Goal Weight Date Calculator
When will you reach your goal weight? Enter where you are and where you want to be. This calculator projects your weight week by week with the same TDEE formula, deficits, and 1,200-calorie floor the Nouri app uses, and gives you a date.
How the goal date is calculated
Your starting daily burn (TDEE) is the Mifflin-St Jeor equation times your activity factor, exactly as the Nouri app computes it:
- Women: (10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age - 161) x activity factor
- Men: (10 x kg + 6.25 x cm - 5 x age + 5) x activity factor
Your daily target is that TDEE minus your deficit (or plus your surplus for a gain goal), never below 1,200 calories. Then the projection runs one week at a time: weekly change = (TDEE at this week's weight - daily target) x 7 / 3,500 calories per pound. Because a lighter body burns less, the same target makes a slightly smaller deficit every week, so progress slows as you get closer. The weekly rate option converts your pick into a starting deficit the same way: 1 lb a week is 500 calories a day.
The default example, worked through
A 35-year-old woman, 5'5" (165.1 cm), 180 lb (81.6 kg), lightly active, standard 500 deficit, goal 160 lb:
- Resting: 10 x 81.6 + 6.25 x 165.1 - 5 x 35 - 161 = 1,512 calories
- TDEE: 1,512 x 1.375 = 2,079 calories, so the target is 1,579 a day
- Week 1: 500 x 7 / 3,500 = 1.0 lb. By 170 lb her burn has dropped to about 2,020, so the same target loses about 0.9 lb a week
- Result: about 23 weeks (160 days) to 160 lb, versus the 20 weeks a flat 3,500-calorie rule would promise
How long to lose 10, 20, or 30 lb
Same example woman, starting at 180 lb and keeping one daily target the whole way, computed with the exact projection above. The number in brackets is the flat 3,500-calories-per-pound answer, which ignores your burn falling as you lose.
| Goal | 250/day deficit | 500/day deficit | 750/day deficit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lose 10 lb | 23 weeks (20) | 11 weeks (10) | 7 weeks (7) |
| Lose 20 lb | 55 weeks (40) | 23 weeks (20) | 14 weeks (13) |
| Lose 30 lb | 110 weeks (60) | 37 weeks (30) | 23 weeks (20) |
The gap grows with smaller deficits and bigger goals, because a 250-calorie gap is the one most easily eaten up by a falling burn. The fix is simple: rerun your numbers every 10 lb or so and lower your target to match, which keeps your pace close to week one. You can get your updated target any time from the daily calorie needs calculator or compare deficit sizes in the calorie deficit calculator. What sits inside the burn number is in TDEE Explained.
Making the date real
The projection assumes you hit your target most days. The date moves when the deficit exists on paper but not on the plate, so the most useful thing you can do is keep logging long enough for the trend to show. Practical ways to keep going past week three are in How to Stick to Calorie Tracking. Keep protein up while you lose: the protein intake calculator gives your number, or see the targets for 180 lbs and 160 lbs directly.
Results vary, and plateaus of a week or two are normal, often water rather than fat. This is an estimate, not medical advice: if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or take medication that affects weight, talk to your doctor before starting a deficit.
FAQ
How long will it take to reach my goal weight?
Divide the weight you want to lose by your weekly loss, then allow for loss slowing as your burn falls. For the example above, a 500-calorie deficit takes 180 lb to 160 lb in about 23 weeks. Enter your own numbers in the calculator for your date.
How do I calculate when I will reach my goal weight?
Work out your TDEE, subtract your deficit to get a daily target, and convert the deficit to weekly loss at 3,500 calories per pound. Then recompute your TDEE at each new weight, week by week, until you reach the goal. This calculator does exactly that.
How long does it take to lose 20 pounds?
For a 35-year-old, 5'5" woman starting at 180 lb and lightly active, about 55 weeks at a 250 deficit, 23 weeks at 500, and 14 weeks at 750. Your own timeline depends on your size and activity, so run your numbers above.
Why does my weight loss slow down as I get closer to my goal?
A lighter body burns fewer calories, so the same daily target makes a smaller deficit over time. Rerunning your numbers every 10 lb or so and lowering your target keeps your pace close to where it started.
Is 3,500 calories really one pound of fat?
It is a rule of thumb, not an exact law. A 2008 NIH analysis found it roughly matches people with more body fat but overstates the deficit needed for leaner people, so treat any projected date as an estimate.
Why am I not losing weight on schedule?
Short plateaus are normal and often water. If the scale is flat for more than two weeks, check your logging first: in one NEJM study, people who believed they could not lose weight underreported what they ate by 47 percent on average.
Can I use this to plan weight gain?
Yes. Enter a goal above your current weight and the calculator switches to a surplus, with 300 a day as the standard option, the same adjustment Nouri applies for a gain goal.
Is this the same target the Nouri app gives me?
With the 500 deficit (or 300 surplus) selected, yes: same formula, same activity multipliers, same 1,200 floor. The goal date projection is this page's addition.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST et al., "A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals," American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1990, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/2305711 (checked October 8, 2026)
- Hall KD, "What is the required energy deficit per unit weight loss?," International Journal of Obesity, 2008, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17848938 (checked October 8, 2026)
- Lichtman SW et al., "Discrepancy between self-reported and actual caloric intake and exercise in obese subjects," New England Journal of Medicine, 1992, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/1454084 (checked October 8, 2026)
- Nouri's target computation (formula, activity multipliers, 500 deficit, 300 surplus, 1,200 floor): Nouri's own onboarding calculation, stated firsthand