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TDEE calculator / Maintenance calories

Maintenance Calories Calculator

Find how many calories a day keep your weight stable. See the number at every activity level so you can pick the one that matches your real week.

3 formulas comparedMacros for every goalNo sign-up, no data stored

Your details

Sample values. Change them to yours.
Units
Sex
yrs
kg
cm
Torn between two? Pick the lower one. How to choose
Body fat and macro split
%
Don't know it? Estimate it with the body fat calculator.

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Your maintenance calories (TDEE)
—calories / day
Fill in your details to see your numbers.
—
TDEE (maintenance)
—
BMR (at rest)
—
Expected weekly change

Maintenance at every activity level

Your BMR multiplied by each activity factor. If your weight is stable, the row closest to what you actually eat is your real level.

ActivityFactorCalories / day

Daily Targets

Maintain weight
Calories—
% of calories
Protein —30%
Fat —35%
Carbohydrate —35%

Formula comparison

Same inputs, three equations. Tap one to use it.

Written by AdnanUpdated Sources listed at the end

What maintenance calories mean

Your maintenance calories are what you can eat each day while your weight stays the same. It is another name for your TDEE: the energy you burn at rest, digesting food and moving around. Eat above it and you gain weight over time; eat below it and you lose.

This calculator estimates your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, or Katch-McArdle if you add your body fat, and multiplies it by your activity factor.

Reading the activity table

The table under your result shows your maintenance at all five activity levels. Choosing an activity level is where most estimates go wrong, so seeing the full range helps.

Worked exampleA 30-year-old man, 80 kg and 178 cm, has a BMR of about 1,768 calories. His maintenance ranges from 2,121 calories (sedentary) to 3,358 (athlete). At the levels in between it is 2,430 (light), 2,740 (moderate) and 3,049 (very active). That is a gap of more than 1,200 calories, all from one choice.

If you already know roughly what you eat on a typical day and your weight has been stable for a month or more, find the row closest to that number. It shows which activity level really fits you. Our guide to choosing your activity level has examples for each one.

Checking it against your scale

Any calculator gives an estimate. To find your true maintenance:

  1. Eat your estimated number every day for 2–3 weeks and log it honestly.
  2. Weigh yourself each morning and compare weekly averages.
  3. If the average is stable, you have found your maintenance. If it moves, adjust by 100–200 calories and repeat.

The full method, with the sum for working out your real number from your food log, is in how to find your real maintenance calories. For a week-by-week routine, see how to track and adjust your calories.

When to eat at maintenance

  • Before starting a cut or bulk, to confirm your starting number.
  • After a diet, to let hunger, energy and training recover before the next phase.
  • As a planned break during a long diet.
  • When you are happy with your weight and want to keep it there while you build habits.

Remember that maintenance moves with your weight. A smaller body needs fewer calories, which is why your number after a diet is lower than before it. Read why your TDEE drops as you lose weight for the full picture.

Related

TDEE calculatorTargets for losing or gaining, too.Cutting calorie calculatorSet a deficit from your maintenance.Find your real maintenanceTest the estimate with your own data.

Sources

  1. Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241–247. PubMed 2305711
  2. Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C. Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. J Am Diet Assoc. 2005;105(5):775–789. PubMed 15883556
  3. Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet. 2011;378(9793):826–837. PubMed 21872751

Frequently asked questions

What are maintenance calories?
Maintenance calories are the number of calories you can eat each day without gaining or losing weight. It is the same thing as your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).
How do I calculate my maintenance calories?
Estimate your BMR from your age, sex, weight and height, then multiply it by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9. This calculator does both steps. To confirm the number, eat it consistently for 2–3 weeks and check whether your average weight holds steady.
Why is my maintenance different on another calculator?
Calculators use different formulas, activity multipliers and rounding. A gap of 100–200 calories is normal. What matters is testing one number against your scale, then adjusting.
Do maintenance calories change?
Yes. They fall as you lose weight and rise as you gain, and they change with how active you are. Recalculate after every 4–5 kg (about 10 lb) of change, or when your routine changes for more than a few weeks.
Should I eat at maintenance after a diet?
Many people spend a few weeks at maintenance after a cut to let hunger and training settle before their next goal. Start at your new, lower-weight maintenance, not the number you had before dieting.