How Many Calories to Lose 1 Pound (or 0.5 kg) a Week

Short answer: about a 500-calorie daily deficit loses roughly 1 lb (0.45 kg) per week; ~1,000/day loses ~2 lb. But the deficit must come from your TDEE, and it gets smaller as you get lighter.

Where the number comes from

One pound of body fat stores roughly 3,500 kcal (≈7,700 kcal per kg). Spread over a week:

  • 1 lb/week ≈ 3,500 ÷ 7 = 500 kcal/day deficit
  • 0.5 kg/week ≈ 7,700 ÷ 7 ≈ 550 kcal/day deficit

The catch the “3,500 rule” ignores

That rule is a useful starting estimate, not physics law. As you lose weight your body burns fewer calories, so a fixed 500-calorie cut becomes a smaller and smaller deficit — loss slows even if nothing else changes. This is normal, not a “broken metabolism.” Recalculate every few kilograms.

It also assumes the loss is pure fat. With enough protein and resistance training you protect muscle so more of the loss is fat; without them, some is muscle.

How to set your deficit correctly

  1. Find your maintenance calories (TDEE) with the TDEE calculator.
  2. Subtract 15–20% (a sustainable rate for most people) — or use the calorie deficit calculator, which shows the target and projected weekly loss for you.
  3. Keep protein high (≈2 g/kg) and lift — set the split with the macro calculator.

How fast is safe?

Roughly 0.5–1% of bodyweight per week. Faster usually means more muscle loss, more hunger, and a higher chance of rebound. Slower-but-sustained beats fast-but-abandoned every time.

Why your loss stalled

A lighter body needs fewer calories, so last month’s deficit may now be maintenance. Re-run the numbers and trim again — don’t crash lower. Plateaus are a signal to recalculate, not to starve.

Educational use only, not medical advice. Energy density of body fat per Hall KD et al.; deficit guidance per standard sports-nutrition practice.