Maintenance Calorie Calculator

What are maintenance calories?

Maintenance calories are the number of calories your body burns per day — your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Eat that amount and your weight stays put; eat below it and you lose weight; eat above it and you gain. For most adults it lands between roughly 1,600 and 3,000 kcal depending on size, age, sex, and activity. It is the anchor number for any goal: a cut subtracts from it, a lean bulk adds to it.

How the calculator works

We estimate your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation (10 × weight in kg + 6.25 × height in cm − 5 × age, +5 for men, −161 for women), then multiply it by an activity factor from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (very active). The formula was validated in 1990 and remains the standard in nutrition practice. The same math applies to men and women — only the constant differs.

The more accurate method: verify with real data

Any formula is a starting estimate with a margin of about ±10%. To find your true maintenance, log your food intake and weigh yourself for 2-3 weeks: if your weight trend is flat, your average intake IS your maintenance. Adjust the number, not the formula.

FAQ

What are the maintenance calories for a woman?

The same formula applies, with a lower constant (−161 instead of +5), which typically lands 300-400 kcal below a man of the same size. A moderately active 70 kg, 170 cm, 30-year-old woman maintains at roughly 2,200 kcal. Use the calculator above with your own numbers — generic averages miss by a lot.

What formula does this maintenance calculator use?

Mifflin-St Jeor for BMR, multiplied by a standard activity factor (1.2-1.9). Studies comparing prediction equations found Mifflin-St Jeor the most reliable for most adults, which is why dietitians default to it.

How do I know if I'm eating at maintenance?

Track your weight for 2-3 weeks while logging food. A flat weekly average means you're at maintenance. Rising means a surplus, falling means a deficit — each ~0.5 kg per week corresponds to roughly 500 kcal per day.