Maintenance Calorie Calculator
Estimate your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the daily calorie intake required to maintain your current body weight based on your metabolic rate and activity level.
Your maintenance calories (also called TDEE — Total Daily Energy Expenditure) represent the total energy your body burns in 24 hours. Eating precisely at your TDEE keeps your body weight stable over time. Understanding your maintenance calories is the essential foundation for setting any weight-loss deficit or weight-gain surplus accurately.
How It Works
BMR is the energy your body uses at complete rest — approximately 60–70% of total daily expenditure. Calculated using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation from your age, sex, height and weight.
Your BMR is multiplied by your activity factor: 1.2 (sedentary), 1.375 (lightly active), 1.55 (moderately active), 1.725 (very active), or 1.9 (extremely active). The result is your TDEE.
Eating equal to your TDEE keeps weight stable. Eating below TDEE creates a deficit (weight loss). Eating above TDEE creates a surplus (weight gain). All calorie targeting starts from this baseline.
Worked Calculation Examples
The following examples use the Mifflin-St Jeor BMR equation and standard activity multipliers — the same methodology used by the interactive calculators on this site. Figures are estimates for illustrative purposes.
Sedentary Female — 32 years, 60 kg, 163 cm
BMR ≈ 1,298 kcal/day. Activity factor 1.2 (sedentary, desk job).
Maintenance TDEE ≈ 1,557 kcal/day.
Increasing activity to lightly active (1.375) would raise TDEE to approximately 1,784 kcal/day.
Moderately Active Male — 27 years, 78 kg, 176 cm
BMR ≈ 1,750 kcal/day. Activity factor 1.55 (moderate exercise 3–5×/week).
Maintenance TDEE ≈ 2,713 kcal/day.
A 550 kcal/day deficit from this baseline targets approximately 0.5 kg of loss per week.
Get Your Personalized Result
The examples above use reference figures. For results based on your exact age, sex, height, weight and activity level, use the interactive tool.
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Common Questions
What are maintenance calories?
Maintenance calories (TDEE) are the number of calories your body needs each day to sustain your current body weight with no net gain or loss. It is the sum of your BMR plus the energy expended through all daily physical activity.
How do I calculate my maintenance calories?
Multiply your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate, calculated from height, weight, age, and sex) by your physical activity level factor. For example, a BMR of 1,600 kcal at a moderate activity level (1.55) gives a TDEE of approximately 2,480 kcal/day.
What activity level should I choose?
Sedentary (desk job, minimal movement): 1.2. Lightly active (exercise 1–3 days/week): 1.375. Moderately active (exercise 3–5 days/week): 1.55. Very active (intense exercise 6–7 days/week): 1.725. Most people fall into sedentary or lightly active categories.
Can maintenance calories change over time?
Yes. As your body weight changes (due to fat loss, muscle gain, or aging), your BMR shifts and therefore so does your TDEE. Recalculate periodically to keep your maintenance estimate accurate.
How are maintenance calories different from a calorie goal?
Maintenance calories represent energy balance (weight stays the same). A calorie goal is maintenance calories adjusted by a deficit for weight loss or a surplus for weight gain. Your maintenance figure is always the starting point for any goal-oriented calorie target.
Medical Disclaimer: All calorie and weight estimates on this page are mathematical projections based on population-level reference equations. They are not medical diagnoses or prescriptions. Individual results vary. Consult a qualified physician or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, especially if you have a medical condition, are pregnant, or are managing a nutritional disorder.