Maintenance Calorie Calculator
Enter your body details and activity level to estimate the calories that keep your weight steady, as a single figure and a realistic range, using the equation you choose.
Last updated November 4, 2026
Used only by the formula
Result
About 1,970 kcal a day to maintain weight (range 1,773 kcal to 2,167 kcal)
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Resting rate (BMR), Mifflin-St Jeor | 1,433 kcal |
| Activity factor | × 1.375 |
| Maintenance calories | 1,970 kcal |
| Range (± 10%) | 1,773 kcal to 2,167 kcal |
| Context: Lose 1 lb per week | 1,470 kcal |
| Context: Lose 0.5 lb per week | 1,720 kcal |
| Context: Gain 0.5 lb per week | 2,220 kcal |
| Equation | BMR | Maintenance |
|---|---|---|
| Mifflin-St Jeor | 1,433 kcal | 1,970 kcal |
| Revised Harris-Benedict | 1,474 kcal | 2,027 kcal |
The weight-change lines are context from the 3,500 kcal per lb rule of thumb, not advice. Do not eat below clinician-advised levels. General estimate only, not medical advice. Talk to a qualified health professional about your own situation.
Show the work
Formula: Mifflin-St Jeor: BMR = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age + 5 (male) or − 161 (female). Maintenance = BMR × activity factor.
- You entered 5 ft 7 in, 150 lb, female, age 30. The formulas use 68 kg and 170.2 cm.
- BMR = 10 × 68 + 6.25 × 170.2 − 5 × 30 − 161 = 1,433 kcal.
- Maintenance = 1,433 × 1.375 = 1,970 kcal.
- Range: 1,970 kcal × 0.9 = 1,773 kcal and × 1.1 = 2,167 kcal.
- Lose 1 lb per week: 1,970 kcal − 1 × 3,500 / 7 = 1,470 kcal.
- Lose 0.5 lb per week: 1,970 kcal − 0.5 × 3,500 / 7 = 1,720 kcal.
- Gain 0.5 lb per week: 1,970 kcal + 0.5 × 3,500 / 7 = 2,220 kcal.
Result: About 1,970 kcal a day to maintain weight (range 1,773 kcal to 2,167 kcal)
How maintenance calories are estimated
Maintenance = resting rate (BMR) × activity factor
range = maintenance × 0.9 to × 1.1
Maintenance calories are the energy that holds your weight steady. This page gives that figure as a range and lets you compare three equations; for activity-adjusted energy needs with deficit and surplus targets from one equation, use the TDEE calculator. The calculator first estimates your resting rate (BMR) with one of three published equations, then multiplies it by an activity factor.
Mifflin-St Jeor is the default: BMR = 10 × kg + 6.25 × cm − 5 × age, plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women. Revised Harris-Benedict (the 1984 Roza and Shizgal update of the 1918 original) uses different coefficients for men and women. Katch-McArdle ignores sex, height and age and works from lean mass: BMR = 370 + 21.6 × lean mass in kg, where lean mass is your weight times one minus your body fat fraction. It needs a body fat figure, and it is only as good as that figure.
The factors are 1.2 (sedentary), 1.375 (light), 1.55 (moderate), 1.725 (active) and 1.9 (very active). They are conventional estimates, not published equations or measurements: the idea of scaling a resting rate by activity comes from FAO and WHO energy reports, but we found no primary source for these exact values.
See how we calculate for the formulas, sources and review schedule behind every calculator.
Also useful alongside this calculator: TDEE Calculator, BMR Calculator and BMI Calculator.
This is an estimate, not medical advice
This calculator gives a general estimate from the published methods listed under Sources. It does not diagnose anything or replace advice from a doctor, dietitian or other qualified health professional, and individual needs differ. This page has not been reviewed by a medical professional.
Which equation should you pick?
For most adults, start with Mifflin-St Jeor and compare the others in the table under your result. If they land within a few hundred calories of each other, the choice matters little. Katch-McArdle can fit very lean or very muscular people better, but only when the body fat percentage is reliable. Roza and Shizgal reported that Harris-Benedict is accurate to about 14% in normally nourished people.
Accuracy and the plus or minus 10% range
Every figure here is an estimate. Metabolism, body composition, daily movement and the activity factor you pick all vary, so the page shows a range of 10% either side of the estimate. That is a rounded illustration of typical error, not a published limit. In the example below, 2,759 kcal becomes about 2,483 to 3,035.
The best check is real life: eat near the estimate for two to three weeks, weigh yourself under the same conditions, and adjust by a few hundred calories if your weight drifts.
Mild deficit and surplus as context
Below your result, lines show about 250 and 500 calories under or over maintenance, with the rule of thumb of 3,500 kcal per pound. They are context, not a plan, and the page says so if a target falls below your estimated resting rate. The TDEE calculator lists a fuller set of deficit and surplus targets with weekly change.
Never eat below the level a doctor or dietitian has advised for you. Pregnancy, under-18s, diabetes, eating disorders and other conditions change energy needs, and this tool does not account for them.
Sources
Official and primary sources for the statements on this page. Their authors have not reviewed or endorsed this page.
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr 1990;51(2):241-247. Source of the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, the default here: 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) − 5 × age, plus 5 for men or minus 161 for women
- Roza AM, Shizgal HM. The Harris Benedict equation reevaluated: resting energy requirements and the body cell mass. Am J Clin Nutr 1984;40(1):168-182. Reevaluates the Harris-Benedict equations from the original data and reports that they estimate resting energy expenditure in normally nourished people with a precision of about plus or minus 14%, which is why this page shows a range and not a single exact number
Published equations: Mifflin-St Jeor (10, 6.25, −5, +5 or −161) and revised Harris-Benedict (men 88.362 + 13.397 × kg + 4.799 × cm − 5.677 × age; women 447.593 + 9.247 × kg + 3.098 × cm − 4.330 × age, Roza and Shizgal 1984, not the 1918 original) match a published coefficient table, but we confirmed them from a secondary summary, not the papers themselves; the Roza and Shizgal abstract gives the ±14% precision and the Mifflin record was only confirmed to exist.
Katch-McArdle (370 + 21.6 × lean mass in kg) appears in secondary sources that attribute it to McArdle, Katch and Katch’s exercise physiology textbook; we did not open the original 1975 study or the textbook, so treat it as unverified.
Conventions, not published equations: the activity multipliers (1.2, 1.375, 1.55, 1.725 and 1.9) are conventional estimates. The idea of multiplying a resting rate by an activity factor comes from FAO, WHO and UNU energy-requirement reports, but we found no primary source for these five values and sources disagree on their origin. The plus or minus 10% range is a rounded illustration, not a published figure, and the 3,500 kcal per pound goal lines are a rule of thumb.
How to use the Maintenance Calorie Calculator
- Choose units, sex and age, then enter your height and weight.
- Pick the activity level that matches a typical week, not your best week.
- Choose an equation, and enter body fat percent if you pick Katch-McArdle.
- Read your maintenance calories and range, compare equations, then use Copy, Print or Share.
Worked example
A 30-year-old man, 180 cm and 80 kg, with moderate activity (× 1.55). Mifflin-St Jeor gives 10 × 80 + 6.25 × 180 − 5 × 30 + 5 = 1,780 kcal, so maintenance is 1,780 × 1.55 = 2,759 kcal. Revised Harris-Benedict gives 1,854 and 2,873. With 20% body fat Katch-McArdle gives 370 + 21.6 × 64 = 1,752 kcal, or 2,716 at the same factor.
| Result | Calories per day |
|---|---|
| Mifflin-St Jeor BMR | 1,780 |
| Maintenance (× 1.55) | 2,759 |
| Range, minus 10% to plus 10% | 2,483 to 3,035 |
| Harris-Benedict maintenance | 2,873 |
| Katch-McArdle maintenance, 20% body fat | 2,716 |
| About 1 lb a week lower (context) | 2,259 |
Frequently asked questions
What are maintenance calories?
They are the calories you burn in a typical day, which is the intake expected to keep your weight roughly steady over time.
How accurate is a maintenance calorie estimate?
It is an average-based estimate that can be off by about 10% or more, so use the range and adjust from how your weight actually changes.
Why do the three equations give different answers?
They were fitted to different groups of people and use different inputs, and Katch-McArdle depends on your body fat percentage instead of height and age.
Can I eat below my maintenance calories to lose weight?
A modest gap is common, but how much is right for you depends on your health, so follow the level your doctor or dietitian advises.
Are my numbers stored or sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you enter is saved or uploaded.