Goal Weight Date Calculator

About this calculator

This calculator projects the date you would reach a goal weight based on the classic 3,500-kilocalorie-per-pound rule, first proposed by Max Wishnofsky in 1958: since one pound of body fat is estimated to store about 3,500 kcal, a sustained daily calorie deficit divided into 3,500 tells you roughly how many days it takes to lose one pound.

The rule is widely used in weight-loss apps and calculators because it turns an abstract calorie deficit into a concrete, motivating timeline, but it is a simplification: as weight loss progresses, maintenance calorie needs drop (since a smaller body burns fewer calories) and metabolic adaptation can slow progress further, so real-world results tend to land somewhat behind a straight-line 3,500 kcal projection, especially over longer timeframes.

Enter your current weight, goal weight, daily calorie deficit, and a start date, and this calculator projects the date you would hit your goal weight under the 3,500 kcal per pound assumption.