How to Set Calories
for Fat Loss

Step 1. Calculate Your BMR

Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at rest. just to keep you alive. Everything else builds on top of this.

If you know your body fat percentage, use the Katch-McArdle formula. it is more accurate because it accounts for lean mass rather than total bodyweight.

If you do not know your body fat percentage, the Mifflin-St Jeor equation is a solid alternative and still gives you a reliable starting point.

Step 2. Calculate Your TDEE

Your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) is your BMR plus all the calories you burn through movement and daily activity. A practical way to estimate this is to add roughly 20% to your BMR. This accounts for approximately 10% from the thermic effect of food (the energy it takes to digest what you eat) and 10% from NEAT, which is the movement you do outside of structured exercise.

Normal NEAT for most people sits around 7,500 to 8,000 steps per day. If you are consistently above or below that, it will affect your total burn more than most people realise.

Step 3. Choose the Right Activity Factor

On top of your base TDEE, structured exercise adds additional calorie burn. How you count this matters:

Activity Type	How to Count It
Light cardio (1–2 hours/week)	Count actual duration
Moderate cardio (3–5 hours/week)	Count actual duration
Hypertrophy training (60 min session)	Count as 30 min of movement. unless using giant sets or 20–24 sets per session, which increases the burn
Walking / steps	10,000 steps = meaningful activity contribution. Going beyond 15,000 steps daily is generally unsustainable. make up additional output with cardio instead

Step 4. Set Your Deficit

Once you have your TDEE, you need to create a calorie deficit to lose fat. The question most people ask is: do I cut calories, increase activity, or both?

The honest answer is it depends. but in most cases, a combination of both works best. Cutting calories too aggressively while also ramping up training is a fast way to feel miserable, lose performance, and eventually rebound. The goal is a sustainable deficit, not a maximum one.

• If someone has a significant amount of fat to lose, a larger initial deficit can work well
• For leaner individuals or those already training hard, a smaller deficit protects performance and muscle
• Never pull food to the point where someone is miserable. compliance is everything
• People who push fat loss too aggressively tend to rebound harder in the other direction

Why the Scale Lies. Water Retention

One of the most misunderstood parts of fat loss is water retention. Your body holds onto more water when you are in a calorie deficit. and the faster you try to lose weight, the more water you are likely to hold onto.

This means someone can be losing fat consistently but see little or no movement on the scale for weeks. It does not mean the process is not working. It means water is masking what is actually happening.

This is where refeeds can be useful. A planned period of eating at or near maintenance. usually one to two days. can reduce water retention significantly. When someone returns to their deficit after a refeed, they often see a noticeable drop on the scale as the retained water releases. The fat loss was happening the whole time.

The Bottom Line

Setting calories for fat loss is not complicated. It does require understanding what is actually happening in your body rather than just chasing a number on the scale.

• Calculate your BMR accurately using body fat percentage where possible
• Add your TDEE and account for activity honestly
• Create a deficit that is sustainable. not maximum
• Use a combination of reduced calories and increased activity
• Understand that water retention is normal and the scale is not the full picture
• Use refeeds strategically when progress stalls

Done right, fat loss does not have to mean feeling exhausted, underfed, or miserable. It means a well-structured plan applied consistently, with adjustments made based on real data rather than panic.