Your ideal calorie intake = TDEE adjusted for your goal: deficit for fat loss, surplus for muscle gain.
A 500 kcal/day deficit = ~1 lb/week weight loss.
Never drop below 1,200 kcal/day (women) or 1,500 kcal/day (men).
Reach for this calculator when you need a standardised health metric to discuss with a healthcare provider or to use as a baseline for a fitness programme. The result gives you a number that carries more meaning than subjective assessments.
The most common mistake is treating the result as a precise measurement rather than an evidence-based estimate. All body metric calculators have margins of error — use the result as a tracking baseline, not a clinical diagnosis.
A personal trainer uses the calculator with a new client to set a measurable starting point. Re-running the calculation at 4-week intervals provides an objective progress metric that supports motivation and programme adjustments.
Subtract 500 from your TDEE to lose approximately 1 pound per week.
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