Calorie deficit

Calorie deficit calculator

Your maintenance calories, the deficit that fits them, your protein target and a realistic weekly rate — computed with the same model your nutrition coach uses inside the app, so the number here is the number you get there.

Sex (for the BMR formula)

Age

Height (cm)

Weight (kg)

Goal weight (kg)

Optional — only used to estimate how long it takes.

Your day outside training

Training is counted separately below, so pick the rest of your day.

Training sessions per week

Minutes per session

What that training is

Enter your age, height and weight to see your maintenance calories and your deficit range.

Activity comes from your training, not from a slider

Most calculators ask you to classify yourself as 'lightly' or 'very' active and then multiply — a single guess that decides your whole result. This one splits the two: your day outside training sets a base factor, and the sessions you actually do are counted as calories from their sport, length and your bodyweight. That is how the app models it too, which is why it asks you how you train instead of how active you feel.

Why the deficit is 300–500 kcal and not more

A bigger deficit does not buy proportionally more fat loss; it buys more muscle loss, worse training sessions and a plan you abandon. The band here is the one the product uses for a cut, so the calculator cannot recommend something the coach would not. If you want to lose faster, the lever that works is more training, not less food.

Protein is what keeps the loss fat

On a deficit without enough protein, part of what you lose is muscle — exactly the part you want to keep. The target shown is 1.6–2.2 g per kg of bodyweight, the range evidence-based guidance puts on retaining and building muscle while training hard. It is the same range the app rates your intake against.

What the weekly rate really means

A kilogram of body fat holds roughly 7'700 kcal, so a 400 kcal daily deficit is about 0.36 kg a week on paper. In practice the first two weeks move faster (water) and later weeks flatten as you get lighter. Judge progress on a smoothed trend over two to three weeks, never on one morning's number — which is why the app shows a trend line rather than a daily verdict on the scale.

From a number to a plan

A calorie target tells you how much to eat. It says nothing about what to train, how often, or how to keep your strength while losing weight. GetMyCoach builds the training side around your goal, your experience and the days you have — and sets the same targets you see here on your nutrition screen, from your own body data.

Frequently asked questions

Which formula does this use?: Mifflin–St Jeor for basal metabolic rate, then a base factor for your day outside training, then the calories of your stated training week on top. It is the same chain the app's nutrition coach computes, not a formula written for this page.
How big should my calorie deficit be?: 300–500 kcal a day below maintenance for most people, which is what this calculator shows. That is roughly 0.3–0.5 kg a week — slow enough to keep your training quality and your muscle, fast enough to see a trend within a month.
Why is my maintenance higher than other calculators say?: Because training is counted as its own calories rather than folded into an activity multiplier. If you train five hard hours a week, a 'lightly active' multiplier understates you — and a deficit built on an understated maintenance is not a deficit.
Do I need to count calories to use GetMyCoach?: No. You log food by name and the app resolves it; the targets sit behind that so you see whether a day worked, not a spreadsheet. The number here is the target it would set you.
Is a calorie deficit enough on its own?: To lose weight, largely yes. To lose fat and keep muscle, no: you need enough protein and enough training stimulus, which is the part a training plan covers.

Turn your deficit into a training plan

Your coach builds the training that keeps the weight you lose from being muscle — around your level, your week and your equipment.

Build my weight-loss training plan See the weight-loss training plan →

Activity comes from your training, not from a slider

Why the deficit is 300–500 kcal and not more

Protein is what keeps the loss fat

What the weekly rate really means

From a number to a plan

Frequently asked questions

Which formula does this use?

Mifflin–St Jeor for basal metabolic rate, then a base factor for your day outside training, then the calories of your stated training week on top. It is the same chain the app's nutrition coach computes, not a formula written for this page.

How big should my calorie deficit be?

300–500 kcal a day below maintenance for most people, which is what this calculator shows. That is roughly 0.3–0.5 kg a week — slow enough to keep your training quality and your muscle, fast enough to see a trend within a month.

Why is my maintenance higher than other calculators say?

Because training is counted as its own calories rather than folded into an activity multiplier. If you train five hard hours a week, a 'lightly active' multiplier understates you — and a deficit built on an understated maintenance is not a deficit.

Do I need to count calories to use GetMyCoach?

No. You log food by name and the app resolves it; the targets sit behind that so you see whether a day worked, not a spreadsheet. The number here is the target it would set you.

Is a calorie deficit enough on its own?

To lose weight, largely yes. To lose fat and keep muscle, no: you need enough protein and enough training stimulus, which is the part a training plan covers.