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Maintenance Calorie Calculator
The daily calories that keep your weight steady, plus a working range.
Results
- Maintenance calories
- 2,250 kcal
- Range (±100)
- 2,150 kcal – 2,350 kcal
- BMR
- 1,452 kcal
Maintenance = TDEE
1,452 × activity = 2,250 kcal
Maintenance calories are the daily calories that hold your body weight steady — your TDEE. Eat this number and your weight stays flat over time.
Use maintenance as the anchor: subtract for loss, add for gain. It shifts as your weight and activity change.
How to calculate maintenance calories
To calculate maintenance calories, multiply BMR by your activity factor. Track your weight for two weeks — if it holds, the number is right.
Worked example: a 1,700-calorie BMR at lightly active (×1.375) gives 2,338 maintenance calories.
Frequently asked questions
Your maintenance number equals your TDEE — typically 1,600–2,400 for women and 2,000–3,000 for men, scaled by size and activity.
A 170 lb (77 kg) adult maintains on roughly 2,200–2,800 calories per day depending on height, age, sex, and activity.
Yes. They fall as you lose weight or age and rise as you add muscle or activity, so recheck every few weeks.
Results are estimates based on population averages and are not medical advice. Consult a doctor or registered dietitian nutritionist (RDN) before making large changes to your diet, especially for deficits over 2 lb (0.9 kg) per week, during pregnancy or nursing, or for anyone under 18.