How Many Calories to Lose 1 Pound a Week?

The simple math behind a calorie deficit — and how to do it in a healthy, sustainable way.

A common goal is losing about one pound per week, and there's a well-known rule of thumb for it: a deficit of roughly 500 calories per day. This article explains where that number comes from, how to find your own target, and why slower is usually steadier when it comes to weight loss.

The 3,500-calorie rule of thumb

A pound of body fat is often estimated to hold about 3,500 calories of stored energy. Spread across a week, that works out to roughly 500 calories per day (500 × 7 = 3,500). So if you eat about 500 fewer calories than your body burns each day, you'd expect to lose in the neighborhood of one pound per week.

It's worth knowing that this is a simplification. Real bodies are more complicated — metabolism adapts over time, water weight fluctuates day to day, and the "3,500 calories per pound" figure is an approximation rather than an exact law. Still, it's a useful starting framework that lines up reasonably well with how steady, moderate weight loss tends to go.

Finding your own number

The 500-calorie deficit only means something relative to your maintenance calories — the amount your body burns in a day, also called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). To set a target, you first estimate maintenance, then subtract.

For example, if the calculator estimates your maintenance at 2,200 calories per day, a target of around 1,700 would create roughly the 500-calorie deficit associated with about a pound a week.

Why "slow and steady" usually wins

It can be tempting to cut calories much harder to lose faster, but very large deficits tend to backfire. They're hard to sustain, can leave you low on energy and nutrients, and often lead to rebound eating. Most health authorities consider about one to two pounds per week a sensible, sustainable rate for many adults. A moderate deficit also makes it easier to keep enough protein and whole foods in your diet, which helps preserve muscle as you lose fat.

Beyond the calorie count

Calories matter, but they aren't the whole story. A few things that help a deficit feel easier and work better:

• Protein and fiber keep you fuller on fewer calories.
• Strength training helps preserve muscle, so more of the weight you lose comes from fat.
• Sleep and stress influence appetite hormones more than most people expect.
• Consistency over weeks beats perfection on any single day.