Are Your Calories Telling the Truth? (Use This Quick Reality Check)

Ever had a client (or… been that client) who swears they’re on 1,000 kcal a day and still not losing? I’ve heard it a thousand times in the gym—usually while they’re holding a latte the size of a goldfish pond. No shame. Life is busy, labels are sneaky, and calories are like toddlers: quiet for five minutes and then suddenly everywhere.

Here’s a simple way to sanity-check the maths so you can stop second-guessing yourself and start making progress.

The 60-Second Logic

• Your TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) is roughly what you burn per day.

• Your reported intake is what you think you eat per day.

• The deficit is the difference.

• Roughly 7,700 kcal ≈ 1 kg of body fat. So if your deficit is 900 kcal/day, that’s about 0.82 kg/week on paper.

Now, let’s sanity-check your numbers properly:

How to read your result (like a coach)

If the widget math matches your real-world results and you are losing about that much:

• Brilliant. Keep going. Big deficits can feel punchy—watch hunger, energy, and training quality.

• Hit protein, keep steps consistent, and track a 7-day average weight (not single weigh-ins).

If the widget says you should be losing more than you are:

• Audit the usual suspects for 7–14 days:

  • Logging accuracy (yes, weigh cooking oils, sauces, “bites, licks, and sips”).

  • Weekend creep (one big night can erase five tidy days—ask me how I know).

  • Liquid calories (milky coffees, juice, alcohol).

  • Portion drift (your “tablespoon” might be 30g with ambition).

  • NEAT drop: big deficits can quietly lower step count and fidgeting.

  • Water/glycogen noise (carbs, salt, hard training, hormones, stress).

• After two steady weeks, if averages haven’t budged, nudge steps up or trim ~100–200 kcal/day.

A quick personal note

When I came back to coaching full-time, I promised myself I’d help people avoid the fad-diet circus. Tools like this widget turn guesswork into clarity. And clarity is what helps you win—without banning chocolate or living on cabbage soup like a Dickens character.

If you’d like me to look over your numbers and build a plan that fits your actual life (work, kids, dog walks, surprise birthday cake), book a quick consult below. We’ll map your calories, training, and steps so your results match the maths—and your jeans.

Ready for a real plan?
👉 Book your free Game Plan consult

P.S. If your calorie app says 1,000 but your weekend says “cheeky Nando’s + 3 pints,” the app is not the problem. The gremlins are.