⚖️ Health · TDEE

How to Calculate
Maintenance Calories

Find exactly how many calories your body needs each day to maintain your current weight — your Total Daily Energy Expenditure.

The TDEE Formula

TDEE = BMR × Activity Multiplier
BMR (Mifflin-St Jeor)
Men: (10×kg) + (6.25×cm) – (5×age) + 5
Women: (10×kg) + (6.25×cm) – (5×age) – 161
What BMR Means
Calories your body needs at complete rest — just to breathe, pump blood, and maintain organs. TDEE adds activity on top.
💡 TDEE vs Maintenance: TDEE = maintenance calories. Eat at TDEE to maintain weight. Eat below for fat loss, above for muscle gain.

Maintenance Calories Calculator

Maintenance Calories (TDEE)
—
calories/day to maintain weight
Lose Fat (–500)
—
Maintain
—
Gain Muscle (+250)
—
BMR (at rest)—
Activity calories—
Per meal (3 meals)—

Activity Level Guide

×1.2 Sedentary
Desk job / no exercise
Office worker who drives to work and watches TV in evenings
×1.375 Lightly Active
Light exercise 1–3×/week
Goes for walks, occasional gym session
×1.55 Moderately Active
Exercise 3–5×/week
Regular gym-goer or daily walker
×1.725 Very Active
Hard training 6–7×/week
Athlete or person with highly active lifestyle
×1.9 Extra Active
Physical job + training
Construction worker who also trains daily

Step-by-Step Guide

1

Calculate BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor

Man, 75kg, 175cm, 28yr: (10×75) + (6.25×175) – (5×28) + 5 = 750 + 1,093.75 – 140 + 5 = 1,708 kcal

2

Multiply by activity factor

Moderately active (×1.55): 1,708 × 1.55 = 2,648 kcal TDEE

3

Set your intake goal

Maintain: eat 2,648 kcal. Lose fat: eat 2,148 kcal (–500). Build muscle: eat 2,898 kcal (+250).

4

Verify with real data

Track food and weight for 2–3 weeks. If weight is stable at your intake, that's your actual maintenance — adjust from there.

Worked Examples

Woman, 58kg, 25yr

BMR: ~1,385 kcal
Activity (1.55): ×1.55
TDEE:
~2,147 kcal/day

Man, 90kg, 35yr

BMR: ~1,980 kcal
Sedentary (1.2): ×1.2
TDEE:
~2,376 kcal/day

Male Athlete, 80kg

BMR: ~1,884 kcal
Very active (1.725)
TDEE:
~3,250 kcal/day

Woman, 70kg, 45yr

BMR: ~1,487 kcal
Light activity (1.375)
TDEE:
~2,045 kcal/day

More Health Calculators

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BMI
Body mass index
🔥
Calorie Deficit
Weight loss plan
🥗
Macros
Protein, carbs & fat
📏
Body Fat %
Fat vs muscle
💓
Heart Rate
Training zones
💵
Net Income
Finance tools

Frequently Asked Questions

What is TDEE? ▾
TDEE stands for Total Daily Energy Expenditure — the total number of calories you burn in a day including your basal metabolic rate (BMR) plus all physical activity. Eating at TDEE maintains your current weight.
How accurate is the Mifflin-St Jeor formula? ▾
Mifflin-St Jeor is considered the most accurate commonly used formula, with an error of about ±10% for most people. It's recommended by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Accuracy decreases at extreme body compositions.
Why does my maintenance keep changing? ▾
TDEE decreases as you lose weight (smaller body burns fewer calories) and can decrease with prolonged dieting (metabolic adaptation). Recalculate every 4–6 weeks or whenever you lose/gain 5+ kg.
Should I eat my TDEE every day? ▾
TDEE is your weekly average. You don't need to hit the exact number daily. Eating more on active days and less on rest days is totally fine — what matters is the weekly average.