Tdee

Understanding how to calculate your weight loss needs is crucial for achieving your goals. This guide breaks down the key steps and provides practical advice.

NICE recommends a 500–600 kcal/day deficit for sustainable weight loss at 0.5–1 kg/week. The appropriate absolute calorie intake varies by TDEE (calculated from body weight, height, age, and activity level). This article covers TDEE calculation, deficit sizing evidence, and practical floors.

The right calorie intake for weight loss is TDEE minus 500–600 kcal (NICE recommendation). But where those calories come from — protein, carbohydrate, fat, fibre — affects hunger, lean mass retention, and adherence at the same total intake. This article covers calorie targets and composition.

The most common barrier to starting weight loss is information overload. This article identifies the three highest-impact starting actions supported by evidence — TDEE estimation, protein increase, and resistance training — and explains the reasoning behind each.

Calorie targets for weight loss require calculating TDEE using Mifflin-St Jeor (most validated equation), then applying a deficit of 500–750 kcal/day for NICE-recommended 0.5–1 kg/week loss. Minimum safe intakes: 1,200 kcal/day (women), 1,500 kcal/day (men) without supervision. Metabolic adaptation (Leibel 1995: −250 kcal/day after 10% loss) requires recalculation every 5–10 kg. This article provides the calculation framework and worked examples.