{
  "slug": "how-many-calories-to-lose-a-pound-a-week",
  "title": "How Many Calories to Cut to Lose a Pound a Week?",
  "heading": "How Many Calories to Cut to Lose a Pound a Week?",
  "category": "fitness-health",
  "url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-many-calories-to-lose-a-pound-a-week",
  "summary": "Losing 1 pound a week requires a daily deficit of about 500 calories, since one pound of fat equals roughly 3,500 calories.",
  "description": "Weight loss follows a simple energy-balance rule: one pound of body fat stores approximately 3,500 calories, so a sustained daily calorie deficit divided into that weekly target tells you the deficit needed. This calculator scales that math to any weekly loss goal and shows the required daily deficit plus your resulting daily calorie target from your maintenance calories.",
  "formula": "Weekly Deficit Needed = Pounds per Week × 3,500. Daily Deficit = Weekly Deficit ÷ 7. Target Calories = Maintenance Calories − Daily Deficit.",
  "dateModified": "2026-09-06",
  "run_url": "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/api/public/calc?tool=how-many-calories-to-lose-a-pound-a-week",
  "inputs": [
    {
      "id": "maintenance",
      "label": "Maintenance calories",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 2400,
      "unit": "kcal/day",
      "min": 1000,
      "max": 5000
    },
    {
      "id": "poundsPerWeek",
      "label": "Target weight loss",
      "kind": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "default": 1,
      "unit": "lb/week",
      "min": 0.25,
      "max": 3
    }
  ],
  "outputs": [
    {
      "id": "dailyDeficit",
      "label": "Daily calorie deficit needed",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": true
    },
    {
      "id": "targetCalories",
      "label": "Target daily calories",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    },
    {
      "id": "weeklyDeficit",
      "label": "Total weekly deficit",
      "format": "number",
      "hint": null,
      "primary": false
    }
  ],
  "worked_example": {
    "inputs": [
      "Maintenance calories: 2400 kcal/day",
      "Target weight loss: 1 lb/week"
    ],
    "outputs": [
      "Daily calorie deficit needed: 500",
      "Target daily calories: 1,900",
      "Total weekly deficit: 3,500"
    ]
  },
  "how_to": {
    "title": "How to use this",
    "steps": [
      "Enter maintenance calories (kcal/day).",
      "Enter target weight loss (lb/week).",
      "Read your daily calorie deficit needed on the right — it updates as you type.",
      "Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone."
    ]
  },
  "scenarios": [
    {
      "name": "Conservative",
      "description": "Lower-end numbers — what if things land soft?",
      "values": {
        "maintenance": 1450,
        "poundsPerWeek": 0.6
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Typical",
      "description": "Defaults — the most common real-world setup.",
      "values": {
        "maintenance": 2400,
        "poundsPerWeek": 1
      }
    },
    {
      "name": "Ambitious",
      "description": "Higher-end numbers — what if things really pop?",
      "values": {
        "maintenance": 3850,
        "poundsPerWeek": 1.6
      }
    }
  ],
  "limitations": [
    "Population formulas describe averages; individual bodies vary, especially at the extremes of height, age, or muscle mass.",
    "Results do not account for medical conditions, medication, or pregnancy.",
    "Use this as a directional reference, not a diagnosis — talk to a clinician before acting on it."
  ],
  "faq": [
    {
      "q": "How many calories do I need to cut to lose a pound a week?",
      "a": "To lose 1 pound a week you need a 500-calorie daily deficit (3,500 ÷ 7); at 2,400 maintenance calories, that means eating around 1,900 calories a day."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is the 3,500-calorie-per-pound rule exact?",
      "a": "It's a widely used approximation; real-world weight loss also involves metabolic adaptation, so results can run somewhat slower than the math predicts, especially over many months."
    },
    {
      "q": "Is losing 2 pounds a week safe?",
      "a": "A 1,000-calorie daily deficit for 2 lb/week is aggressive and only advisable for people with more weight to lose; below about 1,200 calories/day for women or 1,500 for men, consult a professional since nutrient adequacy becomes a concern."
    },
    {
      "q": "Should I combine diet and exercise for the deficit?",
      "a": "Yes — splitting the deficit between eating less and burning more through activity is generally easier to sustain than diet alone and helps preserve muscle mass during the cut."
    }
  ],
  "related": [
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-much-protein-do-i-need",
    "https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-many-steps-to-lose-a-pound"
  ],
  "license": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "citation": "RevenueLab — How Many Calories to Cut to Lose a Pound a Week? (https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/how-many-calories-to-lose-a-pound-a-week)"
}