Maintenance Calorie Calculator
Find the daily calories that keep your weight steady. Enter your stats and activity level for your maintenance number (TDEE), your resting burn, a balanced macro split, and ready-made cut and bulk targets.
A moderately active 175 lb adult maintains weight around 2,728 kcal a day — about 1,760 kcal at rest, lifted by movement. Drop to 2,228 kcal to lose ~1 lb a week.
2,728 kcal
Maintenance calories — 30 yr, 5'10", 175 lb, moderately active
1,760 kcal
Resting burn (BMR) before activity
2,228 kcal
Cut target for ~1 lb/week of fat loss
Maintenance calories, made practical
One baseline number, where it comes from, and how to use it.
Your weight-stable baseline
Maintenance calories are the anchor for any nutrition plan. Eat at maintenance to hold steady, then adjust up or down deliberately when you want to change your weight.
Activity is the biggest lever
Your resting burn barely moves day to day, but how much you move can swing maintenance by hundreds of calories. The activity chart shows exactly how much.
Macros, not just calories
We split your maintenance calories into a balanced protein, carb, and fat target so you can hit your number with a setup that supports training and recovery.
How the Maintenance Calorie Calculator Works
Formula
BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor):
men: 10·kg + 6.25·cm − 5·age + 5
women: 10·kg + 6.25·cm − 5·age − 161
maintenance = BMR × activity factor
1.2 sedentary · 1.375 light · 1.55 moderate
1.725 very active · 1.9 extra active
cut = maintenance − 500 (≈ 1 lb/week)
bulk = maintenance + 300Enter your profile
Sex, age, height, and weight set your BMR.
Pick your activity level
From sedentary to extra active — the biggest lever.
Read your maintenance
BMR × activity is the daily intake that holds your weight.
Check your macros
A balanced protein, carb, and fat split for that number.
Choose a direction
Use the cut or bulk target to lose or gain on purpose.
Maintenance calories — also called TDEE — are an estimate, not a fixed law. Real intake needs vary with body composition, genetics, NEAT (everyday fidgeting and movement), and how accurately you log food. Treat your maintenance number as a starting point: eat at it for two to three weeks, track your weight trend, and nudge up or down by 100–200 calories if the scale isn't doing what you want.
This calculator is for general fitness planning and isn't medical or dietary advice. If you're pregnant, managing a health condition, or planning a large or rapid weight change, check with a doctor or registered dietitian before making big adjustments.
Frequently Asked Questions
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