How Many Calories Should You Consume to Lose Weight?

A calorie target for weight loss is built on two figures: your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the calories your body burns in a typical day — and a deficit applied to that figure. Most calculators subtract a moderate amount from TDEE to produce a daily intake goal that encourages fat loss while preserving lean muscle.

What goes into the calculation

• Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR): the calories your body uses at complete rest, influenced by height, weight, age, and biological sex.
• Activity multiplier: a factor applied to BMR based on how active you are — sedentary, lightly active, moderately active, or very active.
• Goal deficit: a reduction (commonly in the range of 300–500 calories below TDEE) to create a steady, manageable shortfall.

Why this matters specifically on a GLP-1 journey

GLP-1 medicines are commonly associated with reduced appetite and lower food intake. While eating less can feel easy at first, falling far below a sensible calorie floor can mean missing out on protein, vitamins, and energy your body needs. Understanding your calculated target gives you a meaningful lower boundary, not just an upper one. For a deeper look at the numbers behind this, see our guide on how many calories to consume to lose weight.

General educational ranges

Calorie needs vary considerably between individuals. As a broad educational reference, many adults aiming for gradual weight loss land somewhere between 1,400 and 1,900 calories per day, though the right figure depends entirely on your personal data. A calculator gives you a personalised starting estimate — your prescriber or doctor can help you decide whether it fits your clinical picture. You can also explore related tools like our weight-loss calculator or read more about how calorie targets for weight loss work to build a fuller picture.

Calculating a number is only useful if you can act on it consistently — and that is where the app earns its place. GLP Trackr's food logging makes hitting your daily calorie target genuinely straightforward, even when appetite changes make eating feel unpredictable.

Point your camera, skip the guesswork

The AI photo scan feature lets you photograph a meal and receive an instant nutrition breakdown — calories, protein, and macros — without searching a database or estimating portions. For packaged foods, the barcode scanner handles it in a single tap. Both feed directly into your daily calorie total, so you always know where you stand against your target.

Set your target, watch your progress

Once you know your calorie goal, you can set it as a daily target inside the app. GLP Trackr tracks your intake against that number and surfaces insights over time — so if your progress stalls, you can see whether your actual intake has drifted, rather than guessing. The calorie calculator hub brings together all the related tools and guidance in one place.

GLP Trackr also tracks protein alongside calories, which matters on a GLP-1 journey where preserving muscle while in a deficit is a common goal.

The figures a calculator produces are general educational estimates. For guidance personalised to your health history and circumstances, always speak with your prescriber or doctor — they are best placed to advise on what intake is appropriate for you.

Ready to put your calorie target to work? Download GLP Trackr on the App Store or Google Play and start your free 7-day trial — snap your meals, hit your targets, and watch your data build into a clear picture of your progress.