Cutting Calories Planner

📚 Full explanation

Cutting Calories Planner: build a realistic (and shareable) calorie-cut plan

If your goal is to cut (lose body fat while keeping muscle and performance), the fastest way to reduce confusion is to turn your goal into a plan you can follow day after day. That’s exactly what this Cutting Calories Planner does: it converts your current weight, goal weight, and timeline into a daily calorie target and a weekly pace.

The secret is that “cutting” isn’t a feeling — it’s a math-and-habits system: you create a consistent energy deficit, protect muscle with protein and resistance training, and keep the plan sustainable enough that you can actually stick with it. This planner focuses on the part most people want immediately: how many calories should I eat per day? and how fast will the scale move?

What you’ll get from this planner

Daily calorie target: your recommended calories to cut based on your TDEE and timeline.
Daily deficit: how many calories you’re subtracting from maintenance.
Estimated weekly change: an approximate weekly weight-loss pace (based on the energy gap).
Week-by-week projection: a simple timeline table you can screenshot and share.
Safety checks: smart warnings if your plan is too aggressive.

How cutting works (in plain English)

Your body burns energy every day through several components: Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) (the energy to stay alive), movement (daily activity and steps), exercise, and the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) (energy used to digest and process food). Add those together and you get your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), also called “maintenance calories.”

A cut happens when you eat below TDEE consistently. The gap between your TDEE and your intake is your calorie deficit. Over time, your body must make up the difference by drawing on stored energy (body fat, and sometimes glycogen and water). The goal of a smart cut is to make the deficit large enough to see progress, but not so large that you crash, binge, or lose muscle.

Formula breakdown (the exact math)

This planner uses the most common “energy balance” approximation: ~3,500 calories per pound or ~7,700 calories per kilogram of body weight. Real life varies (water shifts, glycogen, adaptive thermogenesis, and measurement error), but this is a useful planning baseline.

Step 1: Determine TDEE (maintenance calories)

You can either enter your known TDEE directly, or let the planner estimate it using the Mifflin–St Jeor BMR formula and an activity multiplier.

Male BMR = 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age + 5
Female BMR = 10×weight(kg) + 6.25×height(cm) − 5×age − 161
TDEE = BMR × activity factor

Activity factors are simple approximations: 1.2 (sedentary), 1.375 (light), 1.55 (moderate), 1.725 (very active), 1.9 (athlete).

Step 2: Calculate total weight to lose

Weight loss needed = current weight − goal weight
If the number is negative, your goal is higher than your current weight (that’s a bulk, not a cut).

Step 3: Convert weight loss to total calorie deficit

If using pounds: Total deficit = pounds to lose × 3,500
If using kilograms: Total deficit = kilograms to lose × 7,700

Step 4: Spread the deficit across your timeline

Days = weeks × 7
Daily deficit = total deficit ÷ days
Target calories = TDEE − daily deficit

Step 5: Estimate the weekly pace

Weekly loss (lb) ≈ (daily deficit × 7) ÷ 3,500
Weekly loss (kg) ≈ (daily deficit × 7) ÷ 7,700

Examples (so the plan feels real)

Example 1: Moderate cut (common and sustainable)

Current: 185 lb
Goal: 170 lb
Time: 10 weeks
TDEE: 2,600 kcal/day

Weight loss needed = 15 lb. Total deficit ≈ 15×3,500 = 52,500 kcal. Over 70 days (10 weeks), daily deficit ≈ 750 kcal/day. Target calories ≈ 2,600 − 750 = 1,850 kcal/day. Weekly pace ≈ (750×7)/3,500 = 1.5 lb/week.

Example 2: Gentle cut (great if you hate dieting)

Current: 160 lb
Goal: 150 lb
Time: 12 weeks
TDEE: 2,150 kcal/day

Need 10 lb. Total deficit = 35,000 kcal. Over 84 days, daily deficit ≈ 417 kcal/day. Target calories ≈ 1,730 kcal/day. Weekly pace ≈ 0.83 lb/week.

Example 3: Too aggressive (the planner will warn you)

Current: 140 lb
Goal: 120 lb
Time: 6 weeks
TDEE: 1,950 kcal/day

Need 20 lb → 70,000 kcal deficit over 42 days → 1,667 kcal/day deficit. That would imply ~283 kcal/day intake — not realistic or safe. The planner flags plans like this and suggests a longer timeline or smaller goal step.

How to make your cut “work” in the real world

Numbers are useful, but adherence wins. Here are the highest-impact habits that make cutting smoother:

Protein first: many people aim for ~0.7–1.0 g per lb of goal bodyweight (individual needs vary).
Lift weights: resistance training protects muscle during a deficit.
Steps matter: daily walking is the easiest way to raise energy output without burnout.
Fiber + volume: fruits, vegetables, and high-fiber carbs make calories more filling.
Sleep: poor sleep increases hunger and makes cutting harder than any formula can fix.

Use this planner as your “north star,” then adjust based on weekly averages. If your weight trend is not moving after 2–3 weeks, you may need a small calibration (often 100–200 kcal/day or more steps).

Why this planner shows warnings and guardrails

Cutting too aggressively tends to backfire. Common signs your plan is too hard: constant hunger, irritability, poor workouts, binge episodes, and rapid scale changes driven by water swings. This tool provides guardrails like:

Deficit % check: very high deficits (e.g., >25–30% of TDEE) are hard to sustain for most people.
Minimum calories: if your intake drops extremely low, it’s usually a sign the timeline is unrealistic.
Pace guidance: faster is not always better; consistency beats intensity.

FAQ

What is a “good” calorie deficit for cutting?
Many people do well with a moderate deficit that feels sustainable—often around 10–25% of TDEE. Your experience depends on training, sleep, food choices, and consistency.
Why does my weight fluctuate day-to-day?
Water, glycogen, sodium, stress, and digestion can swing the scale. Track weekly averages, not daily noise.
Will TEF make a big difference?
TEF matters, but it’s a smaller lever than total intake and activity. Use it as a helpful bonus, not the plan.
Should I add cardio?
Cardio can help, but steps and consistent training are usually more sustainable. Use the smallest effective dose.
What if my calculated calories feel too low?
Extend the timeline, choose a smaller goal step, or aim for a gentler weekly pace. Sustainable cuts are more likely to “stick.”
Is this medical advice?
No—this is an educational planning tool. If you have medical conditions, consult a licensed professional.

Educational use only. Results vary across individuals. For best results, track your weekly average weight, adjust gently, and prioritize training, protein, and sleep.

Enter your cutting goal