This will be your calorie deficit calculator guide to fat loss.
If you’d rather watch the video I have on it, you can do that down below:
One thing you must know right off the bat is that there are no special diets, super foods, powders, potions, or magic pills.
The only thing magical about these is that they make people a lot of money and take a lot of money out of your pockets.
What’s ironic is they all do the same thing – put you in a calorie deficit.
Why’s that important? Because calories are KING.
A calorie is simply a unit of energy that you get from food.
Then your body converts that food into energy that your body can use to function throughout the day.
This leads to the calories in and calories out equation, which is the most important thing when it comes to fat loss.
In order to lose body fat, you must be burning more calories (energy) than you eat/drink from food so that your body has to burn through it’s stored body fat for energy (fat loss).
It’s that simple.
So, regardless of what some shmuck on social media says about calories, they’re the main driver for fat loss.
And if you follow this calorie deficit calculator consistently, I promise that you’ll lose more body fat than you ever thought possible.
Quick note: if you want a more in depth guide on how to lose fat, build muscle, and get strong, then download my free Fat Loss Cheat Sheet Below.
Calorie Deficit Calculator
There’s many different calorie deficit calculators on the internet.
Do a simple search in google and a million answers will pop up.
But here’s the thing they all have in common…They’re all estimates.
As of right now, there is no way to determine how many calories you burn every single day.
That’s because your metabolism is fluid, meaning that it changes daily.
So, let’s just say for shits and giggles, you could find out how much you burned on one specific day.
- You worked out
- Ate protein at each meal
- Walked around the block with your dog and kids.
A pretty solid day I might say.
However, the next day:
- You felt lazier
- Ate a frozen pizza and tub of ice cream
- And binge watched Netflix.
Two completely different days in terms of burning calories.
So, don’t stress too much about finding the “perfect” number because there isn’t one.
What there is though, is a good estimate that can help get you started in the right direction.
1. The Easy Calorie Deficit Calculator:
This is the simple calorie deficit calculator for fat loss.
Take your goal bodyweight (bw) x 10-12.
If you want to lose weight a bit quicker, but experience more hunger and have less “flexibility”, than aim for goal bw x 10.
If you’d rather lose weight a little bit slower so you can enjoy life more, not be as hungry, and the progress be more sustainable, than aim for goal bw x 12.
A few things to keep in mind, though:
- Are you ok with being a little more hungry?
- Are you ok with slower results?
- Would you rather be more or less flexible?
- Are you more accurate with your tracking or less accurate?
- Do you have a bad relationship with food?
- What’s your exit strategy?
All of these will affect which number you choose. In my experience, most people choose the slow and sustainable route and do pretty well with that.
But, if your’e a daredevil and like to push the limits, than go for the lower calorie option.
This is something I learned from Lyle McDonald and Jordan Syatt.
So they get all of the credit but it works pretty damn well for how simple it is.
You may be wondering, “What should my goal bodyweight be?”
Dude, don’t overthink it.
Pick a number and roll with it.
The bodyweight that you pick right now doesn’t have to be your end goal.
It can be a mini-goal bodyweight that’ll help you eventually reach your goal.
For example, if you’re 200 lbs and want to reach 150 lbs, you could do 2 things:
- Go straight to 150 lbs x 10-12.
- Break it up into smaller manageable chunks: 180 lbs x 10-12 → 160 lbs x 10-12 → 150 x 10-12
So what would this look like?
Let’s break it down:
For example, let’s say I want to be 150 lbs.
My goal is to be able to eat a little more while making a bit slower and steady progress.
That way, I’m not a raging asshole and I have more energy in the gym.
150 lbs x 12 = 1,800 calories
Therefore, my daily calorie deficit goal would be 1,800 calories.
But, focusing on one specific number can lead to unwanted stress and frustration.
This is where I like to use a range for more flexibility – especially if you’re new to tracking calories.
Aim for +/- 100 of your target calories.
1,800 +/- 100 calories = 1,700 – 1,900 calories
So, 1,700 – 1,900 calories would be my goal range.
Yes, you can eat this much and lose weight.
You could even make that range a bit larger if you wanted to, like 1,600 – 2,000 calories.
You just gotta be decently accurate with your calorie tracking – which will become second nature the more you do it.
And in order for this to work, you have to hit this number most days.
That’s the simple way.
2. The More “Accurate” Calorie Deficit Calculator
This is by far the more accurate way and will trump any calorie deficit calculator when done correctly.
It just requires a bit more patience.
All you’re going to do is track and weigh your food for 2 weeks.
Don’t change anything you’re eating or doing because the goal is to find out your maintenance calories.
As a refresher, your maintenance calories are how much you’d have to eat to stay the same weight.
So just eat normally and weigh yourself every morning.
After 2 weeks, you’re going to calculate your average caloric intake as well as your average weight.
This will be your current maintenance.
Let’s say you come up with:
2,000 calories on average per day
160 lbs on average
Awesome!
From here, you’ll go into a 15-30% deficit. The smaller percentage will lead to slower but more sustainable results while the larger deficit will be quicker and yet not as sustainable.
If it were me, I’d first choose the mores sustainable route – like 20% – and then decrease it over time if I need to.
Because I’ve found for most people, a great goal to have, is to be able to eat as much as you can while still losing weight.
So, a 20% deficit would be:
2,000 x 20% = 400 Calorie deficit
2,000 calories – 400 calories = 1,600 calories
Therefore, I’d aim for a 1,500 – 1,700 deficit to start off.
Then begin to start adding healthy foods in and you’ll be well on your way to sustainable fat loss.
How Do You Know if You’re in a Calorie Deficit?
Ok, you have your calorie deficit calculator number… so how do you know if you’re in a calorie deficit or not?
The answer: You truly only know by doing.
Yeah, I know not the sexy answer but it’s the only way.
Which means tracking your calories for at least 30 days and making sure you’re at least 80-90% consistent with hitting them.
Tracking is a skill that takes time to learn.
That means you’re going to suck at first.
It’s just like starting a new job…you’re probably overwhelmed the first week or so.
It’s new environment, new people, new equipment, and new skills that must be learned.
But, as the days and weeks go on, you slowly begin to feel more comfortable.
This is exactly how calorie tracking works too.
You’ll have days where you over eat, under eat, not hit your protein goal.
But, the more time and practice you give it, the better and more comfortable you’ll get.
So, back to the question, “How do I know I’m In a Calorie Deficit?”
1. Your Weight is Going Down
I know, I know… it’s taboo now a days to talk about the scale but we use the scale here for data.
During those first few days, you may see an initial drop in weight as a result of having less food in your system, losing water weight, and glycogen.
Unfortunately, this is normal and it will likely spike back up.
I don’t say that to be a dick… I say that to get you prepared for what’s bound to happen.
But, if you stick with it and don’t give up, eventually you’ll lose .5-2 lbs per week on average.
As a general rule, the more weight you have to lose, the more weight you can lose per week and vice versa.
Also, notice how I said average.
This might mean that you lose 4 lbs one week, and 0 lbs the other 3 weeks, but that average would still be 1 lb per week.
So, pay attention to your weekly averages and compare your weight month to month.
2. Measurements Are Going Down
Sometimes that scale won’t budge and it can become frustrating.
But, that doesn’t always mean you’re not making progress.
Often times, your body could be holding onto water for a variety of reasons which could be “masking” your progress.
Water weight does NOT mean fat.
Not to mention, if you’re strength training and eating enough protein, you’ll also be building some muscle.
If you build 5 lbs of muscle and lose 5 lbs of body fat, the weight will stay the same.
5-5=0. That’s simple math.
Here’s the cool thing though – your measurements will be smaller because muscle takes up less space on your body.
I once had a client who stayed the same weight for 3 months.
But after each check in, her measurements would go down.
So, she was obviously losing body fat but for some reason it wasn’t showing on the scale.
Then after 3 months, a big whoosh happened and her waist started to pop, lock, and drop it.
So, keep track of your measurements.
3. Looser Clothes and Improved Progress Photos
Maybe you’ve been able to fit into that pair of jeans you haven’t been able to since high school.
Or you notice that shirt isn’t so tight around the mid section anymore.
Then guess what?
You’re getting leaner.
Also, make sure you’re taking progress photos!
If you’re strength training (which you should be), you’re going to be building lean muscle in addition to losing body fat.
This could be hard to notice day to day or even week to week.
But, by taking progress photos, you’ll be able to see the changes that are being made.
If any one of these have changed, you’re in a calorie deficit which is great news!
That means you should keep going and don’t fix what’s not broken.
So, even if the scale doesn’t go down but your measurements do, that means you’re on the right track!
So KEEP GOING.
Troubleshooting Your Calorie Deficit Calculator:
If you swear you’ve been on track with nothing to show for it after 30 days, then you’re probably not in a calorie deficit and there’s a few things to look at.
1. Look at your Tracking Accuracy and Consistency
The usual culprit is that something is off with your tracking and/or consistency.
Look back at your past 30 days.
How many were on track?
If it’s below 25 days, you have a consistency problem that you need to fix.
If you have been on track, are you tracking everything you put in your mouth?
Here’s some common calorie tracking foes:
- Not tracking those tastes, bites, and licks that add up throughout the day
- Not tracking the alcohol and food you eat as a result on the weekends
- Not tracking that whole tub of ice cream you eat every night
- Maybe you’re on track during the week and then go into f*ck it mode on the weekends
- Ordering out almost everyday and guessing the calories
Either way, check out what could be going wrong and make the adjustment.
Give it at least 30 days of hitting your calorie deficit goal 80% of the time (25 days) before considering making a change.
2. Not Tracking your Calories or Weighing your Food
Both of these are going to make being in a calorie deficit and losing body fat so much easier.
If you’re not doing these two things, then you have no room to complain because how do you know how much you’re eating?
You don’t.
Just like if you don’t keep track of your bank statements, how do you know how much you’re making and need to spend?
You don’t.
So, start tracking your calories and weighing out your food so that you can start seeing progress.
At the very least give it a try for at least 30 days.
I think you’ll be surprised.
3. Reducing Your Calorie Intake
Maybe everything adds up to you being on track.
You may find that you’ve been eating more towards the higher end of your calorie deficit calculator.
Before dropping your calories, aim for the lower end of your deficit for a few weeks and see if that works.
If it doesn’t, decrease your calories by 5-10%.
4. Having Trouble Sticking to Your Calorie Goal?
For example, let’s say you’re on point during the week and you typically go out on the weekends with family and friends.
In that case, this may be a good situation for calorie cycling.
It may be a good idea to eat on the lower end of your range (1,700 calories in this example) during the week to essentially “save up” some calorie on the weekend in which you’d eat on the higher end (1,900 cals).
Also, some days – like your workout days – may leave you more hungry than others.
Maybe on your workout days you eat towards the higher end of your calorie range (1,900 calories) while on the rest days you eat toward the lower end (1,700 calories).
This is the cool thing – you can be as flexible as you need to be to make it work for your lifestyle.
These are all things you’ll figure out as you move along.
And that’s that.
Your calorie deficit calculator guide.
I promise that if you follow this to a T for 30, 60, 90 days, you will lose fat like you’ve never seen before.
And not only will you lose it, but you’ll be able to keep it off as well.
Thank you so much for reading!
-Coach Bob
Ps. Any questions, feel free to email me at bob@bobhooverfitness.com. I’m here to help!