Calorie deficit for women: how to work out yours
Every fat-loss plan that works, whatever it's called, works through a calorie deficit: eating a little less energy than your body uses. Here's how to find the right size for you, and the mistakes that stall progress.
How a calorie deficit works
Your body burns energy every day: to keep you alive, to digest food, and to move. If you eat slightly less than that, your body uses stored fat to make up the difference.
A safe pace for most women is about 0.5–1 kg a week. That usually means eating around 20% below your daily needs, not starving yourself.
How to work out yours
Estimate what you burn. This depends on your age, height, weight and how active you are.
Take off about 20%. That's your daily target.
Don't go below about 1,200 kcal without medical supervision.
Set a protein target. About 1.2–1.6 g per kg of your goal weight.
The free calorie deficit calculator does all four steps in kg and cm, and shows a realistic timeline to your goal. If you have PCOS, use the PCOS calculator instead.
Why your result is a range, not one number
Calculators use well-tested formulas, but every body is a little different. Your activity, muscle, sleep, stress and cycle all shift your real needs by a few hundred calories. Follow your number for 2–3 weeks, track your weight and waist, and adjust.
Five mistakes that stall fat loss
Going too low. You lose fast, then stall, feel exhausted and regain.
Not enough protein. You lose muscle and stay hungry.
Weekend overeating. Two big days can cancel five careful ones.
Liquid calories. Sweetened chai, juices and coffee drinks add up quickly.
Only watching the scale. Water and your cycle can move it by 1–2 kg in a week. Measure your waist too.
Turning a number into meals
A number is only useful if you know what to eat. The free Indian diet chart turns 1,200, 1,400, 1,600 or 1,800 kcal into 7 days of Indian meals, vegetarian, egg or non-veg.
Your next step
Find your number in the calculator. If you'd like someone to adjust it every week, around your food and your routine, book a call.
Sources
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you're pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18 or managing a medical condition, speak to your doctor first.
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