To lose 1.5 pounds per week, the standard 3,500-calorie estimate implies a deficit of about 5,250 calories per week, or 750 calories per day. Your estimated daily calorie target is TDEE minus 750. Because that subtraction can leave a very small calorie budget at a lower TDEE, a deficit this size usually only suits people with higher maintenance calories.
The Simple Calculation
Start with the planning estimate that approximately 3,500 calories equals 1 pound of body weight:
- 1.5 pounds × 3,500 calories = 5,250 calories
- 5,250 calories ÷ 7 days = 750 calories per day
- Daily calorie target = TDEE − 750 calories
The deficit is the difference between estimated maintenance calories and calories consumed. It does not mean eating 750 calories per day. If maintenance is 2,600 calories, for example, subtracting 750 produces a daily target of 1,850 calories.
Weekly and Daily Formulas
You can run the calculation by day or by week:
- Daily target = TDEE − 750
- Weekly target = (TDEE × 7) − 5,250
Both formulas produce the same result. The weekly version can be useful when daily intake varies but the seven-day total remains the number being calculated.
Calculate TDEE From BMR
TDEE, or total daily energy expenditure, is estimated from basal metabolic rate and an activity factor:
TDEE = BMR × activity factor
For example, a BMR of 1,700 calories multiplied by an activity factor of 1.5 gives an estimated TDEE of 2,550 calories. The corresponding calculation for a 1.5-pound weekly target is 2,550 − 750 = 1,800 calories per day.
BMR and activity factor are both estimates, so the resulting TDEE and calorie target are estimates too. The arithmetic can be exact while the inputs remain approximate.
Worked Examples
Example 1: TDEE of 2,550 Calories
Suppose estimated BMR is 1,700 calories and the selected activity factor is 1.5:
- 1,700 × 1.5 = 2,550-calorie TDEE
- 2,550 − 750 = 1,800-calorie daily target
- 2,550 × 7 = 17,850 maintenance calories per week
- 1,800 × 7 = 12,600 target calories per week
- 17,850 − 12,600 = 5,250-calorie weekly deficit
Here, the 750-calorie deficit equals about 29.4% of estimated maintenance calories. The daily budget after subtraction is 1,800 calories.
Example 2: TDEE of 1,960 Calories
Now suppose estimated BMR is 1,400 calories and the activity factor is 1.4:
- 1,400 × 1.4 = 1,960-calorie TDEE
- 1,960 − 750 = 1,210-calorie daily target
- 1,960 × 7 = 13,720 maintenance calories per week
- 1,210 × 7 = 8,470 target calories per week
- 13,720 − 8,470 = 5,250-calorie weekly deficit
The same 750-calorie subtraction now equals about 38.3% of maintenance. The formula has not changed, but it leaves a much smaller daily calorie budget because the starting TDEE is lower.
To substitute your own BMR, activity level, and target, run your numbers in the calorie deficit calculator.
How Many Calories Equal 1.5 Pounds?
Using the approximate 3,500-calorie relationship:
1.5 × 3,500 = 5,250 calories
That makes 5,250 calories the estimated energy difference associated with 1.5 pounds in this calculation. Spread evenly across seven days, it becomes 750 calories per day. This is a planning conversion, not a guarantee that an exact 5,250-calorie difference will always produce an exact 1.5-pound scale change.
Why Does This Deficit Fit Higher TDEEs Better?
A fixed 750-calorie deficit consumes a different percentage of the daily budget at different maintenance levels:
| Estimated TDEE | TDEE Minus 750 | Deficit as Percentage of TDEE |
|---|---|---|
| 1,800 | 1,050 | 41.7% |
| 2,200 | 1,450 | 34.1% |
| 2,600 | 1,850 | 28.8% |
| 3,000 | 2,250 | 25.0% |
At a 3,000-calorie TDEE, subtracting 750 leaves 2,250 calories. At a 1,800-calorie TDEE, it leaves 1,050. This is why a 750-calorie daily deficit usually only suits people with higher maintenance calories: the same subtraction takes up a smaller share of maintenance and leaves a larger remaining budget.
What Is the Weekly Calorie Target?
Multiply TDEE by seven, then subtract 5,250. For a TDEE of 2,400 calories:
- 2,400 × 7 = 16,800 weekly maintenance calories
- 16,800 − 5,250 = 11,550 weekly target calories
- 11,550 ÷ 7 = 1,650 calories per day
Daily and weekly calculations are two views of the same calorie budget. In burndown terms, 750 calories is the estimated amount spent down from maintenance each day.