A pound of flesh is about 3,500 calories. If you track the calories you eat over a given period of time and know how much weight you’ve lost or gained over that period of time, you can come to a relatively accurate estimate of how many calories you’re burning on a daily basis. The technical term for that value is your total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE.
The formula to calculate your TDEE based on weight change is:
Here’s a calculator:
When someone tells you to eat $X$ calories to lose $Y$ pounds per week, what they’re doing is essentially:
Notes
The calculator will automatically update your estimated TDEE based on your inputs. For the most accurate results:
- The calculator is in good ole American pounds 🇺🇸
but I am very confident that you can handle the conversion if you need to - Tracking your calories and weight for at least 2-3 weeks will make this more accuate. Things like water weight fluctuations can affect short-term results.
- Be consistent with your weigh-ins (same time of day, same conditions). Every morning before getting dressed is a great time.
- Be as accurate as possible with your calorie tracking. It probably goes without saying, but the more accurate you are with tracking, the more accurate the calculators results.