal	What to Eat	Calories	Protein
Breakfast	Overnight oats (50g oats, 200ml milk, 1 tbsp chia seeds, banana)	400	15g
Lunch	Turkey wrap (whole wheat tortilla, 120g turkey, avocado, lettuce, tomato)	430	30g
Snack	Apple with 1.5 tbsp peanut butter	230	6g
Dinner	Chicken breast (150g), sweet potato (150g), steamed broccoli (1 cup)	460	40g
Snack	Cottage cheese (100g) with cucumber slices	90	11g
Total		1,610-1,700	102g

2,000 Calorie Meal Plan

Best for: most men and active women with a moderate deficit.

Meal	What to Eat	Calories	Protein
Breakfast	3-egg omelet with mushrooms, peppers, and feta, 2 slices whole wheat toast	480	30g
Lunch	Chicken and quinoa bowl with roasted vegetables, hummus, and lemon dressing	530	38g
Snack	Protein smoothie (protein powder, banana, almond milk, 1 tbsp peanut butter)	340	28g
Dinner	Lean beef stir fry (150g) with broccoli, snap peas, soy sauce, over brown rice	520	35g
Snack	Greek yogurt (150g) with a handful of walnuts	200	14g
Total		2,070	145g

These are templates. Swap proteins, vegetables, and grains as you like — the key is hitting your calorie target consistently.

Will I Be Hungry on a Calorie Deficit?

Some mild hunger is normal in the first 3-5 days. After that, your body adjusts. A study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that perceived hunger decreased significantly after the first week of a moderate calorie deficit.

Here are strategies that help:

Eat high-volume, low-calorie foods. A massive salad with grilled chicken is 400 calories and fills your stomach. A granola bar is 250 calories and barely registers.

Prioritize protein. Research in the Journal of Nutrition showed that protein is the most satiating macronutrient. Aim for 25-30g of protein per meal.

Drink water before meals. A study in Obesity found that drinking 500ml of water 30 minutes before meals reduced calorie intake by 75-90 calories per meal.

Do not skip meals. Saving calories for later usually backfires. You get too hungry and overeat at night.

Is a Calorie Deficit Safe?

Yes, when done correctly. A moderate deficit of 300-500 calories per day is well within the safe range for most healthy adults. Major health organizations including the National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization support moderate calorie restriction for weight management.

However, you should consult a healthcare provider before starting a deficit if you:

• Have diabetes or blood sugar regulation issues
• Are pregnant or breastfeeding
• Have a history of eating disorders
• Take medications that affect metabolism
• Are under 18

What If I Go Over My Calories One Day?

Nothing bad happens. One day over your target does not erase your progress.

Think about it mathematically. If your deficit is 500 calories per day and you go 500 calories over on Saturday, you still have a total weekly deficit of 2,500 calories (6 days x 500 = 3,000 minus the 500 overage). That is still roughly 0.7 lbs of fat loss that week.

The worst thing you can do is "punish" yourself the next day by eating extremely little. This creates a restrict-binge cycle. Instead, just return to your normal target the next day.

Nutrola shows your weekly calorie average, not just daily totals. This means you can see the bigger picture. One high day surrounded by six on-target days still shows a successful week.

How Do I Track Calories Without It Taking Over My Life?

This is a valid concern. Calorie tracking should take minutes per day, not hours. The right tools make this possible.

Nutrola is designed for speed. The photo AI lets you snap a picture of your plate and get an instant calorie estimate. Voice logging lets you say "I had two eggs and toast for breakfast" and the app logs it. The barcode scanner handles packaged foods in one scan. And the recipe import feature pulls nutritional data from social media recipes, so you do not need to enter ingredients one by one.

The 100% nutritionist-verified database means you do not waste time comparing five different entries for "chicken breast" trying to figure out which one is accurate.

At just €2.50 per month with no ads interrupting your logging flow, Nutrola removes the friction that makes people quit tracking.

How Long Until I See Results?

With a 500-calorie daily deficit, expect to lose about 1 pound (0.45 kg) per week. Here is a realistic timeline:

Timeframe	Expected Loss	What You Will Notice
Week 1-2	2-5 lbs	Mostly water weight — clothes may feel slightly looser
Week 3-4	3-4 lbs total fat loss	You start to feel the difference, even if others do not see it yet
Month 2	8-10 lbs total	Noticeable changes in the mirror, some clothes fit differently
Month 3	12-15 lbs total	Other people start commenting
Month 6	24-30 lbs total	Significant visible transformation

Weight loss is not perfectly linear. You will have weeks where the scale does not move and then suddenly drops 2 pounds overnight. This is normal. Water retention, hormonal fluctuations, and digestive timing all cause short-term fluctuations.

What matters is the trend over weeks, not the number on any single morning. Nutrola's trend analysis smooths out these daily fluctuations so you can see whether you are actually making progress — even when the scale is being uncooperative.

What Should I Do Right Now?

1. Calculate your TDEE using the formula above, or use the reference table for a quick estimate.
2. Subtract 400-500 calories from your TDEE to get your daily target.
3. Pick the meal plan closest to your target and start there.
4. Download Nutrola to track your intake and make sure you are hitting your target consistently.

You do not need to understand everything about nutrition to start losing weight. You just need one number (your calorie target) and one habit (tracking what you eat). Start there. The rest will follow.