Daily calories for weight loss when half your meals are eaten away from home
There is no single calorie figure for weight loss, but UK reference intakes of about 2000 kcal a day for women and 2500 for men are the starting point, and a steady loss comes from eating a little below what your own body uses. The NHS suggests aiming for 0.5 to 1kg a week, which is roughly 1 to 2lb. The harder part is knowing what you actually eat, especially when many meals come from a coffee shop, a canteen or a station kiosk.
Estimate your daily calories
Your device does the calculation. No data is kept or sent. Adults only.
There is a BMI calculator too, plus a waist calculator, and the full set of club calculators.
How this calculation works
This calculation uses the approach the European Food Safety Authority settled on in 2013. The Henry equations give an estimate of basal metabolic rate based on sex, age and weight, which is then multiplied by an activity level running from 1.4 for a desk-bound life up to 2 for a very active life.
Example. At 45, a woman with a weight of 70 who spends most of her day sitting burns about 1950 kcal a day.
A coach from the club reviews your circumstances alongside you and suggests the right next steps.
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Calories are now printed for you
Since April 2022, larger coffee shops, restaurants and takeaways in England must show calories on their menus. The government page on calorie labelling out of home sets out the rules. That printed number is a gift. You no longer need to guess, just to read.
A working day, priced in kcal
Take a commuter who catches an early train from Bicester Village to Oxford. A large flavoured latte and a pastry at the station can reach 600 kcal before 9am. A meal deal at lunch with crisps and a sugary drink can add another 700 or more. An afternoon biscuit or 2, a glass of wine after work and dinner follow. Without anything unusual, the day can pass the reference intake by a wide margin.
Now the same day with a few changes. A regular coffee with milk and a home made breakfast. A sandwich with fruit and water at lunch. The same dinner. The gap can be 300 or 400 kcal, without a single day of feeling deprived.
3 places where the number climbs fast
Drinks
The NHS page on calories in alcohol notes that a standard glass of wine can contain up to 158 kcal and a pint of strong lager up to 222. Coffee shop drinks with syrups and cream can rival a small meal.
Sides and add-ons
Chips, garlic bread, dressings and extra cheese are where restaurant meals grow. Ask for sauces on the side and share a starter.
Grazing at a desk
Small handfuls from a shared tin rarely feel like eating, yet they count. A planned snack works better. Our guide to eating out and takeaways has more tactics.
Why very low numbers backfire
Cutting very hard leaves you hungry, tired and likely to rebound. It can also cost muscle. A moderate gap you can keep for months beats a severe cut you drop after 10 days. The NHS guidance on weight loss treatment stresses steady change and support.
Use the numbers for a while
Reading menu calories for a few weeks teaches you the usual suspects. After that, most people can judge a plate by eye. If you want to check your pace, our article on the 5kg goal shows how to follow progress beyond the scales.
At the club, members are followed every day by coaches trained in nutrition, which keeps these choices simple without counting every mouthful.
Calorie needs depend on age, size, activity and health. This article does not replace advice from your GP or another health professional.
Your weight loss curve
Add your profile and the curve is redrawn at once.
Losing 8 kg at the median pace would take roughly 11 weeks, or around 4 months at the gentlest one.
Most guidance puts lasting weight loss at 500 g to 1 kg per week, which is the ideal zone on the chart. Lose more than 1 kg per week consistently and the body eats into muscle and not just fat, shown by the hatched zone.
This projection is a rough guide only. Each person’s journey is their own, and results are not the same for everyone. The sums are done on your device, with nothing stored or sent anywhere. Over 65, speak to your doctor before anything else.
How this curve is calculated
At the top, the zone’s edge marks 500 g per week, the gentlest rate. At the bottom, its edge marks 1 kg per week, the point where risk starts.
Weight comes off faster in the first weeks, much of it water, before the pace eases. Beyond 40, the median curve gradually flattens as metabolism slows down. With the same effort, men generally lose a little faster than women.
Like real life, the journey curve includes plateaus a few days long and minor regains. It is no prediction of the path you will follow.
The tips here are general and are no substitute for medical advice.
Further reading
Daily support is set out in the club programme for better balanced eating.