Calculator

Maintenance calories

How many calories keep your weight steady, from your body and your actual day: your job, your steps and your workouts, not a vague "moderately active".

Maintenance, per day 2,450 kcal
BMR (at rest)–
To lose ~0.5 kg a week–
To gain lean, slowly–

Use it as a starting point. The real number shows up in your weight trend after 2–3 weeks.

How it's worked out

  1. BMR (calories at complete rest) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the most accurate of the common formulas for most adults.
  2. Your day: a desk job adds about 20%, being on your feet about 37%, physical work about 55%.
  3. Steps: up to 15% more for 11,000+ a day.
  4. Workouts: 2.5% more per training day a week, up to 15%.

Check it against reality

Every formula is an estimate, often off by 10% either way. The honest test: eat roughly the same for 2 to 3 weeks and watch your weight trend (an average, not single weigh-ins). Flat trend, you've found maintenance. Drifting down or up, adjust by 100–200 kcal and check again.

Ready to change your weight? Try the weight loss and gain calculator for calories, protein, carbs and fat.

General information for healthy adults, not medical advice. Pregnant or breastfeeding, or managing a health condition? Ask your doctor.

Maintenance that learns from you

Recomp starts with this estimate, then reads your weight trend and nudges your plan, so the number keeps getting more accurate.

Get Recomp for iPhone