Your friend eats 1,600 and swears by it. An app told you 2,100. A magazine claimed 2,500 was “normal.” Your ideal target isn’t a magic number — it’s personal, built from your body, activity, and goal.
What You Spend: BMR + Everything Else
BMR (basal metabolic rate) keeps the lights on — 60–70% of daily energy. Add movement, exercise, digestion and you get TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) — your typical day’s burn.
The whole system: calories eaten vs. calories burned. Eat at TDEE → stable. Less → lose. More → gain. Estimate yours with the FaridiaTech calorie calculator.
The Three Targets
Maintain: eat at TDEE
Your “stay where you are” number — often higher than chronic dieters fear.
Lose: TDEE minus ~500
~500/day deficit ≈ 0.5 kg (1 lb) fat loss per week. Steeper deficits backfire — energy tanks, hunger spikes, muscle goes too. Avoid going below ~1,200/day (women) or ~1,500 (men) without professional guidance.
Gain: TDEE plus 250–300
Small surplus for lean gains (~0.25 kg/week) with resistance training. Bigger surpluses mostly add fat.
Worked Example
Danish, 30, office worker, 5’10” (178 cm), 78 kg, lifts 3×/week + walks. TDEE: 2,700/day.
| Goal | Calculation | Daily Target |
|---|---|---|
| Maintain | TDEE = 2,700 | 2,700 |
| Lose ~0.5 kg/week | 2,700 − 500 | 2,200 |
| Gain lean ~0.25 kg/week | 2,700 + 250 | 2,950 |
Danish cuts at 2,200 — sample day: breakfast 450 (3-egg omelette, toast, black coffee), lunch 600 (chicken tikka wrap), pre-workout 300 (banana + peanuts), dinner 650 (grilled fish, rice, veg), evening snack 200 (milk with dates). Total: 2,200 — 500 below TDEE, ~0.5 kg/week loss, no misery.
Protein: The Detail That Makes the Difference
Calories decide gain vs lose; protein decides what. Aim 1.6–2.2 g/kg/day (Danish: ~125–170 g). Try the protein intake calculator and macro calculator for the split.
When the Scale Disagrees With the Calculator
Every calculator is an estimate (±10–15% per individual). Weigh daily (morning, consistent conditions), compare weekly averages:
- Cutting, losing ~0.5 kg/week? Stay the course.
- Barely moving after 2–3 weeks? Real TDEE is lower — trim 200–300 cal.
- Losing too fast / feeling awful? Eat more.
- Maintaining but drifting? Nudge 100–200 cal.
Common Traps
Someone else’s number. A 5’2″ sedentary woman ≠ a 6’1″ construction worker. Changing targets daily — zoom out to weekly averages. Ignoring activity changes — new 10k steps/day raises TDEE. Chasing fastest loss — 2 kg/month kept off beats 5 kg regained.
Get Your Personal Calorie Target in 60 Seconds
BMR, TDEE, and targets for maintenance, fat loss, muscle gain — free, no signup.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories to lose weight?
TDEE minus ~500/day ≈ 0.5 kg/week. TDEE 2,400 → aim ~1,900. Adjust ±200–300 if stalled 2–3 weeks.
How many for a woman? A man?
Rough averages: 2,000–2,200 women, 2,500–2,700 men — but use your own stats, not averages.
Count calories forever?
No — it’s training wheels. A few weeks to months teaches portions; habits take over.
Not losing at a deficit?
Tracking errors (oils, sauces, bites) or overestimated TDEE. Track honestly a week; if nothing moved, cut 200–300.
Is 1,200/day too little?
For most adults, yes — hard to get adequate protein and nutrients. Shrink the deficit or raise activity instead.
See also: calories burned without exercise. Browse the free tools library.