TDEE Calculator for Cutting and Weight Loss
A weight-loss diet is just one decision repeated daily: eat somewhat less than your TDEE. That makes your TDEE estimate the foundation of the whole plan — it defines what "less" means. This guide walks through turning a TDEE number into cutting calories, choosing a sustainable pace, handling plateaus, and the adjustments that matter for women and for smaller bodies, where the margins are tighter.
Open TDEE Calculator · Open Weight Loss Calorie Calculator
Step 1: Establish Maintenance
Estimate your TDEE with the calculator, using the activity level that matches your normal week. If you have time, verify it with 2–3 weeks of weekly-average weight data before cutting — the process is described in maintenance calories. A verified baseline makes everything downstream behave predictably.
Step 2: Choose the Deficit Size
The calculator's cutting target uses TDEE − 500 kcal, which corresponds to roughly 0.45 kg (1 lb) of fat loss per week. That is a sensible default for many people, but the deficit should scale with your size and your patience:
- Moderate (recommended for most): TDEE − 300 to 500. Steady progress with manageable hunger; easier to keep protein and training quality high.
- Gentle: TDEE − 200 to 300. Slower, but nearly invisible in daily life — a good choice for the last few kilograms or for anyone who has struggled with adherence before.
- Aggressive: beyond − 500. Progress is faster on paper, but hunger, fatigue, and muscle loss risk climb, and dropout rates with it. As a rule of thumb, avoid pacing faster than about 1% of body weight per week, and be cautious about targets that fall below your BMR — see BMR vs TDEE.
For Women and Smaller Bodies
The same TDEE − 500 prescription behaves very differently at different sizes. A 62 kg woman with a TDEE around 1,850 kcal would land near 1,350 kcal — a much larger relative deficit than the same subtraction applied to a 2,750-kcal TDEE. If your TDEE is on the lower side, prefer a percentage-based deficit (10–20% of TDEE) over the flat −500, keep protein high, and be skeptical of generic plans that push intake very low; sustained very-low targets are a matter for a dietitian or physician, not a web calculator.
Step 3: Track the Trend, Not the Day
Daily scale weight bounces with water, salt, carbs, and timing. Judge progress only by the weekly average, and expect the first week of a cut to overstate fat loss — the initial drop includes water and glycogen. From week two onward, compare weekly averages against your chosen pace.
When Fat Loss Stalls
- Wait out two to three weeks first. A flat week is often water masking fat loss, especially after hard training or high-salt days.
- Then adjust one variable: reduce intake by 100–200 kcal, or add activity — not both at once, or you cannot tell what worked.
- Recalculate your TDEE after every ~5 kg lost: maintenance falls as weight falls, so a fixed intake becomes a smaller deficit over time.
- Audit tracking honesty — oils, sauces, drinks, and weekends are where deficits quietly disappear.
Protect Muscle While Cutting
A deficit decides weight loss; protein and training decide how much of that loss is fat. Keep resistance training in the plan, and set protein with the macro calculator for weight loss — it prioritizes protein first, holds a sensible fat floor, and gives the remaining calories to carbs.
Model the Timeline
Once you know your TDEE and deficit, the weight loss calorie calculator turns them into a concrete plan: daily target intake, an estimated goal date, and 4-week milestones you can check against. Modeling the timeline up front sets realistic expectations — and realistic expectations are what keep people on the plan long enough for it to work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How fast should I expect to lose?
With a 300–500 kcal deficit, roughly 0.3–0.5 kg per week as a multi-week average. Faster than 1%
of body weight per week is usually not worth the muscle loss and rebound risk.
Should I eat back exercise calories?
No — your activity multiplier already includes your normal training. Eating back workout calories on top of a
TDEE-based target double-counts them and shrinks the deficit.
Do I need cheat days?
Planned higher-calorie days can help adherence if the weekly average still sits at your target. Unplanned ones are
just untracked maintenance.