Maintenance Calorie Calculator
Maintenance calories are the calories you burn in a day: your BMR multiplied by an activity factor from 1.2 to 1.9.
Example and how to use it
A lightly active 35-year-old woman of 165 cm and 68 kg maintains her weight on about 1,890 calories a day. Enter your details and activity level to get your maintenance calories, gentle targets for losing and gaining weight, your BMI and the numbers for every activity level at once.
Maintenance calorie calculator
Activity level
| Maintenance calories | 1,950 calories/day (8,159 kJ) |
| Gentle weight loss (−15%) | 1,660 calories/day · 290 below maintenance |
| Lean gain (+10%) | 2,140 calories/day (8,954 kJ) |
| BMR (at complete rest) | 1,417 calories/day (5,929 kJ) |
| BMI | 24.2 · healthy weight |
Maintenance at other activity levels
| Sedentary (×1.2) | 1,700 calories |
| Lightly active (×1.375) | 1,950 calories |
| Moderately active (×1.55) | 2,200 calories |
| Very active (×1.725) | 2,440 calories |
| Extra active (×1.9) | 2,690 calories |
BMR by the Mifflin–St Jeor equation. Add your body fat % to use Katch–McArdle instead. The weight-loss figure never goes below your BMR. If you're pregnant, breastfeeding or managing a medical condition, ask your doctor for a target.
Formula and sources: how the calculator works
Maintenance calories (TDEE) = BMR × activity factor
BMR (Mifflin–St Jeor) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5 for men, − 161 for women
Weight loss = maintenance × 0.85, never below BMR · Lean gain = maintenance × 1.10
BMR comes from the Mifflin–St Jeor equation (1990), or from the lean-mass equation 370 + 21.6 × lean mass (kg), known as Katch–McArdle, if you enter your body fat % — see the BMR calculator for both. The activity factor is ×1.2 sedentary, ×1.375 lightly active, ×1.55 moderately active, ×1.725 very active or ×1.9 extra active, and the result is rounded to 10 calories.
Worked example
A lightly active 35-year-old woman, 165 cm, 68 kg: BMR = 10 × 68 + 6.25 × 165 − 5 × 35 − 161 = 1,375.25. Times 1.375 for light activity = 1,890.97, rounded to 1,890 calories a day to maintain. The gentle weight-loss target is 15% lower: 1,610 calories.
What is and isn't from the literature
- The BMR equations are published and validated (sources below); a 2005 systematic review found Mifflin–St Jeor within 10% of measured resting metabolic rate for more people than the alternatives.
- The activity factors are conventional multipliers rather than measured values. They overlap with, but start lower than, the physical activity levels in the FAO/WHO/UNU report on human energy requirements (1.40–1.69 sedentary or light, 1.70–1.99 active, 2.00–2.40 vigorous) — and activity is the part people most often overestimate.
- The −15% and +10% targets and the “never below BMR” floor are this calculator's own conservative rules, the same ones our diary uses — not a formula from a paper.
- The equations were derived in adults: they don't apply to children and teenagers, pregnancy or breastfeeding.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/51.2.241.The equation itself, derived from measured resting energy use in 498 healthy adults aged 19–78 (American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 51(2): 241–247).
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C (2005). Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. doi: 10.1016/j.jada.2005.02.005.Systematic review for the American Dietetic Association: Mifflin–St Jeor predicted resting metabolic rate within 10% of measured in more people than any other equation tested.
- Cunningham JJ (1991). Body composition as a determinant of energy expenditure: a synthetic review and a proposed general prediction equation. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/54.6.963.The lean-mass equation, 370 + 21.6 × fat-free mass (kg) — the one calculators call Katch–McArdle.
- FAO / WHO / UNU (2004). Human energy requirements: report of a Joint FAO/WHO/UNU Expert Consultation (Rome, 2001).Physical activity levels (PAL): 1.40–1.69 sedentary or light, 1.70–1.99 active, 2.00–2.40 vigorous (Table 5.3).
Sources last checked on September 30, 2026.
Maintenance calories by weight and activity
For a 35-year-old woman of 5′4″ (163 cm) and a 35-year-old man of 5′10″ (178 cm), by Mifflin–St Jeor:
| Weight | Sedentary | Lightly active | Moderately active | Very active |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Woman, 130 lb | 1,520 | 1,750 | 1,970 | 2,190 |
| Woman, 150 lb | 1,630 | 1,870 | 2,110 | 2,350 |
| Woman, 170 lb | 1,740 | 2,000 | 2,250 | 2,500 |
| Woman, 190 lb | 1,850 | 2,120 | 2,390 | 2,660 |
| Man, 160 lb | 2,000 | 2,290 | 2,580 | 2,880 |
| Man, 180 lb | 2,110 | 2,420 | 2,720 | 3,030 |
| Man, 200 lb | 2,220 | 2,540 | 2,870 | 3,190 |
| Man, 220 lb | 2,330 | 2,670 | 3,010 | 3,350 |
Two things stand out. Activity moves the number more than weight does: going from sedentary to moderately active adds about 30%, more than an extra 80 lb of body weight would. And the gentle weight-loss target is modest on purpose — for the lightly active 165 cm, 68 kg woman from the example at the top it's 1,610 calories, about 280 a day below her maintenance.
Using the number in real life
Treat the result as a starting point. Eat close to it for two to three weeks, weigh yourself a few times a week at the same time of day, and look at the trend rather than single days — water and salt move the scale by a kilo or more. If the trend goes up, trim 100–200 calories; if it goes down and you wanted to maintain, add the same.
Calorie targets work best when you know what's on the plate. The food pages list calories per 100 g and per serving, and the free Calories Not Count diary counts them for you — by search, barcode, nutrition label or a photo of your dish — and suggests same-calorie healthier swaps. To split your calories into protein, carbs and fat, use the macro calculator.
FAQ
What are maintenance calories?
Maintenance calories are the number of calories you burn in a day — your basal metabolic rate plus digestion, daily movement and exercise. Eating about that many keeps your weight stable; it's also called TDEE (total daily energy expenditure).
How many calories do I need to maintain my weight?
It depends on your size, age, sex and activity. For example, a lightly active 35-year-old woman who is 165 cm (5′5″) and 68 kg (150 lb) maintains on about 1,890 calories a day; a moderately active 35-year-old man who is 178 cm (5′10″) and 82 kg (181 lb), on about 2,730.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
A moderate deficit is easier to keep up than a crash diet. The calculator suggests about 15% below maintenance and never goes below your BMR. Weigh yourself for two to three weeks and adjust if the trend doesn't move.
How accurate is a maintenance calorie calculator?
It's an estimate: equations like Mifflin–St Jeor are usually within about 10% for most people, and activity is hard to judge. Use the number as a starting point, then adjust it by what your weight actually does over a few weeks.
What's the difference between maintenance calories and TDEE?
None — they're two names for the same number: the calories you burn in a day, and therefore the calories that keep your weight where it is. BMR is only the resting part of it.
Should I enter my body fat percentage?
Only if you know it reasonably well, from a DEXA scan or careful measurement. With body fat the calculator switches from Mifflin–St Jeor to the Katch–McArdle equation, which works from lean mass and can suit very muscular people better. A guessed body fat figure adds error rather than removing it.
Do I need to eat more on training days?
Your activity factor already averages exercise over the week. If you train very hard on some days and rest on others, you can shift some calories to training days, but the weekly total matters most.