Calories to lose 1.75 lb a week
This calculator sets a daily calorie target for losing 1.75 lb a week. The sample is a man aged 40, 5 ft 10 in and 200 lb.
How it works
Each pound a week needs about 500 fewer calories a day than maintenance. The page finds maintenance with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and then subtracts your chosen deficit. For a man aged 40 at 200 lb, this page uses a loss of 1.75 lb a week.
Worked example
Say a man aged 40, 5 ft 10 in and 200 lb, wants to lose 1.75 lb a week. Maintenance is 1823.45 × 1.55 = 2826.3. The deficit is 1.75 × 500 = 875. The target is 2826.3 − 875 = 1951.3, which rounds to 1951 calories a day.
Common questions
What if my target is below my resting calories?
Eating below resting calories is hard to sustain and may not be safe without medical advice. Choose a smaller deficit. For this man aged 40 at 200 lb, resting calories are 1823 and the target at 1.75 lb a week is 1951. The target is 128 calories above resting calories.
Does my activity level change the target?
Yes. Maintenance already includes your activity level. Pick the level that matches a typical week. For this man aged 40 at 200 lb, the sedentary level gives 2188 and the extra active level gives 3465 at maintenance, against a target of 1951 for 1.75 lb a week.
How long will it take to lose 10 lb?
Divide the pounds to lose by the weekly rate. For this man aged 40 at 200 lb, 10 lb takes 5.7 weeks at 1.75 lb a week.
Should I recalculate as I lose weight?
Yes. Maintenance falls as weight falls. Check again every few pounds. For this man aged 40, maintenance is 2826 calories a day at 200 lb and about 2756 at 190 lb, with a target of 1951 at 1.75 lb a week.
How fast is it reasonable to lose weight?
A steady pace of about half a kilogram to one kilogram a week is common. Slower is easier to keep up. Ask your doctor what suits you. For this man aged 40 at 200 lb, 1.75 lb a week is 0.79 kg a week.