Maintenance Calorie Calculator — TDEE
Enter your age, sex, weight, height and activity level to find the number of calories you need each day to maintain your current weight — plus suggested targets for fat loss and muscle gain.
years
Biological sex
kg
cm
Activity level
Total daily energy expenditure — eat this to maintain weight
- 1
Sex offset
male → +5 = 5Mifflin–St Jeor adds +5 for males and −161 for females. - 2
BMR (Mifflin–St Jeor)
10 × 75 + 6.25 × 175 − 5 × 30 + (5) = 1,699 - 3
TDEE = BMR × activity factor
1,699 × 1.55 = 2,633Multiply BMR by your activity multiplier to get Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
How does this calculator work?
Maintenance calories = BMR × activity factor, where BMR (Mifflin–St Jeor) = 10 × weight(kg) + 6.25 × height(cm) − 5 × age ± sex offset (male +5, female −161). Activity factors range from 1.2 (sedentary) to 1.9 (extremely active). Subtract ~500 kcal/day for fat loss; add ~300 kcal/day for muscle gain.
Formula
How this is calculated
The calculator uses the Mifflin–St Jeor equation (1990), the most validated formula for resting metabolic rate. It predicts the calories your body burns at rest (BMR) from body weight, height and age, with a sex correction (+5 for males, −161 for females). BMR is then multiplied by an activity factor (1.2–1.9) derived from the Harris-Benedict activity scale to give TDEE — your Total Daily Energy Expenditure.
Eating at TDEE maintains weight. A deficit of ~500 kcal/day (roughly 0.5 kg/week loss) and a surplus of ~300 kcal/day for lean gaining are common starting points, shown for convenience. Adjust based on actual results — metabolic rates vary by about ±10% across individuals.
This calculator covers adults. Estimates are less reliable at the extremes of age, very high or very low body-fat percentages, or during pregnancy and breastfeeding, where specialist guidance should be sought.
Frequently asked questions
BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is the energy your body uses just to stay alive at complete rest — breathing, circulation, organ function. TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure) adds the energy cost of all daily movement and exercise on top of BMR.
Studies show it predicts measured BMR within about ±10% for most people. It is generally more accurate than the older Harris-Benedict formula, but individual variation means real TDEE can differ. Track weight over 2–3 weeks and adjust intake accordingly.
Many people use a flat daily maintenance target for simplicity; others cycle calories to eat more on training days and less on rest days. Both approaches work — the weekly total is what matters most for body composition.
Also known as
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. (2026). Maintenance Calorie Calculator — TDEE [Online calculator]. TG we-Calculate. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/maintenance-calorie-calculator
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team. "Maintenance Calorie Calculator — TDEE." TG we-Calculate. 2026. https://we-calculate.com/calculator/maintenance-calorie-calculator.
TG we-Calculate Editorial Team, "Maintenance Calorie Calculator — TDEE," TG we-Calculate, 2026. [Online]. Available: https://we-calculate.com/calculator/maintenance-calorie-calculator
@misc{wecalculate_maintenance_calorie_calculator, title = {Maintenance Calorie Calculator — TDEE}, author = {{TG we-Calculate Editorial Team}}, howpublished = {\url{https://we-calculate.com/calculator/maintenance-calorie-calculator}}, year = {2026}, note = {TG we-Calculate} }
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