Calorie Counter Maintenance
Find your daily maintenance calories using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. This calorie counter maintenance calculator helps you determine exactly how many calories you need to maintain your current weight.
Maintenance Calorie Calculator
What Are Maintenance Calories?
Maintenance calories, also known as Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), represent the total number of calories your body needs each day to maintain your current weight. This includes all the energy your body uses for basic functions (breathing, circulation, cell production), daily activities (walking, working, cooking), and any exercise you perform.
Understanding your maintenance calories is the foundation of any nutrition strategy. Whether you want to lose fat, build muscle, or maintain your current physique, you need to know this number first. Eat fewer calories than your maintenance level to lose weight, eat more to gain weight, or eat at maintenance to stay the same.
Our calorie counter maintenance calculator uses the scientifically-validated Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your BMR, then adjusts for your activity level to give you an accurate TDEE estimate.
How This Maintenance Calorie Calculator Works
This calculator uses a two-step process to determine your daily calorie needs:
Step 1: Calculate BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor Formula)
For men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) + 5
For women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) - (5 × age) - 161
Step 2: Apply Activity Multiplier
- • Sedentary (little/no exercise): BMR × 1.2
- • Lightly active (1-3 days/week): BMR × 1.375
- • Moderately active (3-5 days/week): BMR × 1.55
- • Very active (6-7 days/week): BMR × 1.725
- • Super active (hard training/physical job): BMR × 1.9
The Mifflin-St Jeor equation was developed in 1990 and has been shown in studies to be more accurate than older formulas like Harris-Benedict, especially for modern populations.
Maintenance Calories by Activity Level
Here's a reference table showing estimated maintenance calories for different weights and activity levels (based on a 30-year-old, 170cm tall individual):
| Weight | Sedentary | Light | Moderate | Very Active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg (132 lbs) | 1,584 kcal | 1,815 kcal | 2,046 kcal | 2,277 kcal |
| 70 kg (154 lbs) | 1,704 kcal | 1,952 kcal | 2,201 kcal | 2,449 kcal |
| 80 kg (176 lbs) | 1,824 kcal | 2,090 kcal | 2,356 kcal | 2,621 kcal |
| 90 kg (198 lbs) | 1,944 kcal | 2,227 kcal | 2,511 kcal | 2,794 kcal |
Maintenance vs Deficit vs Surplus
Maintenance
Eat at TDEE to maintain your current weight. Ideal for those who are happy with their physique or during diet breaks.
Calorie Deficit
Eat 10-20% below TDEE to lose fat. A 500 calorie daily deficit equals roughly 1 lb of fat loss per week.
Calorie Surplus
Eat 10-20% above TDEE to build muscle. Pair with resistance training for optimal muscle growth.
For a deeper dive into when to use each approach, check out our guide on Maintenance vs Deficit vs Surplus: Which Is Right for Your Goal?
How Often Should You Recalculate Your Maintenance Calories?
Your maintenance calories aren't static—they change as your body and lifestyle change. Here's when you should recalculate:
- •Every 10 lbs (4-5 kg) of weight change – Your TDEE decreases as you lose weight and increases as you gain.
- •When your activity level changes significantly – Starting a new job, gym routine, or becoming more sedentary.
- •Every 3-4 months during a diet – Even without major weight changes, metabolic adaptation can occur.
- •If weight loss or gain stalls for 2+ weeks – Your actual TDEE may differ from the calculated estimate.
FAQ – Maintenance Calories and TDEE
Learn More About Maintenance Calories
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