What is a safe calorie deficit for weight loss?

A deficit of 200–500 kcal per day below maintenance is the widely recommended range, producing roughly 0.5–1 lb (0.25–0.5 kg) of loss per week without wrecking energy or muscle.

What is the minimum number of calories I should eat?

As a general guideline, don't go below roughly 1,200 kcal/day for women or 1,500 kcal/day for men without medical supervision.

How Many Calories Should I Eat a Day to Lose Weight? (Calculator + App)

The short answer

To lose weight you need a calorie deficit — eating fewer calories than your body burns. For most people the sweet spot is 200–500 kcal below maintenance per day, which produces roughly 0.5–1 lb (0.25–0.5 kg) of weight loss per week. Sustainable, not miserable.

So the real question becomes: what's your maintenance number?

Step 1 — Estimate your maintenance calories

Maintenance (TDEE — total daily energy expenditure) depends on your size, age, sex and activity. A quick rule of thumb: bodyweight in pounds × 14–16 for moderately active people, or use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. A 175 lb moderately active person maintains at roughly 2,450–2,600 kcal.

Step 2 — Subtract your deficit

Gentle (−200–300 kcal): slow but nearly invisible in daily life. Best if you're already lean or hate hunger.
Standard (−500 kcal): ~1 lb/week. The classic evidence-backed pace.
Floor: avoid going below ~1,200 kcal (women) / ~1,500 kcal (men) without medical guidance.

Set your goal in Calories AI Calculator

Open Settings from the Today screen and set your daily calorie goal (e.g. 1,450 kcal).
Optionally set different goals per weekday — many people eat more on weekends and plan for it instead of "failing" at it.
Log meals by photo; the ring shows consumed / burned / remaining all day.
Check the weight graph weekly — if the trend line isn't moving after 2–3 weeks, lower the goal by ~150 kcal.

Step 3 — Track the trend, not the day

Daily weight bounces with water, salt and sleep. What matters is the weekly trend. Calories AI Calculator charts your weigh-ins over weeks (85 → 81 kg looks like a beautiful downhill line), and Insights shows your average daily calories and how many days you stayed on goal — the two numbers that actually predict results.

💡 Why tracking beats guessing: people routinely underestimate intake by 20–40%. A 10-second photo log closes that gap — and because your calories sync to Apple Health, your deficit math includes real activity data, not wishful thinking.

When to adjust

Losing faster than 1% of bodyweight/week? Eat a bit more — you'll keep more muscle and sanity.
Scale flat for 3+ weeks? Trim 100–200 kcal or add a daily walk.
Constantly starving? Shift calories toward protein — the app shows protein grams next to every meal.

Daily calorie ring showing 1,440 kcal consumed with 360 remaining against a 1,450 kcal goal — Your daily budget as a live ring: consumed, burned and remaining.

Try It on Your Next Meal — Free

Download Calories AI Calculator on the App Store, snap your next plate, and get calories and macros before you've picked up the fork.

Download on theApp Store