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How to adjust your calories for weight loss

By the Laroa team, checked against Laroa’s evidence base. Updated . 3 minute read.

Compare your real weight trend with your target rate over two weeks, check the log first, then change intake in a small step. Never below the floors.

Start with the rate you’re aiming for

In trained people, losing about 0.5–1% of bodyweight a week preserves more lean mass than faster loss. Leaner people sit at the slower end. At 80 kg that’s about 0.4–0.8 kg a week.

That’s your yardstick. Adjust calories only when your measured trend is off it.

Read the trend, not this morning’s scale

Day-to-day weight is mostly water, glycogen and gut content, so judge progress on a smoothed trend over at least two weeks. Weighing daily and weekly work about equally, and daily weigh-ins give the trend more to work with.

Check the log before you cut

Once you have a few weeks of food logs and weigh-ins, your own maintenance, implied by your weight trend, is more accurate than any formula. That only holds if the log is reasonably complete, because consistent under-logging biases it low.

Metabolism does slow a little on a diet, on the order of 100 kcal a day, but unlogged food and moving less are far more likely causes of a stall. Check your steps and your diary first.

How big a change?

Say you weigh 80 kg, you’re aiming for −0.4 kg a week, and a complete two-week log shows −0.15. The gap is 0.25 kg a week. At about 7,700 kcal per kg, that’s roughly 275 kcal a day. Treat that as the size of a first step, not a precise answer, because weight loss isn’t linear.

Make the change, then re-check after two more weeks. A meta-analysis found that deficits above about 500 kcal a day prevented lean-mass gains in people lifting, so bigger cuts cost you more than they save.

Know the limits

Without medical supervision, don’t set a target below about 1,200 kcal a day for women or 1,500 for men, or more than 30% below maintenance. For lean or very active people these are minimums, not targets.

If you’re already near your floor and training or energy is slipping, a week or two at maintenance is a reasonable option. A diet break doesn’t reliably speed fat loss, but it can help when you’re struggling. Evidence is limited.

If you’re losing too fast

Losing faster than about 1% of bodyweight a week isn’t a prize. It risks muscle and performance. If your trend is well ahead of target, adding calories is as valid an adjustment as cutting them.

Common questions

How often should I adjust my calories?

After about two weeks of a flat or off-target trend with a complete log. Adjusting on a single week reacts to water, not fat.

Should I lower calories if the scale hasn’t moved this week?

Not on one week alone. Water and glycogen can hide a week or two of fat loss. Check the trend and the log first.

How much should I cut calories?

A small step, sized to the gap between your trend and your target. Stay above about 1,200 kcal for women or 1,500 for men without medical supervision.

The evidence behind this guide

Each claim above traces to an entry in Laroa’s evidence base (version 2026-10-21.3), which summarises position stands, guidelines and meta-analyses and grades how strong each one is.

Sources

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  2. Garthe I, Raastad T, Refsnes PE, Koivisto A, Sundgot-Borgen J. Effect of two different weight-loss rates on body composition and strength and power-related performance in elite athletes. Int J Sport Nutr Exerc Metab. 2011;21(2):97-104. doi:10.1123/ijsnem.21.2.97
  3. Murphy C, Koehler K. Energy deficiency impairs resistance training gains in lean mass but not strength: a meta-analysis and meta-regression. Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2022;32(1):125-137. doi:10.1111/sms.14075
  4. Kreitzman SN, Coxon AY, Szaz KF. Glycogen storage: illusions of easy weight loss, excessive weight regain, and distortions in estimates of body composition. Am J Clin Nutr. 1992;56(1 Suppl):292S-293S. doi:10.1093/ajcn/56.1.292S
  5. Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet. 2011;378(9793):826-837. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)60812-X
  6. Madigan CD, Daley AJ, Lewis AL, Aveyard P, Jolly K. Is self-weighing an effective tool for weight loss: a systematic literature review and meta-analysis. Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2015;12:104. doi:10.1186/s12966-015-0267-4
  7. Zheng Y, Klem ML, Sereika SM, et al. Self-weighing in weight management: a systematic literature review. Obesity (Silver Spring). 2015;23(2):256-265. doi:10.1002/oby.20946
  8. Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105(5):775-789. doi:10.1016/j.jada.2005.02.005
  9. Trexler ET, Smith-Ryan AE, Norton LE. Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11:7. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-11-7
  10. Martins C, Roekenes J, Salamati S, Gower BA, Hunter GR. Metabolic adaptation is an illusion, only present when participants are in negative energy balance. Am J Clin Nutr. 2020;112(5):1212-1218. doi:10.1093/ajcn/nqaa220
  11. Jensen MD, Ryan DH, Apovian CM, et al. 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS guideline for the management of overweight and obesity in adults. Circulation. 2014;129(25 Suppl 2):S102-S138. doi:10.1161/01.cir.0000437739.71477.ee
  12. Mountjoy M, Ackerman KE, Bailey DM, et al. 2023 International Olympic Committee's (IOC) consensus statement on Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs). Br J Sports Med. 2023;57(17):1073-1097. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2023-106994
  13. Byrne NM, Sainsbury A, King NA, Hills AP, Wood RE. Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men: the MATADOR study. Int J Obes. 2018;42(2):129-138. doi:10.1038/ijo.2017.206
  14. Peos JJ, Helms ER, Fournier PA, et al. Continuous versus intermittent dieting for fat loss and fat-free mass retention in resistance-trained adults: the ICECAP trial. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2021;53(8):1685-1698. doi:10.1249/MSS.0000000000002636

General information for healthy adults, not medical advice. If you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or have pain or warning symptoms, ask a clinician.

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