Calorie Deficit for Women: Floors, Pace and Protein
Calorie deficit for women: 500–600 kcal below maintenance, never under 1,200 kcal, losing under 1% of body weight a week. See the pace and protein tables.
Topic
A calorie deficit means eating less energy than your body uses. A gap of 300 to 500 calories a day is a common place to start. The scale will usually move slower than the math says, because water, salt and digestion shift your weight from one morning to the next.
Read on for how to set a deficit you can live with, why very low intakes tend to backfire, and how to watch a weight trend instead of a single weigh-in. Calsa keeps your meals and your weight in one place, so the trend is there when you want it.
Log my first mealLatest guideCalorie deficit
Why am I not losing weight in a calorie deficit? Usually the deficit is smaller than it feels. Three weeks at 0.5–1 kg a week should show 1.5–3 kg.
Read the guideKey number0.5–1 kga week is the usual pace (1–2 lb), per the NHS
Calorie deficit for women: 500–600 kcal below maintenance, never under 1,200 kcal, losing under 1% of body weight a week. See the pace and protein tables.
High protein low calorie snacks compared: 20 g of protein costs 83 kcal in shrimp, 95 in tuna, 118 in Greek yogurt and 548 in almonds.
App for weight loss: pick one that logs quickly, refuses goals below 1,200 or 1,500 kcal and stays at the NHS pace of 0.5–1 kg a week.
How does a calorie deficit work? Eat less than you use and your body draws on stored fat. 84% of lost fat leaves as carbon dioxide you breathe out.
A weight loss tracker app should show a trend, not just a number. See how the trend is drawn and what a steady 0.5–1 kg a week looks like.
TDEE for weight loss: eat 500 to 750 kcal below your TDEE, never under 1,200 (women) or 1,500 (men), and expect the deficit to shrink as you lose.
NHS calorie deficit weight loss advice: cut about 600 kcal a day, aim for 0.5–1 kg a week. See how to work out your own number in the UK.
How long should you be in a calorie deficit? Until your goal or about 6 months, when average loss peaks. See the timeline and when to take a break.
Can you lose weight without calorie deficit? Not body fat. See why the scale can drop anyway, and how 549 kcal of unlogged food hides a deficit.
Tuna meal high protein low cal: six meals with 25.7–35.1 g of protein for 311–428 kcal, every ingredient listed in grams from USDA records.
High protein low calorie breakfast: five plates with 21–33 g of protein for 147–213 kcal, weighed in grams, and what add-ons cost.
Calorie deficit foods that fill you up: 100 kcal of boiled potato weighs 115 g, almonds 17 g. See grams, calories and protein for 24 foods.