Maintenance Calories Calculator
Maintenance calories equals your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) — the calories you burn each day. Eat at this level and your weight stays the same.
Why Maintenance Calories Matter
Before cutting or bulking, knowing your maintenance level is essential:
- Dieting: Know how much to subtract for a safe deficit
- Bulking: Know how much to add for lean muscle gain
- Recomping: Eat at maintenance while training hard to slowly shift body composition
Tips for Finding Your Real Maintenance
The calculator gives a formula-based estimate, but everyone's metabolism is different. The most accurate approach:
- Weigh yourself daily for 1 week and average the readings.
- Track everything you eat in a food diary.
- Calculate your daily calorie average.
- If your weight is stable, that's your maintenance.
Adjust by 100 kcal at a time and reassess every 2 weeks.