Maintenance Calorie Calculator
Your maintenance calories are the number of calories you need to consume daily to maintain your current weight without gaining or losing. Use our maintenance calorie calculator to find your exact maintenance level.
What Are Maintenance Calories?
Maintenance calories represent the equilibrium point where:
- Calories IN (food consumed) = Calories OUT (TDEE)
- Your weight remains stable over time
- Energy balance is achieved
Maintenance Calories = TDEE
Your maintenance calories are essentially your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which includes:
- BMR (basal metabolic rate)
- Daily activity and movement
- Exercise expenditure
- Thermic effect of food
How to Calculate Maintenance Calories
Formula: Maintenance Calories = BMR × Activity Multiplier
Step-by-Step Calculation
- Calculate BMR using Mifflin-St Jeor equation
- Select activity multiplier (1.2 to 1.9)
- Multiply BMR by activity level
- Result = Your maintenance calories
Activity Level Multipliers
| Activity Level | Description | Multiplier |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Little/no exercise, desk job | 1.2 |
| Lightly Active | Light exercise 1-3 days/week | 1.375 |
| Moderately Active | Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week | 1.55 |
| Very Active | Hard exercise 6-7 days/week | 1.725 |
| Extremely Active | Very intense exercise + physical job | 1.9 |
Example Maintenance Calorie Calculations
Example 1: Sedentary Office Worker (Female)
- Age: 32, Weight: 60kg, Height: 162cm
- BMR: 1,350 calories/day
- Activity: Sedentary (1.2)
- Maintenance: 1,350 × 1.2 = 1,620 calories/day
Example 2: Active Gym-Goer (Male)
- Age: 28, Weight: 78kg, Height: 175cm
- BMR: 1,800 calories/day
- Activity: Very Active (1.725)
- Maintenance: 1,800 × 1.725 = 3,105 calories/day
Why Knowing Your Maintenance Calories Matters
Essential for All Goals
- Weight Loss: Subtract 300-500 cal from maintenance (create deficit)
- Muscle Gain: Add 200-400 cal to maintenance (create surplus)
- Body Recomposition: Eat at or slightly below maintenance
- Diet Breaks: Return to maintenance during breaks from dieting
How to Verify Your Maintenance Calories
Calculator estimates may be off by 10-15%. To find your true maintenance:
- Eat the calculated maintenance calories for 2-3 weeks
- Weigh yourself daily at the same time (after waking, before eating)
- Calculate weekly average weight
- If weight is stable (±0.5 kg over 3 weeks), you've found maintenance
- If losing weight, increase calories by 100-200/day
- If gaining weight, decrease calories by 100-200/day
Factors That Change Maintenance Calories
- Weight change: Lower body weight = lower maintenance
- Metabolic adaptation: Prolonged dieting can reduce TDEE by 10-15%
- Activity level changes: New job, training program, or lifestyle shift
- Aging: Metabolism decreases ~1-2% per decade
- Muscle gain/loss: More muscle = higher maintenance calories
Common Maintenance Calculation Errors
- Overestimating activity level (most people are "Sedentary" or "Lightly Active")
- Not recalculating after significant weight change
- Forgetting to account for metabolic adaptation after dieting
- Inconsistent activity levels week-to-week
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories should I eat to maintain weight?
Maintenance calories vary by individual but typically range from 1,600-2,200 calories/day for women and 2,200-3,000 calories/day for men, depending on activity level.
Is maintenance calories the same as TDEE?
Yes. Maintenance calories and TDEE are the same thing—both represent the total calories you burn in a day, which is the amount you need to eat to maintain your current weight.
What happens if I eat at maintenance?
Eating at maintenance calories keeps your weight stable. This is useful during diet breaks, reverse dieting, or when you've reached your goal weight and want to maintain it.
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