Size the cut—how hard, not what maintenance is.

How hard to cut from a TDEE you already know: % deficit, weekly pace, and a floor.

Size the cut Read the guide

Uses the TDEE you enter

How hard to cut — not what maintenance is.

Enter TDEE from the TDEE page. This does not re-run Mifflin-St Jeor.

Daily target

1708

−692 kcal (29% of TDEE) · ~1.39 lb/week

Your TDEE, kcal/day

Weight, lb

Weekly pace (% of body weight)

Flat −500 would be 1900 kcal. Your % of TDEE is 29%.

That cut looks deep (over ~25% of TDEE, or a very low floor). Consider the conservative preset.

Don’t know TDEE yet? Estimate it on the TDEE calculator, then come back. This page will not invent maintenance for you.

This tool is for education and planning. It is not medical advice.

% of TDEE vs flat −500

A flat 500-calorie cut is a different % for a 1,800 vs 3,200 TDEE. We take your entered TDEE, your weight, and a weekly % of body weight, then show both the % of TDEE and what −500 would have been.

Daily deficit ≈ (weekly % × body weight × ~7,700 kcal/kg) / 7
Target = entered TDEE − daily deficit

Need TDEE first? Estimate TDEE — this page will not hero Mifflin-St Jeor.

Conservative/moderate/aggressive

Conservative 0.5% of body weight per week, moderate 0.75%, aggressive 1%. Labeled planning rates, not a medical plan.

When a cut is too deep

If the cut is over ~25% of TDEE, or the target looks like a crash floor, we flag it. Hunger, missed lifts, and rebound beating the math are how “too deep” shows up. Timeline questions go to the goal-weight predictor.

Not medical advice

This tool is for education and planning. It does not diagnose, treat, or replace care from a qualified professional.

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Not medical advice. CaloDrop tools are estimates for planning, not a diagnosis or treatment.