How Long Does It Take to Lose 5 kg?
At 0.5 kg a week it takes about 10 weeks; at 1 kg a week, about 5. Set your pace below and get your exact projected goal date.
Calculate Your Plan
Range: 30–300 kg · up to 2 decimals
Range: 30–300 kg · up to 2 decimals
Enter your height in centimeters (e.g., 170 cm)
Range: 18–100 years
Required: the BMR formula uses biological sex (male or female) as a variable, so the estimate can’t be calculated without it.
*This calculator is for informational purposes only. Please consult a healthcare professional before making any health decisions. See our medical disclaimer for more information.
Date-Based Planning
Have a wedding, vacation, or competition coming up? Select “By Duration” to enter a number of days, weeks, or months and let the algorithm reverse-engineer your required daily deficit.
The 7,700 kcal/kg Rule
A kilogram of body fat contains approximately 7,700 calories. To lose 0.5 kg per week, you need a daily deficit of 550 calories (550 × 7 = 3,850).
| Pace | Deficit/Day |
|---|---|
| 0.25 kg / wk | 275 kcal |
| 0.50 kg / wk | 550 kcal |
| 0.75 kg / wk | 825 kcal |
| 1.00 kg / wk | 1,100 kcal |
Safe Loss Rates
Aggressive deficits lead to muscle wasting. A safe clinical guideline is to aim for losing 0.5% to 1.0% of your total body weight per week.
- 70 kg person:0.35 – 0.70 kg/wk
- 90 kg person:0.45 – 0.90 kg/wk
- 110 kg person:0.55 – 1.0 kg/wk *
* 1% of body weight would be 1.10 kg/wk. This tool caps the selectable rate at 1.0 kg/wk — a pace suited mainly to higher body weights. At most body weights a 1.0 kg/wk rate implies an ~1,100 kcal/day deficit, above the 1,000 kcal/day guideline, which is why it is flagged "Very Aggressive".
Reverse Dieting
When you hit your goal weight, gradually add 100–200 calories back per week until your weight stabilises. Your metabolism has adapted — jumping straight to maintenance calories causes rebound fat gain.
Quick Answer
How Long Does It Take to Lose 5 kg?
At a gentle 0.25 kg a week, losing 5 kg takes about 20 weeks; at a standard 0.5 kg a week, about 10 weeks; at 1 kg a week, about 5. The maths is 5 kg divided by your weekly pace. Enter your current weight, a goal 5 kg lower, and your activity level to turn the pace into a specific date and daily calorie target.
The Timeline at Each Pace
Every timeline here comes from one piece of arithmetic: a kilogram of body fat stores about 7,700 calories, so 5 kg is roughly 38,500 calories of total deficit. Divide that by the daily deficit and the common paces line up cleanly. A mild 0.25 kg a week runs on a deficit near 275 calories a day and takes about 20 weeks to shed 5 kg. The standard 0.5 kg a week needs roughly 550 calories a day and lands at about 10 weeks. Step up to 1 kg a week — near 1,100 calories a day — and the 5 kg are gone in about 5 weeks, though that pace is flagged Very Aggressive because it sits at the top of the accepted 0.25–1 kg per week range and suits mainly higher starting weights. To turn a pace into a specific daily calorie number you first need your maintenance figure, which the TDEE Calculator estimates for you.
Why the Scale Jumps Early
If the scale drops faster than the arithmetic in the first week and then slows, nothing has gone wrong. When you cut calories your body first spends its glycogen stores, and the water bound to that glycogen goes with it, so the early loss runs ahead of the pure-fat maths. That water weight is real on the scale, but it is not the 7,700-calories-per-kilogram fat the formula is counting, which is why week one can look large while a later week settles back toward the pace you chose. Averaged across the whole 5 kg stretch the numbers return to your chosen rate, so it helps to judge progress over a fortnight rather than a single weigh-in. Once you know the daily deficit your pace needs, the Calorie Deficit Calculator shows how to build it from food.
Get Your Date
The week counts above are the general shape; your own date depends on your body. Enter your current weight and a goal weight 5 kg lower, add your height, age, gender and activity level, and the planner estimates your maintenance calories with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, applies your chosen pace, and returns a specific projected goal date plus a milestone schedule. If a pace would drive your intake below a safe floor, it caps the deficit and stretches the date rather than pretending an unsafe plan works. When you would rather set the deadline first and read off the pace it needs, the Goal Weight Calculator this page is built on runs the same maths in reverse. These figures are general estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice.
Timelines use the 7,700 kcal/kg energy model of body fat (Hall et al., 2011) with maintenance estimated by the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990). A safe pace is 0.25–1 kg (0.5–2 lb) per week with a daily deficit up to about 1,000 kcal (NHS). Early loss includes water and glycogen; individual results vary.
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Explore More Tools
Each calculator feeds into the next — your data carries forward automatically through every step.
Goal Weight
Find out exactly when you will reach your goal — or what deficit it takes to hit a specific deadline.
TDEE
Find out exactly how many calories your body burns daily — the foundation of every weight loss plan.
Calorie Deficit
Calculate the precise daily deficit needed to reach your goal without sacrificing lean muscle mass.