Know your numbers
Cutting calculator
A good cut loses fat and keeps muscle. The leaner you are, the slower you should go. This calculator sets a rate from your body fat, converts it to a daily calorie target, and estimates how long reaching your goal will take.
Your numbers
Training 3–5 days a week with a normal daily step count
Suggested for you: 0.7% per week (add body fat to refine).
Your cutting calories appear here
Enter age, height, weight and activity. Add body fat and a target to see how long it takes.
How it’s calculated
Rate of loss
Helms et al. (2014) recommend 0.5–1.0% of bodyweight per week for lifters. We suggest ~1% when body fat is higher, ~0.7% in the middle, and ~0.5% when you are already lean.
Deficit
Weekly loss × ~7,700 kcal per kg ÷ 7. We never go below a floor of 1,500 kcal (men) or 1,200 kcal (women) without telling you — below that, rate is better increased with activity.
Time to target
We simulate week by week, because a fixed percentage of a shrinking bodyweight is a shrinking number of kilograms.
Full sources and limitations are on the methodology page. Estimates are for healthy adults and are not medical advice.
Questions
How fast should I lose weight?
Between 0.5% and 1% of bodyweight per week for most lifters. Faster is possible when body fat is high, but muscle loss and hunger rise with speed.
Why has my weight loss stalled?
Usually water retention masking fat loss, or reduced daily movement. Look at the two-week average before cutting calories further.