To lose weight with TDEE, calculate your maintenance calories, then eat 10–25% below them; 15–20% suits most people and gives roughly 0.7–0.9 lb (0.3–0.4 kg) of loss per week for a 165 lb woman. A 35-year-old woman with a TDEE of 2,239 kcal eats about 1,903 kcal at a 15% deficit. Recalculate every 5–10 lb lost.
Key takeaways
- Multiply your TDEE by 0.85 for a standard 15% deficit; by 0.90 for gentle, 0.80 for faster.
- The target for our example woman is 1,903 kcal at 15% and for our example man 2,408 kcal.
- TDEE drops about 70 kcal for every 10 lb lost, so a fixed target slowly becomes a smaller deficit.
- Stay above roughly 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) and above your BMR unless a clinician supervises.
- Judge the plan by your weekly average weight over 2–4 weeks, not by daily readings.
Here is how to use TDEE to lose weight: start with your maintenance calories in the TDEE calculator, then turn that number into a fat-loss target.
How do you use TDEE to lose weight?
Weight loss happens when you eat fewer calories than you burn, so the plan is simple:
- Find your TDEE (see how to calculate it).
- Multiply it by (1 − deficit %).
- Eat at that target consistently and watch your weekly average weight.
- Recalculate as your weight changes.
target = TDEE × (1 − deficit %) 10% = TDEE × 0.90 15% = TDEE × 0.85 20% = TDEE × 0.80
How big should the deficit be?
A percentage scales properly with body size, which is better than a flat 500 kcal for everyone. Most people do well at 15–20%.
| Deficit | Best for | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 5–10% | Lean people, final few pounds, preserving performance | Slow: about 0.2–0.6 lb/week for our examples |
| 15% | Most people | Steady progress with room for protein and training |
| 20% | More to lose, strong adherence | Faster, but hunger rises |
| 25% | Short phases with larger weight to lose | Check you stay above your floors |
Hunger, sleep and training quality usually get worse as the deficit grows, which is why most progress comes from consistency, not aggression. The bigger the deficit, the more important adequate protein becomes (Helms et al., 2014); see how much protein you need.
Worked example: calorie targets at each deficit
These use the Mifflin–St Jeor equation and moderate activity (×1.55) (Mifflin et al., 1990). The woman is 35, 5′5″ (165.1 cm), 165 lb (74.84 kg). The man is 30, 5′10″ (177.8 cm), 190 lb (86.18 kg). Weekly loss uses 3,500 kcal per pound as a short-term approximation.
| Deficit | Woman: target (kcal) | Woman: lb/week | Man: target (kcal) | Man: lb/week |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0% (maintenance) | 2,239 | 0 | 2,834 | 0 |
| 5% | 2,127 | 0.22 | 2,692 | 0.28 |
| 10% | 2,015 | 0.45 | 2,550 | 0.57 |
| 15% | 1,903 | 0.67 | 2,408 | 0.85 |
| 20% | 1,791 | 0.90 | 2,267 | 1.13 |
| 25% | 1,679 | 1.12 | 2,125 | 1.42 |
Her BMR is 1,444 kcal and his is 1,828, so every row stays well above BMR. For her, a 15% deficit means 336 kcal a day below maintenance; for him, 425 kcal.
How do you recalculate as your weight drops?
Your TDEE falls with body weight, so the same intake produces a shrinking deficit. This table recalculates our example woman at the same 15% deficit as she loses weight:
| Weight | BMR | TDEE (×1.55) | 15% target |
|---|---|---|---|
| 165 lb (74.8 kg) | 1,444 | 2,239 | 1,903 |
| 155 lb (70.3 kg) | 1,399 | 2,168 | 1,843 |
| 145 lb (65.8 kg) | 1,354 | 2,098 | 1,783 |
| 135 lb (61.2 kg) | 1,308 | 2,028 | 1,724 |
| 125 lb (56.7 kg) | 1,263 | 1,957 | 1,664 |
If she kept eating 1,903 kcal after dropping to 145 lb, her deficit would shrink from 336 to 195 kcal a day, a 9% deficit. Lost weight explains most of why loss slows, and some people also see expenditure fall a bit more than body size alone predicts (Hall et al., 2011; Rosenbaum & Leibel, 2010). The fixed 3,500-kcal-per-pound rule ignores both (Thomas et al., 2014).
Practical rule: recalculate and re-set your target every 5–10 lb, or whenever your weekly trend stalls for three weeks.
What are the calorie floors?
If a larger deficit takes you under those floors, extend your timeline, add movement or accept a slower rate. The weight loss calculator shows how long a goal takes at different intakes.
How do you know your deficit is working?
- Average weekly weight. Compare the average of one week to the previous week. For our 165 lb example woman, the 15% target predicts about 0.67 lb a week, a modest pace that is easy to sustain and to see in the trend.
- Give it 3 weeks. Water shifts can hide fat loss for a couple of weeks.
- Adjust by 100–200 kcal. If the trend is off, change intake in small steps, not big ones.
- Check your TDEE. If you are not losing as planned despite accurate logging, your real maintenance may be lower than the formula. Measure it with adaptive TDEE.
For a deeper guide to deficits, see what a calorie deficit is and the calorie deficit calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage deficit should I use from my TDEE?
A 15% deficit works for most people: it is large enough to see steady progress and small enough to keep protein, training and energy intact. Use 10% if you are lean, close to goal or want to preserve gym performance, and up to 20–25% if you have more weight to lose and are comfortable with it.
How many calories below TDEE should I eat to lose 1 lb a week?
About 500 kcal a day, using the common 3,500 kcal-per-pound rule. For a TDEE of 2,239 that is about 1,739 kcal, a 22% deficit. The rule overestimates long-term loss, so expect the pace to slow. See the 3,500-calorie rule.
Should I eat my TDEE or lower to lose weight?
Lower. Eating at TDEE keeps weight stable by definition. You need an intake below TDEE, which creates the energy gap your body fills from stored fat. Eating far below, such as at your BMR, is usually too aggressive. See TDEE vs BMR.
Why am I not losing weight at my TDEE deficit?
Common causes are an overestimated activity level, under-logged food, or too short a time window since water weight masks fat loss for weeks. Compare weekly averages over at least 3 weeks, and if the trend is flat, lower intake by 100–200 kcal or find your real maintenance with adaptive TDEE.
Do I recalculate my TDEE as I lose weight?
Yes. Lighter bodies burn less, so your TDEE and your deficit both shrink as you lose. Recalculate every 5–10 lb (2–5 kg), or whenever the scale trend stalls for three weeks. Our calorie deficit calculator estimates a timeline with this effect included.
Should I include exercise calories in my TDEE?
Only through the activity factor. If you chose the moderate factor for 3–5 workouts a week, workouts are already in the number. Adding watch calories on top would shrink your deficit, and wearables are often inaccurate. See TDEE accuracy.
References
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 51(2):241–247.
- Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al. (2011). Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. The Lancet 378(9793):826–837.
- Thomas DM, Gonzalez MC, Pereira AZ, Redman LM, Heymsfield SB (2014). Time to correctly predict the amount of weight loss with dieting. Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics 114(6):857–861.
- Rosenbaum M, Leibel RL (2010). Adaptive thermogenesis in humans. International Journal of Obesity 34(Suppl 1):S47–S55.
- Helms ER, Aragon AA, Fitschen PJ (2014). Evidence-based recommendations for natural bodybuilding contest preparation: nutrition and supplementation. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition 11:20.