Maintenance Calorie Calculator
Maintenance calories are what you burn in a day: your BMR multiplied by an activity factor — typically 1,800 to 2,800 for most adults. Treat it as a range of about ±5%, not a precise number. If your 7-day average weight is flat over two weeks, you are eating at maintenance whatever the formula says.
What is Maintenance Calorie Calculator?
Maintenance is the intake at which weight stays stable over time. Every diet starts from it and every maintenance phase returns to it.
The formula gives an estimate; your scale gives the answer. Two weeks of flat 7-day average weight is better evidence than any equation.
Day-to-day weight moves 1–2 kg from food volume, sodium and glycogen. That is why judging maintenance on one morning weigh-in produces panic the data does not support.
How to use this calculator
- Enter your current weight, height, age and sex.
- Pick the activity level that matches an honest average week, not your best week.
- Read the maintenance range, then eat near the middle for two weeks.
- Compare your 7-day average weight before and after — adjust by 100–150 kcal based on the trend.
How maintenance calories are estimated▾
Resting metabolic rate is estimated with Mifflin-St Jeor, then multiplied by an activity factor between 1.2 (sedentary) and 1.9 (very active). The result is shown as a ±5% band because that is roughly the accuracy limit of any predictive equation.
Men: BMR = 10W + 6.25H − 5A + 5
Women: BMR = 10W + 6.25H − 5A − 161
Maintenance = BMR × activity factor (1.2 – 1.9)Source: Mifflin et al. (1990).
Frequently asked questions
Why is my maintenance lower than the calculator says?▾
Equation error plus under-reporting. Mifflin-St Jeor carries roughly 10% error, and most people eat more than they estimate. Trust the scale trend over two weeks.
Does maintenance drop as I lose weight?▾
Yes — a smaller body burns less, and long deficits add a small adaptive component. Expect maintenance to fall 200–300 kcal per 10 kg lost.
How long should I stay at maintenance?▾
At least as long as your last diet, up to a few months. A proper maintenance phase restores hormones, training performance and appetite regulation before the next deficit.
Related calculators
References & method
- Mifflin et al. (1990).
Every formula, its published source and its assumptions are listed on our methodology page. This page is written for information and has not been reviewed by a clinician.
Read the methodology →These figures are estimates from population formulas, not medical advice. Individual needs vary. If you are pregnant, managing a medical condition, or under 18, talk to a doctor before changing your diet.