Know your numbers
Maintenance calorie calculator
Work out how many calories you need each day to maintain your weight — and understand what energy balance really means.
Your maintenance calories
1,961 kcal/day
- Basal metabolic rate (BMR)
- 1427 kcal
- Lose weight
- 1561 kcal
- Gain weight
- 2261 kcal
The estimate is based on the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and is not medical advice.
How energy balance works
Energy balance describes the relationship between the energy you take in through food and drink and the energy your body uses. When intake matches expenditure you are in balance and your weight stays stable — that is your maintenance level.
Your total daily energy expenditure has four parts: your basal metabolic rate (the largest share, the energy needed to keep your body running at rest), the thermic effect of food, planned exercise, and all the incidental movement from steps, chores and standing.
This is why your maintenance level changes over time. If you lose weight, change jobs, sleep worse or move less during the day, expenditure drops. Recalculate every few months, or whenever your weight plateaus even though your intake has not changed.
Treat the number as a hypothesis, not a fact. Weigh yourself a few times a week for two to three weeks and compare the averages. If your weight holds steady you have found your maintenance level — otherwise adjust intake by 100–200 calories and measure again.
Food quality still matters when the calories add up. Enough protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals keeps you full, protects your muscle mass and helps you feel good along the way. In Nutraware you photograph your meal and instantly see both calories and nutrients, so you can track your maintenance level without weighing and logging every ingredient.
Frequently asked questions
What are maintenance calories?
Maintenance calories are the number of calories you need each day to keep your current body weight stable — your total daily energy expenditure, or TDEE.
How is the maintenance calorie calculation done?
This calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation to estimate your basal metabolic rate, then multiplies it by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9 to estimate your total daily energy expenditure.
How accurate is a maintenance calorie calculator?
Equation-based estimates are typically within 10 to 15 percent for most people. Use the number as a starting point, then adjust based on how your weight actually changes over two to three weeks.
How many calories should I eat to lose or gain weight?
A deficit of roughly 300 to 500 calories below maintenance supports gradual fat loss, while a surplus of 200 to 400 calories above maintenance supports gradual muscle gain alongside strength training.