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Calculators5 min readMay 15, 2026

How Many Calories Do You Need to Lose 1 kg Per Week?

You have probably seen advice saying 'cut 500 calories a day to lose 0.5 kg per week.' This is based on solid math: 1 kg of body fat stores approximately 7,700 calories. Burn 7,700 more calories than you consume in a week, and you lose 1 kg. But applying this in practice requires knowing your actual calorie needs first — and that is where most plans go wrong.

The Calorie Math Behind 1 kg Weight Loss

1 kg of fat ≈ 7,700 calories To lose 1 kg per week: 7,700 ÷ 7 days = 1,100 calorie daily deficit To lose 0.5 kg per week: 7,700 ÷ 2 ÷ 7 days = 550 calorie daily deficit Most nutrition guidelines recommend a 500–750 calorie daily deficit for sustainable weight loss. A 1,100 calorie deficit is possible for people with high maintenance calories (2,500+ TDEE), but can be extreme for people with lower maintenance needs. Anyone with a TDEE below 2,000 calories cannot achieve 1 kg per week loss without going below the 1,200 kcal minimum intake threshold for women (1,500 for men).

How to Find Your Maintenance Calories (TDEE)

Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is the number of calories your body burns per day including all activity. It is calculated in two steps: Step 1: Calculate BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (the most accurate formula for most adults): • Men: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) + 5 • Women: BMR = (10 × weight kg) + (6.25 × height cm) − (5 × age) − 161 Step 2: Multiply BMR by your activity factor: • Sedentary (desk job, no exercise): × 1.2 • Lightly active (1–3 days/week): × 1.375 • Moderately active (3–5 days/week): × 1.55 • Very active (6–7 days/week): × 1.725 The result is your TDEE — eat below this to lose weight.

Setting a Realistic Calorie Target

To lose 0.5 kg per week: TDEE − 550 calories To lose 0.7 kg per week: TDEE − 770 calories To lose 1 kg per week: TDEE − 1,100 calories (only if TDEE is above 2,300+) Practical minimums: do not drop below 1,200 kcal/day (women) or 1,500 kcal/day (men). Going below these levels makes it very difficult to meet protein, vitamin, and mineral requirements, even with careful food selection. For a 30-year-old woman, 165 cm, 70 kg, lightly active: BMR ≈ 1,511, TDEE ≈ 2,078. A 500-calorie deficit gives 1,578 calories per day — comfortable, sustainable, and above the minimum.

Why the Scale May Not Move as Expected

Even with a correct calorie deficit, the scale can stall or fluctuate because of water retention (especially with hormonal changes or high sodium intake), muscle gain offsetting fat loss (especially in beginners), glycogen replenishment after starting exercise, and measurement error in both calorie tracking and TDEE estimation. If you are not losing weight after 2–3 weeks at the calculated deficit, reduce intake by 100–150 calories rather than cutting drastically. TDEE calculators have ±10–15% estimation error — small adjustments based on actual results are more reliable than larger preemptive cuts.

Try the tools mentioned in this guide

Calorie CalculatorFind your daily calorie needs (BMR and TDEE) based on age, weight, height, and activity level for weight loss or gain.BMI CalculatorCalculate Body Mass Index and see your healthy weight range based on height and weight.Age CalculatorCalculate exact age in years, months, and days from any date of birth — useful for exam eligibility and government schemes.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many calories should I eat to lose 1 kg per week?
Subtract 1,100 from your TDEE. For example, if your TDEE is 2,500 calories, eat approximately 1,400 calories per day. However, ensure the result is not below 1,200 (women) or 1,500 (men) per day.
Is losing 1 kg per week healthy?
It can be, for people with higher body weight and a higher TDEE. For most average-weight individuals, 0.5–0.7 kg per week is safer, more sustainable, and preserves more muscle mass.
What is BMR and how is it different from TDEE?
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the calories your body burns at complete rest. TDEE adds the calories burned through daily activity and exercise. You should eat below your TDEE, not your BMR, to lose weight while staying functional and healthy.

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