How to Calculate Your Maintenance Calories

TL;DR: Your maintenance calories (TDEE) = BMR × activity multiplier. Use Mifflin-St Jeor for BMR. Multiply by 1.2–1.9 based on activity level. Then eat at that level for 2 weeks and track your weight. If you're gaining, reduce 100-150 kcal. If you're losing, add 100-150 kcal. Adjust until your weight is stable — that's your true maintenance.

Every diet, cut, and bulk starts with knowing your maintenance calories. Get this number right and everything else becomes straightforward math. Get it wrong and you'll be spinning your wheels wondering why the plan isn't working.

The problem: every TDEE formula is an estimate. Population-level equations can't account for your individual metabolism, NEAT (non-exercise activity thermogenesis), muscle mass, or the variability in your day-to-day movement. The good news is there's a reliable way to calibrate the formula output to your actual body.

Step 1: Calculate BMR with Mifflin-St Jeor

Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest — just to keep organs running.

For men: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) + 5

For women: BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age) − 161

Example (180 lb, 5'11", 30-year-old man):

Weight: 180 lbs = 81.6 kg
Height: 5'11" = 180.3 cm
BMR = (10 × 81.6) + (6.25 × 180.3) − (5 × 30) + 5
BMR = 816 + 1,127 − 150 + 5 = 1,798 kcal

Step 2: Multiply by Your Activity Multiplier

| Activity Level | Description | Multiplier | |---------------|-------------|-----------| | Sedentary | Desk job, little to no exercise | 1.2 | | Lightly active | Light exercise 1-3 days/week | 1.375 | | Moderately active | Moderate exercise 3-5 days/week | 1.55 | | Very active | Hard exercise 6-7 days/week | 1.725 | | Extra active | Physical job + hard daily training | 1.9 |

Continuing the example: Moderately active (trains 4x/week): 1,798 × 1.55 = 2,787 kcal

This is your estimated TDEE starting point.

Step 3: The Problem with Multipliers

Activity multipliers are population averages. They don't know that you're a fidgeter (more NEAT), or that your job involves walking a warehouse floor (more NEAT than "sedentary" implies), or that your training is genuinely intense vs. going through the motions.

Research by Levine et al. found that NEAT variation between individuals can be as large as 2,000 kcal/day. Two people with the same job and exercise routine can have dramatically different TDEEs because one constantly shifts in their chair and the other sits completely still.

This is why formula estimates can be off by 300-500 kcal — not because the formula is wrong, but because no formula can capture your individual movement patterns.

Step 4: Real-World Calibration (2-Week Test)

This is the most reliable way to find your actual maintenance:

Set your intake at the formula-estimated TDEE
Weigh yourself daily for 14 days, first thing in the morning
Calculate the 7-day moving average (average of 7 consecutive days)
Compare week 1 average to week 2 average

Interpreting results:

Weight stable (±0.5 lb/week) → You're at maintenance
Gaining 0.5+ lb/week → Reduce by 100-150 kcal and retest
Losing 0.5+ lb/week → Add 100-150 kcal and retest

Repeat in 2-week blocks until weight is stable. This is now your calibrated maintenance.

Step 5: Recalibrate Over Time

Maintenance calories change as your weight, muscle mass, and activity level change. Recalculate every 10-15 lbs of weight change, or any time your training volume shifts significantly.

Common triggers to recalculate:

Lost 10+ lbs (lighter body = lower TDEE)
Gained significant muscle
Started or stopped a physically demanding job
Significantly changed training frequency/volume

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Using online calculators without validating — They give you a starting point, not the answer. The 2-week calibration step is non-negotiable for accuracy.

Picking the wrong activity multiplier — Most people overestimate their activity level. When in doubt, pick the lower option and adjust up.

Weighing once per week — Daily weigh-ins with a moving average give you a much cleaner trend signal. Single weigh-ins are too noisy from water retention.

Not accounting for consistency — The 2-week test only works if you're eating the same number of calories each day. Wildly variable intake makes the signal impossible to read.

Bottom Line

Mifflin-St Jeor × activity multiplier gives you a solid starting estimate. The two-week calibration converts that estimate into a number that actually reflects your metabolism. Once you have that calibrated maintenance, setting a deficit or surplus becomes precise rather than guesswork.

Use our Macro Calculator to calculate your TDEE and macro targets, or download Protokl for adaptive TDEE tracking that updates automatically based on your actual weight trend.