Maintenance Calorie Calculator.
Find the number of calories you need to maintain your current weight. Enter your details below and this calculator estimates your maintenance calories - your TDEE - using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most accurate predictive formula for most people.
Your maintenance calories
- cal/day
To lose weight
- cal/day
about 500 below maintenance (~0.5 kg / 1 lb a week)
To gain weight
- cal/day
about 300 above maintenance for a lean gain
Want a precise loss or gain target? Use our TDEE calculator and calorie deficit calculator.
Please fill in age, height, and weight with valid numbers.
This calculator gives a general estimate for healthy adults and is not medical or nutrition advice. If you are pregnant, have a medical condition, or are working with very low or high body weight, speak with a qualified professional before changing your intake.
the short answer
Maintenance calories = TDEE = your Mifflin-St Jeor BMR multiplied by an activity factor. BMR for men is (10 x weight kg) + (6.25 x height cm) - (5 x age) + 5; for women, replace the +5 with -161. Multiply that BMR by 1.2 (sedentary) up to 1.9 (extra active) to get the calories needed to maintain your weight.
What are maintenance calories?
Your maintenance calories are the number of calories you can eat each day to hold your current weight - nothing gained, nothing lost. It is the same figure as your TDEE, or Total Daily Energy Expenditure: the total energy your body burns through resting metabolism, digestion, daily movement, and exercise combined. Every weight goal is built on this number. Eat below it and you lose weight; eat above it and you gain.
This calculator works in two steps. First it estimates your BMR (basal metabolic rate - the energy your body burns at complete rest) using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, which research finds is the most accurate predictive formula for the general population:
Men: BMR = (10 x weight kg) + (6.25 x height cm) - (5 x age) + 5
Women: BMR = (10 x weight kg) + (6.25 x height cm) - (5 x age) - 161
Then it multiplies that BMR by an activity factor to account for how much you move:
| Activity level | Description | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | Little or no exercise, desk job | 1.2 |
| Lightly active | Light exercise 1-3 days a week | 1.375 |
| Moderately active | Moderate exercise 3-5 days a week | 1.55 |
| Very active | Hard exercise 6-7 days a week | 1.725 |
| Extra active | Hard daily exercise or a physical job | 1.9 |
So maintenance calories = BMR x activity factor. If you enter imperial units, the tool converts pounds to kilograms and feet-inches to centimetres before running the formula, so the math stays consistent. From there, subtract about 500 calories a day to lose roughly half a kilo (one pound) a week, or add about 300 for a lean gain.
How coaches use maintenance calories.
Maintenance is the anchor a coach sets before anything else. It tells you where a client's intake sits today, so you can prescribe a sensible deficit for fat loss or a small surplus for muscle gain instead of guessing. Good coaches recalculate it every few weeks - as a client loses weight, their maintenance drops, and the target that worked in week one will stall progress by week eight.
This free tool is a fast way to give a client their starting number, and a clean lead magnet to share. To go deeper on goal-setting, see our guide on how to calculate TDEE and macros for clients and our overview of how to do nutrition coaching online.
Set targets like this for every client - automatically.
Coachway lets coaches build nutrition and training plans around each client's own numbers, then deliver them through a branded client app with check-ins and progress tracking in one place. Calculate a maintenance figure once, set the plan, and let the app keep your client on track between sessions. See how it fits together on the features overview.
Maintenance calorie calculator FAQ.
How do I calculate my maintenance calories?
Calculate your maintenance calories by working out your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor. For men: BMR = (10 x weight kg) + (6.25 x height cm) - (5 x age) + 5. For women, swap the +5 for -161. Multiply that BMR by your activity factor (1.2 sedentary up to 1.9 very active) to get your maintenance calories, also called your TDEE.
How many calories should I eat a day?
To stay the same weight, eat at your maintenance calories - your TDEE - which for most adults lands between roughly 1,800 and 2,800 calories depending on sex, size, and activity. Use the calculator above for your number. To lose weight, eat about 500 calories below maintenance; to gain, eat about 300 above. Your maintenance figure is the anchor every other goal is built around.
What is the difference between maintenance calories and TDEE?
They are the same number. TDEE - Total Daily Energy Expenditure - is the total energy your body burns in a day, and your maintenance calories are the amount you eat to match that burn and hold your current weight. This calculator estimates TDEE as your Mifflin-St Jeor BMR multiplied by an activity factor, then reports it as your maintenance calories.
How accurate is a maintenance calorie calculator?
A maintenance calorie calculator gives a solid starting estimate, usually within 5 to 10 percent for most people, because the Mifflin-St Jeor equation is the most accurate predictive BMR formula for the general population. It cannot account for individual differences in metabolism, muscle mass, or genetics, so treat the number as a starting point and adjust based on two to three weeks of real weight and intake data.
Should I eat my maintenance calories every day to lose weight?
No - to lose weight you eat below maintenance. Find your maintenance calories first, then subtract about 500 per day for a roughly 0.5 kg (1 lb) per week loss, which is a sustainable pace for most people. Eating at maintenance holds your weight steady, so it is useful for a diet break or for body recomposition, but a deficit is what drives fat loss.
Why did my maintenance calories change?
Maintenance calories drop as you lose weight, lose muscle, or age, because a smaller, older body burns less energy at rest. They rise when you add muscle or move more. That is why coaches recalculate maintenance every few weeks during a diet - the target that worked at the start will stall progress later, so the number is meant to be revisited, not set once.
Keep going:
- TDEE calculator - the same engine, with goal-based targets.
- Calorie deficit calculator - dial in a precise fat-loss target.
- How to calculate TDEE and macros for clients - turn calories into protein, carbs, and fat.
- How to do nutrition coaching online - the bigger picture on coaching nutrition.
More free calculators
See all free tools ->TDEE Calculator
Total daily energy expenditure, plus cut, maintain and bulk targets.
Open calculator ->Calorie Deficit Calculator
Your deficit, target intake, and a realistic date to hit your goal.
Open calculator ->BMR Calculator
Basal metabolic rate from the Mifflin-St Jeor equation.
Open calculator ->Macro Calculator
Protein, carb and fat targets in grams for your goal.
Open calculator ->Protein Calculator
How much protein to eat per day, by bodyweight and goal.
Open calculator ->Reverse Diet Calculator
A week-by-week schedule from your cut back up to maintenance.
Open calculator ->See what Coachway can do for your coaching business
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