Weight Loss Calorie Calculator
Are you looking for a weight loss calorie calculator that won’t tell you to eat so few calories that you’re chronically starving?
How about one that also gives you guidelines for protein, fat, and carb intake?
Well, you’re in luck.
Get the Weight Loss Calorie Calculator!
TAP HERE for my FREE Weight Loss Calorie Calculator, which includes protein, carb, and fat recommendations. You’ll need to use Excel, Google Sheets, or Numbers to view. FYI you’ll also be subscribed to my weekly newsletter, and, because I’ll consider us friends, I’ll send you the occasional email when I publish a new blog post I’m really excited about or if I have awesome news to share 😊
Everyone overcomplicates their weight loss calorie calculations.
Everyone spends hours trying to figure out the perfect calorie intake and the perfect balance of macronutrients (protein, fat, carbs) for their unique situation.
But it’s actually way simpler than you’re making it out to be.
We can simplify the weight loss calorie calculator to a couple of very simple formulas:
Calorie intake: target weight in lb x12
Protein intake (grams): target weight in lb x1
That’s it. I’ll talk more later about why I’m not too concerned about carbs and fat.
But for now, let’s take a couple of examples…
Say you’re the average American women who weighs 170.6 lb. And let’s say you want to drop 20 lb and get down to 150.
Your calorie intake will be 150 x 12 = 1800 calories per day.
Your protein intake will be 150 x 1 = 150g protein per day.
Or say you’re the average American man who weighs 197.9 lb. And, again, let’s say you want to drop 20 lb and get down to 177.
Your calorie intake will be 177 x 12 = 2124 calories per day.
Your protein intake will be 177 x 1 = 177g protein per day.
Important note: these calculations assume you’re moderately active, which means:
You work out 3-5x per week
At least 2 of those workouts are strength training
You get at least 7000 steps per day
If you don’t do the above - start. If you don’t know how to start, read my blog post "Getting Started With Weight Loss”.
Now, I know what you're thinking: where the hell does this x12 thing come from?
OK. Fair question. Let’s dig a little deeper into the science…
The average American woman has a BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate: the amount of calories you’d burn if you spent 24 hours in bed watching Netflix without moving) of 1493, and the average American man has a BMR of 1662 (calculated by plugging the average measurements into a reliable BMR calculator).
Now, if you’re moderately active, you have to eat way more than those numbers to maintain your weight. So we take those BMRs and multiply them by 1.55. This is called the Harris Benedict Equation.
The average American woman would need to eat 1493 x 1.55 = 2314 calories per day to maintain her weight while being moderately active.
The average American man would need to eat 1662 x 1.55 = 2576 calories per day to maintain his weight while being moderately active.
For weight loss, we need to deduct 500 calories from the above numbers for an average loss of around 1 lb per week:
The average American woman would need to eat 2314 - 500 = 1814 calories to lose 1 lb per week
The average American man would need to eat 2576 - 500 = 2076 calories to lose 1 lb per week
Now let’s compare the target weight in lb x12 formula with this more “scientific” approach:
For the average American woman: 1800 (150 x 12) calories vs 1814 calories
For the average American man: 2124 (177 x 12) calories vs 2076 calories
As you can see, the numbers are super close, within 50 calories, which is barely going to affect your rate of weight loss.
Which is why you might as well save yourself time and use target weight in lb x12. Or, to make it even easier, scroll back up and download the weight loss calorie calculator.
Are there factors that can affect this?
Absolutely. Your BMR and calorie requirements can vary according to your age, gender, height, body fat percentage, and more. Your activity level is another factor, although I’ve already stated above how active you should be for these numbers to be accurate.
There are also medical conditions that can affect your calorie requirements, particularly anything to do with the thyroid. Talk to your doctor for more information.
Why so much protein?
Protein is super important during weight loss. First, it helps maintain your muscle mass. Muscle loss leads to a slower metabolism. And, if you want to look toned, you need your muscle.
Second, protein is incredibly effective at reducing hunger, which can be a real problem when you’re eating at a calorie deficit.
During body recomposition (weight loss or weight gain) it’s generally recommended to eat 1.6-3.3g protein per kg bodyweight every day. Protein intake can be lower if you’re maintaining your weight, but for weight loss, we need to increase protein intake for the above reasons.
The average American woman, who weighs 77.5 kg (170.6 lb) and wants to lose weight should therefore eat 124-256g protein per day. Using the target weight in lb x1 formula puts her safely within that range.
The only reason you shouldn’t eat that much protein is if you have a medical condition and a doctor has told you to limit protein intake.
And in case you were wondering, there’s no evidence that a high-protein intake can cause medical issues in healthy people.
Check out my blog post here for some tips on increasing protein intake.
What about carb and fat intake?
Frankly, you probably don’t need to worry about your carb:fat ratio - as long as you hit your protein numbers and stay at a calorie deficit, you can eat carbs and fat according to preference.
Just don’t forget that fat, unlike carbs, is essential. Make sure you’re getting at least 20% of your calories from fat every day. Fortunately, this is really easy to do and you probably won’t need to think about it; unless you’re trying to get by on a diet that consists exclusively of beans, rice, and fruit, you’ll be fine.
There are some medical conditions where lower-carb or lower-fat might be preferred, but you should talk to your doctor about that.
The weight loss calorie calculator will give you high-carb/low-fat, low-carb/high-fat, and moderate-carb/moderate-fat options. Scroll back up to the top to download.
My Apple Watch says I burned 400 calories during my workout today, so should I eat an extra 400 calories?
No. Don’t do that. The formula assumes you’re working out 3-5x per week and getting 7K+ steps every day. In other words, those calories have already been taken into account. Stick with target weight in lbs x12.
As long as I stay at a calorie deficit, can I eat ANYTHING I want and still lose weight?
In theory, yes. In practice, no. You’ll be super hungry because you almost certainly won’t be hitting your protein target and not eating your veggies.
Get 80% of your total calories from nutritious food, and 20% from less nutritious food. If you don’t know whether a particular food is nutritious or less nutritious, ask a grandmother born before 1950.
Is the weight loss calorie calculator guaranteed to work?
No weight loss calorie calculator is guaranteed to work.
You just have to try it.
Use the formulas at the top of this blog post - or scroll back up and download the calculator - and track your calorie intake using an app like MyFitnessPal.
Track your weight daily - yes, daily - using an app like Apple Health or Google Fit. After 3 weeks, take a look at the graph it spits out and watch for an overall trend. FYI your weight will fluctuate daily, some days increasing and some days decreasing. If the overall trend is downwards, awesome, keep doing what you’re doing.
Here’s what an overall downward trend looks like:
If the overall trend isn’t downward, you’ll have to drop calories a little lower.
Also, if you have more than 40ish lbs to lose, you can set incremental goals. Let’s say you weigh 210 lb and you want to get down to 130 lb. Set your first goal to 170 lb (and consume 170 x 12 = 2040 calories). When you get to 170 lb, or close to 170 lb, set your second goal to 130 lb (and consume 130 x 12 = 1560 calories).