Estimate the daily calorie intake that may maintain your current body weight based on your estimated energy expenditure and activity level.
Estimate daily calories needed to maintain current body weight.
What Are Maintenance Calories?
Maintenance calories are the approximate number of calories that balance your daily energy expenditure so that body weight is relatively stable over time.
How This Calculator Works
The tool estimates BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and applies an activity multiplier to estimate total daily energy expenditure.
How to Use the Calculator
- Select Metric or US / Imperial units.
- Enter your sex, age, height and current weight.
- Select your typical activity level.
- Select Calculate.
Using Your Maintenance Estimate
Treat the result as a starting estimate. If average body weight trends upward or downward over several weeks, actual maintenance intake may differ from the calculated value.
Factors That Affect Maintenance Needs
Body size, activity, body composition, age and day-to-day movement can all affect energy expenditure. No equation can perfectly predict individual calorie needs.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Will eating maintenance calories keep my weight exactly the same every day?
No. Daily weight naturally fluctuates. Maintenance is better judged by the longer-term trend.
Is maintenance calorie intake fixed?
No. It can change as body weight, activity and other factors change.
Is TDEE my maintenance calorie target?
Estimated TDEE is commonly used as a starting estimate for maintenance calorie needs.
Methodology & References
TDEE is estimated by multiplying BMR by an activity factor. Activity multipliers are approximations and real energy needs vary.