Maintenance Calorie Calculator
Find out how many calories you need per day to maintain your current weight. The calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and your activity level — and shows what happens to the number if you want to lose or gain instead.
Maintenance calories (TDEE)
2,693
calories/day
BMR (at rest)
1,737
calories/day
Mifflin-St Jeor equation · activity multiplier ×1.55
Calorie targets by goal
| Goal | Calories/day |
|---|---|
| Weight loss (−1 lb/week) | 2,193 |
| Mild weight loss (−0.5 lb/week) | 2,443 |
| Maintain weight | 2,693 |
| Mild weight gain (+0.5 lb/week) | 2,943 |
| Weight gain (+1 lb/week) | 3,193 |
TDEE at every activity level
| Activity level | Multiplier | Calories/day |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary (little or no exercise) | ×1.2 | 2,085 |
| Light (exercise 1–3 days/week) | ×1.375 | 2,389 |
| Moderate (exercise 3–5 days/week) | ×1.55 | 2,693 |
| Very active (hard exercise 6–7 days/week) | ×1.725 | 2,997 |
| Extra active (physical job + training) | ×1.9 | 3,301 |
Finding your true maintenance
A calculator gives you a starting estimate — your real maintenance is confirmed by data. Eat at the calculated number for two to three weeks while weighing yourself every morning. If your weekly average weight stays flat, the number is right. If you drift up or down by more than half a pound per week, adjust intake by 150–250 calories and repeat. This simple feedback loop beats any formula, because it captures your individual metabolism and real activity.
Maintenance is also the anchor for every other goal: a cut is simply maintenance minus 250–500 calories, and a lean bulk is maintenance plus 250–500. Use the TDEE calculator to see the full activity-level breakdown, the calorie deficit calculator to plan a cut, and the macro calculator to split your calories into protein, carbs and fat.