# Daily Calorie Calculator — Target, Deficit and Meal Split

> Turn a daily calorie target into a weekly deficit, a projected rate of change and a per-meal split.

A calorie target is your maintenance level adjusted by a percentage: a 15% deficit is the usual steady rate, giving roughly 0.5 kg a week. The 7,700 kcal per kilogram conversion is a linear approximation — real loss slows as you get lighter, because a smaller body needs fewer calories to maintain.

**URL:** https://convertto.tech/t/calorie-calculator
**Category:** Calculators (https://convertto.tech/c/calculators)
**Privacy:** Runs entirely in the browser; no upload
**Cost:** Free, no sign-up
**Last updated:** 2026-08-01

## Key facts

- **Privacy:** Runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded
- **Cost:** Free, unlimited, no sign-up

## How to use

1. Set the maintenance calories.
2. Choose the goal.
3. Set the body weight.
4. Set the meals per day.
5. Choose the units.
6. The result appears immediately — copy or download it.

## FAQ

### Why does the projection overstate what I actually lose?

Because it assumes maintenance stays constant, and it does not. As you lose weight there is less body to move and to keep warm, so maintenance falls and the same intake becomes a smaller deficit. Real loss flattens into a curve; every linear projection, including this one, is optimistic after the first couple of months.

### Is a bigger deficit faster?

Faster on the scale, not necessarily faster in fat. Below roughly a 25% deficit most of the loss is fat; beyond it, lean mass losses climb and adherence collapses. Losing 0.5–1% of body weight a week is the range where the loss is mostly what you wanted to lose.

### Does meal timing matter?

Far less than total intake. The per-meal split here is for planning, not because the body cares when calories arrive. The one genuine exception is protein, which is used somewhat better spread across the day than taken in a single sitting.

## Related tools

- [BMR & Calorie Calculator](https://convertto.tech/t/bmr-tdee-calculator): Estimate your basal metabolic rate and daily calorie needs using Mifflin-St Jeor.
- [Macro Calculator](https://convertto.tech/t/macro-calculator): Split daily calories into protein, carbohydrate and fat targets in grams.
- [Pregnancy Due Date Calculator](https://convertto.tech/t/pregnancy-due-date-calculator): Estimate a due date from a last period, conception date or an early scan, with milestones.
- [BMI Calculator](https://convertto.tech/t/bmi-calculator): Calculate body mass index in metric or imperial units, with the WHO categories.
- [Body Fat Percentage Calculator](https://convertto.tech/t/body-fat-calculator): Estimate body fat percentage using the US Navy tape-measure method.
- [Heart Rate Zone Calculator](https://convertto.tech/t/heart-rate-zone-calculator): Calculate your training zones from maximum and resting heart rate.
- [Running Pace Calculator](https://convertto.tech/t/running-pace-calculator): Calculate your pace per kilometre or mile and project finish times for common races.
- [Sleep Cycle Calculator](https://convertto.tech/t/sleep-calculator): Find the best times to sleep or wake based on 90-minute sleep cycles.