Maintenance Calorie Calculator

Maintenance calories represent the exact number of calories you need to consume daily to maintain your current body weight — neither gaining nor losing. This is your body's total energy expenditure, encompassing every calorie burned through basal metabolism, physical activity, non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT), and the thermic effect of food. Understanding your maintenance calories is the critical foundation for any nutrition strategy, whether your goal is weight loss, muscle gain, or body recomposition.

Knowing your maintenance level matters because all dietary goals are defined relative to it. Weight loss requires eating below maintenance (a deficit). Muscle building requires eating above maintenance (a surplus). Body recomposition aims for intake right around maintenance while shifting body composition through training. Without an accurate maintenance estimate, you are navigating without a map — you might eat what you think is a deficit but actually be at maintenance, wondering why the scale is not moving.

This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most accurate predictive formula for healthy adults as determined by the American Dietetic Association, combined with standard activity multipliers derived from doubly-labeled water studies. The result is your estimated TDEE, which equals your maintenance calories. The calculator also provides a weekly calorie budget, which offers more flexibility — if you eat 200 calories more one day, you can eat 200 less another day, as weight management operates on energy balance over time, not on a strict daily basis.

Additionally, the calculator provides two protein targets: a minimum of 1.2 g/kg for general health maintenance and 1.8 g/kg for physically active individuals. Protein is highlighted because even at maintenance calories, adequate protein is essential for preserving lean mass, supporting immune function, maintaining satiety, and optimizing body composition. Most people benefit from the higher protein target, even if they are not athletes.

Remember that calculated maintenance is an estimate. Your true maintenance calories are best determined empirically by tracking your weight and intake over 2-4 weeks. If your weight is stable, you have found your maintenance. If you are slowly gaining, reduce by 100-200 kcal. If slowly losing, increase by the same amount. The calculator provides an excellent starting point for this calibration process.