Calories For Fat Loss: How To Figure It Out (THE RIGHT WAY)

If you’re trying to lose fat, calculating your daily calories correctly is one of the most important steps you can take. Getting this wrong often leads to stalled progress, frustration, or unnecessary guesswork that wastes your time.

In this guide, I’ll show you exactly how to calculate your calorie needs for fat loss, based on your unique body and activity level. This is the same process I walk my coaching clients through to ensure they’re set up for long-term success.

Key Takeaways

• Calculate your calorie needs by finding your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and subtracting 250-500 calories to create a sustainable fat loss deficit.

• Common mistakes include under-measuring portions, trying to out-exercise poor eating habits, and setting calorie targets too low.

• Expect healthy weight loss of about 0.5-1 lb per week; anything faster may indicate your deficit is too aggressive.

• Using a nutrition app like MacroFactor or Cronometer takes out the guesswork and keeps you on track with your fat loss goals.

What is Counting Calories?

Counting calories means tracking the amount of energy from food and beverages that you consume throughout the day. Most of the time, this is done with a goal of either weight gain or weight loss in mind.

You can log calories manually using pen and paper (looking up the calorie content of each food on the internet and/or reading labels)  or use a calorie-tracking app that simplifies the process, automatically calculating totals for you.

If your goal is to gain weight, then you need to be eating more calories than your body burns in a day. If you want to lose weight, then your daily intake cannot exceed the number of calories your body burns daily.

While maintaining a calorie deficit is the most important factor when it comes to achieving fat loss, tracking the macronutrients (protein, carbs, and fat) in your food can also be an effective tool to help you reach your body composition goals.

Eating enough protein while in a calorie deficit will help to ensure that you are preserving muscle during a fat loss phase. In addition to this, balancing your carbohydrate, fat, and fiber intake with your protein will help you to feel more full and reduce cravings while in a calorie deficit.

Want to learn more about tracking your macros? Click here to read all about simplifying the process of tracking macronutrients.

What Determines Your Calorie Needs?

Several factors influence how many calories your body burns daily:

1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

BMR represents the number of calories your body will burn while completely at rest. In other words, this is the energy that your body needs for basic functions such as breathing, cell repair, or maintaining a heartbeat. 

Your BMR accounts for approximately 60-70% of the total calories that you eat in a day.

In order to calculate your BMR, you can use the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation, which utilizes an individual’s height, weight, age, and gender. You can also use the Cunningham Equation, which considers a person’s current body fat percentage.

Check out the FeastGood BMR calculator which offers access to both the Mifflin-St Jeor and Cunningham Equation here.

2. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

TEF is the energy your body uses to digest and process food. Protein requires the most energy to break down, followed by carbs and fat. Eating more protein and fiber helps slightly increase calorie burn and keeps you fuller during fat loss.

3. Physical Activity

Any intentional movement (strength training, cardio, walking, swimming, etc.) burns additional calories. For best results, I recommend combining both cardio and strength training, along with staying active outside your workouts.

Examples of cardiovascular exercise include activities such as walking, running, swimming, or high-intensity interval training (HIIT), while strength training involves exercises such as squats, lunges, pull-ups, push-ups, and weight training.

4. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)

NEAT is a form of physical activity, and is the energy that your body burns during the day through daily movements and activities that are not related to intentional exercise.

Examples of NEAT include fidgeting, standing, walking (outside of scheduled exercise), or doing household tasks.

The amount of energy an individual burns through NEAT will depend on their lifestyle. This is why if your goal is fat loss, it is encouraged to adopt an active lifestyle outside of regularly scheduled exercise, since this will help the body to create a deficit and burn more calories.

5. Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

Your TDEE is the sum of your BMR, TEF, physical activity, and NEAT. This is the number you’ll use to calculate your calorie deficit.

In order to lose fat, your daily calorie intake must be lower than your TDEE. For a healthy and sustainable weight loss, a calorie deficit of about 250-500 calories per day is recommended.

Use our free FeastGood TDEE Calculator here.

Step-by-Step: How To Calculate Calories for Fat Loss

Step 1: Calculate Your BMR 

As mentioned earlier, calculating your BMR requires your age, weight, height, and gender. 

For the purposes of this article we are going use the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation:

• For men:
  BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) + 5

• For women:
  BMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) – 161.

Example:

A 30-year-old woman who weighs 150 lbs (68 kg) and is 5’4″ (162.5 cm) would have a BMR of ~1385 calories.

Use our free FeastGood BMR calculator here for quick results.

Step 2: Estimate Your TDEE

Multiply your BMR by your activity level:

• Sedentary (little/no exercise) = BMR x 1.2
• Minimally Active (1-3 days/week of exercise) = BMR x 1.375
• Moderately Active (3-5 days/week of moderate activity/ sports) = BMR x 1.55
• Very Active (6-7 days/week of hard exercise) = BMR x 1.725
• Extra Active (twice daily training)= BMR x 1.9

Example:

For our 30-year-old woman with a BMR of 1385 who exercises moderately: 1385 × 1.55 = ~2147 calories (TDEE).

You can also calculate your TDEE accurately with the FeastGood Online Calculator here.

• For our example:
  2147 − 500 = 1647 calories/day (aggressive deficit)
  2147 − 250 = 1897 calories/day (conservative deficit)
  

I usually start my clients closer to the higher end to minimize side effects like fatigue and hunger.

Step 4: Track Calories

You can either choose to track your calories with a pen and paper (or in your notes on your phone), or more favourably, using a calorie counting app on your smartphone.

I like to recommend trusted calorie counting apps, since they can make the calorie counting process much more streamlined and simple. 

Top recommended apps:

• Cronometer (best overall)– Cronometer is a great user-friendly option for tracking your calories and macros, and offers both a free version and a paid version with more features.

Read our full Cronometer review here.

• MacroFactor (best user experience)– MacroFactor is a great option if you want an app that will assist you in adjusting your calorie targets based on your changing calorie needs in a fat loss phase.
  
  Read our full MacroFactor review here.

Enter code FEASTGOOD for a 2-week free trial with MacroFactor

• Noom (best to continue learning)– This app helps you to change your habits to make your diet sustainable, and can help you to improve your relationship with food.

Noom only allows you to track calories, and unlike the apps mentioned above it does not track your macronutrients.

Read our full review of the Noom here.

Step 5: Monitor and Adjust 

Once you have determined your calorie intake for fat loss, I recommend staying in your calorie deficit for at least 2-3 weeks and monitor how your body responds before making any adjustments.

If during this period your weight stays the same, you may need to adjust your calories lower to create more of a calorie deficit. I recommend doing so in 50-100 calorie intervals and monitoring over another 1–2-week period.

However, if your weight decreases more than 2lb per week and you are noticing symptoms such as low energy, muscle loss, and incessant hunger, it could be a sign that your calorie deficit is too low, and you need to increase your food intake.

I recommend monitoring progress weekly by observing weight, body measurements (e.g. waist, hips, thighs, arms), and taking progress photos.

Common Mistakes People Make

Using Calculators Without Tracking and Adjusting

After calculating your calorie deficit, it is important to make sure that you are actually tracking your food accurately and consistently in order to see the best results. Failing to track your food consistently during a calorie deficit can often result in overeating, which will take you further away from reaching your goal.

Failing to adjust your calories when you are losing weight can result in a weight loss plateau, since your body’s calorie requirements will shift and go down as your body weight decreases.

This is where it can be handy to use calorie tracking apps such as MacroFactor that will help you to adjust your calories as your metabolism shifts during a fat loss phase.

Underestimating Portion Sizes or Forgetting Snacks

One of the most common mistakes I see people make during a fat loss phase is attempting to estimate portion sizes of their food rather than using accurate forms of measurement such as a food scale or food measuring tools such as cups and spoons.

For example, 1 Tbsp of almond butter is 100 calories, and even a slightly heaped tablespoon (or taking a few extra licks off of the spoon) can throw off your daily calories by a fair amount.

During a calorie deficit, remaining as accurate as possible in your measurements will help you to reach your fat loss goal faster.

Over-Relying on Cardio Instead of Diet

One of the most popular sayings of “You can’t exercise away a poor diet” could not be more true, and it is a common mistake I see many people make.

When you have a weight loss goal, it is much easier to manipulate calories than it is to try and do it all through exercise. While exercise CAN be a great tool for fat loss, it should come secondary to diet.

For example, if you ate a small bag of chips and half of a chocolate bar during your calorie deficit (roughly 250-300 calories) and tried to burn it off through exercise, you would have to briskly walk for 45-60 minutes.

While this might not seem like much, these food decisions can slowly add up in the day if you are not mindful, eventually making it impossible to burn off through exercise.

Setting Calorie Goals Too Low

If you set your calorie deficit too low right off the hop, you are likely to see progress initially, but oftentimes at a greater cost.

Setting a calorie deficit that is drastically lower than your maintenance calories will leave you feeling tired, lethargic, and likely obsessing over food. In the long term it can lead to more serious issues such as nutrient deficiencies and a slowed metabolism.

This is why I typically do not recommend a calorie deficit of over 500 calories.

1000 Calorie Deficit: Is It Healthy and How Much Can You Lose?

5 Tips To Stay on Track With Your Calorie Goals

1️. Prioritize Protein: Helps with fullness and muscle retention. Focus on lean protein sources like chicken breast, egg whites, ground turkey, and protein powder.

2️. Use a Food Scale: The most accurate way to track intake. Prep meals ahead when possible.

3️. Eat More Fiber: Fiber keeps you full. Load up on broccoli, asparagus, celery, and berries.

4️. Track Water Intake: Staying hydrated helps control hunger. Aim for 2-4 liters per day.

5️. Enjoy Your Food: Make meals you actually like. Use spices, low-calorie sauces, or air fryers to keep food interesting and prevent boredom

Realistic Expectations & Long-Term Success

While we all would love to see results as quickly as possible, it is important to remain realistic when it comes to your expectations in a fat loss phase.

Although it may not seem like much, a healthy amount of weight to lose is about 0.5-1lb per week. Studies have shown that this rate of weight loss can help to preserve muscle mass and lead to less slowdown in your metabolism compared to faster rates of weight loss (2lb+ per week).

Hiring a coach can be a great way to stay on track with your goals for long term success. Nutrition coaches can help you with calculating your calories, developing a meal plan that works for you and your lifestyle, and staying accountable to your goals.

Interested in 1:1 Coaching? Apply here to work with one of our professionals at FeastGood.

References:

Longland, T. M., Oikawa, S. Y., Mitchell, C. J., Devries, M. C., & Phillips, S. M. (2016). Higher compared with lower dietary protein during an energy deficit combined with intense exercise promotes greater lean mass gain and fat mass loss: A randomized trial. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 103(3), 738–746. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.115.119339

Garthe, I., Raastad, T., Refsnes, P. E., Koivisto, A., & Sundgot‑Borgen, J. (2011). Effect of two different weight‑loss rates on body composition and strength and power‑related performance in elite athletes. International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism, 21(2), 97–104. https://doi.org/10.1123/ijsnem.21.2.97