Maintenance Calorie Calculator
Estimate how many calories you need to keep your weight steady, with targets for a lean gain or a steady loss. All calculations run in your browser and nothing is stored.
Your data is not stored or sent to the server. All calculations are performed locally in your browser.
Enter your age, height and weight to see your daily calorie needs.
Adjusting from maintenance
Common starting points; adjust based on your weight trend.
| Goal | Daily calories |
|---|---|
| Keep weight steady | Maintenance ± 100 |
| Lean muscle gain | Maintenance + 250 |
| Steady fat loss | Maintenance − 500 |
| Reverse diet | +100 a week until maintenance |
Activity multipliers
Your BMR is multiplied by one of these to estimate daily energy use.
| Activity | Multiplier |
|---|---|
| Sedentary (little or no exercise) | 1.2 |
| Exercise 1-3 times/week | 1.375 |
| Exercise 4-5 times/week | 1.465 |
| Daily exercise or intense exercise 3-4 times/week | 1.55 |
| Intense exercise 6-7 times/week | 1.725 |
| Very intense exercise daily, or physical job | 1.9 |
How it's calculated
Men: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age + 5Women: BMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age − 161TDEE = BMR × activity factorMaintenance range = TDEE ± 100 kcalSources: Mifflin et al., Am J Clin Nutr 1990; Frankenfield et al., J Am Diet Assoc 2005
Last reviewed
Frequently asked questions
What are maintenance calories?
Maintenance calories are the number of calories that keeps your weight steady: what you eat matches what you burn. It is the same thing as your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
How do I find my true maintenance?
Start from this estimate, eat roughly the same amount each day for two to three weeks and weigh yourself regularly. If your weight trend is flat, that intake is your real maintenance; if it drifts up or down, adjust by about 100 to 200 calories and repeat.
Why does my maintenance change?
It moves with your body weight, muscle mass, activity and age. After losing or gaining a few kilograms, or changing how active you are, recalculate.
How many calories should I add to gain muscle?
A small surplus of around 250 calories a day, combined with strength training, is a common way to gain with less fat than a larger surplus.
What is reverse dieting?
Reverse dieting means raising calories gradually after a diet, in steps of about 100 calories a week, until you reach maintenance. It helps you find your new maintenance without a sudden jump in intake.
Related calculators
All energy & nutrition tools- TDEE CalculatorWork out how many calories you burn in a day from your body stats and activity level.
- Calorie Deficit CalculatorFind a daily calorie target for losing weight at a pace you choose, with a safe-minimum check.
- BMR CalculatorCalculate your Basal Metabolic Rate and daily calorie needs based on activity levels using the Mifflin-St Jeor Equation.