What Is a Good TDEE for Weight Loss?

Q: What is a good TDEE for weight loss?

There is no single “good” TDEE for weight loss because TDEE is just your personal maintenance number, not a goal to hit. A TDEE calculator estimates how many calories you burn per day based on age, sex, height, weight, and activity. For weight loss, you usually eat below that number by creating a controlled calorie deficit. A common starting point is reducing calories by about 15–25% under your TDEE so you lose roughly 0.5–1% of body weight per week while preserving energy and muscle. If progress stalls for 2–3 weeks, you can slightly adjust calories or activity. The “best” TDEE setup is the one that is sustainable and keeps you feeling reasonably satisfied.

TDEE is your maintenance number. Weight loss depends on how you set your calorie deficit.

Last updated: January 2026

It’s a super common question, but the trick is this: TDEE isn’t a “weight loss target.” It’s the baseline that helps you pick a calorie intake you can stick with long enough to see results.

Want more quick answers? Visit the TDEE FAQs page.

First, get your maintenance estimate with our Total Daily Energy Expenditure calculator, then use the steps below to choose a deficit that fits your goals.

There’s no single “good” TDEE, there’s your TDEE

Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is your personal estimate of how many calories you burn per day based on your age, sex, height, weight, and activity. It’s a maintenance reference point.

For weight loss, the goal usually isn’t to “eat your TDEE.” The goal is to eat below your TDEE in a controlled way so your body draws on stored energy over time.

A common starting point: 15–25% below maintenance

A practical, sustainable approach is to reduce daily calories by about 15–25% under your estimated TDEE. For many people, that lines up with a loss rate of roughly 0.5–1% of body weight per week while preserving energy, training performance, and muscle.

More moderate (often easier to sustain)

~15% deficit can feel more comfortable and consistent, especially if you’re active, hungry, or trying to keep training quality high.

More aggressive (works, but can feel harder)

~25% deficit may produce faster changes, but it can be tougher to stick to and may increase fatigue or hunger for some people.

What “good” looks like in practice

The best setup is not the one that looks perfect on paper. It is the one you can do consistently. A good plan usually:

Keeps you reasonably satisfied most days.
Maintains decent energy and sleep.
Lets you keep training (or daily activity) steady.
Produces a clear downward trend over a few weeks.

Reality check

Daily scale weight bounces around. Look at the trend over 2–3 weeks rather than reacting to one day.

If progress stalls for 2–3 weeks, adjust slightly

If your weight trend hasn’t moved for about 2–3 weeks (and tracking is consistent), you can make a small adjustment:

Reduce calories a bit (small changes are usually better than drastic cuts).
Increase activity (more steps, an extra workout, or slightly longer sessions).
Improve consistency (weekends, snacks, “tastes,” and drinks often add more than people realize).

Bottom line

A good TDEE for weight loss is simply your maintenance TDEE plus a deficit you can sustain. This is often around 15–25% below to aim for a steady, realistic weekly loss rate.

Quick next step

Get your estimate, pick a conservative deficit, and track for 2–3 weeks. If results are too slow or too fast, adjust once and keep going.