Maintenance Calorie CalculatorCalories to Maintain Your Weight, Estimated or Measured
Estimate your maintenance calories with a formula, or measure them from your own food log and weigh-ins, the method coaches trust. Then get a week-by-week reverse-diet plan back up to maintenance.
Built & medically reviewed by Manzoor Ahmad, Pharmacist & Calculator Developer · Updated
Estimates use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Measured maintenance uses energy-balance arithmetic (3,500 kcal ≈ 1 lb), refined by Hall et al.
How many calories do you need to maintain your weight?
Your maintenance calories equal your TDEE: BMR × activity factor. For most adults, that’s 1,800–2,400 kcal for women and 2,200–3,000 kcal for men. For an exact number, track for 2–3 weeks and calculate average intake − (weight change in lb × 3,500 ÷ days). If you’ve been dieting, raise your calories to maintenance in steps of 50–150 kcal a week.
Find your maintenance
feet · inches
Likely range 1,910 – 2,340 (±10%)
Your reverse-diet plan back to maintenance
Coming off a diet? Add calories in small weekly steps, so the scale settles and the lost weight doesn’t come straight back.
Estimate vs measure: which maintenance number to trust
A formula gives you a starting point that’s usually within ±10%. Your own food log and scale give you the real answer, often within ±100–150 kcal. Use the Estimate tab on day one, then switch to Measure after 2–3 weeks of consistent tracking.
Reverse dieting from 1,600 kcal
- A woman (30, 5’5″, 143 lb, moderately active) has an estimated maintenance of 2,125 kcal.
- She has been dieting on 1,600 kcal, a gap of 525 kcal.
- The calculator suggests steps of +100 kcal a week: 1,600 → 1,700 → 1,800 → 1,900 → 2,000 → 2,100 → 2,125.
- She reaches maintenance in about 6 weeks, gaining only water weight.
Average maintenance calories by body size
Estimated maintenance for a moderately active 35-year-old (activity × 1.55). Your result above is more precise.
| Height & weight | Women | Men |
|---|---|---|
| 5’2″ (157 cm) · 120 lb (54 kg) | ≈ 1,840 | ≈ 2,090 |
| 5’5″ (165 cm) · 143 lb (65 kg) | ≈ 2,090 | ≈ 2,340 |
| 5’8″ (173 cm) · 165 lb (75 kg) | ≈ 2,320 | ≈ 2,570 |
| 5’11” (180 cm) · 190 lb (86 kg) | ≈ 2,560 | ≈ 2,810 |
| 6’2″ (188 cm) · 220 lb (100 kg) | ≈ 2,850 | ≈ 3,110 |
How to maintain weight long-term
- Weigh yourself 3–4 times a week and watch the 2-week average. Act if it rises more than 2–3 lb.
- Keep protein around 1.2–1.6 g/kg. It’s the most filling macro.
- Keep your daily steps from your diet phase. NEAT protects maintenance.
- Use a weekly calorie budget, so a big Saturday is balanced by lighter weekdays.
- Recalculate whenever your weight changes by 10 lb or your activity changes.
Weight creeping up at maintenance? Check your medicine list
When someone tells me they’re “eating the same but gaining”, I review their medications first. Common culprits include mirtazapine, paroxetine, amitriptyline, olanzapine, quetiapine, valproate, gabapentin and pregabalin, corticosteroids, insulin and some beta-blockers. Hormonal contraceptives can also cause fluid shifts in some people.
Never stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Many of these have weight-neutral alternatives your prescriber can consider. Bring this list to your next review.
Related calculators
Maintenance Calorie calculator FAQs
Maintenance calories are the number of calories you need each day to keep your weight stable. This is the same as your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Eat more and you gain, eat less and you lose.
Estimate them with a formula: Mifflin-St Jeor BMR × activity factor. Then refine the number by tracking your intake and weight for 2–3 weeks. Real maintenance = average daily intake − (weight change in lb × 3,500 ÷ days).
Formula-based estimates are typically within ±10% for most people, so a 2,100 kcal estimate could really be anywhere from about 1,900 to 2,300. Measuring from your own food and weight log narrows this to about ±150 kcal.
Reverse dieting means raising calories gradually, usually by 50–150 kcal a week, after a diet until you reach maintenance. It limits rapid fat regain and lets you find your new maintenance level without overshooting.
A smaller body burns fewer calories, both at rest and when moving. On top of that, the body adapts during dieting and you tend to move a little less without noticing. Expect maintenance to drop by about 10–15 calories for every pound lost.
A gain of 1–3 lb in the first 1–2 weeks is normal. It’s water and stored carbohydrate (glycogen) refilling your muscles, not fat. Judge your maintenance from the trend in weeks 3–4.
Most adult women maintain on 1,800–2,400 calories a day, depending on height, weight, age and activity. A moderately active 5’5″, 143 lb, 30-year-old woman maintains on about 2,125 calories.
Most adult men maintain on 2,200–3,000 calories a day. A moderately active 5’10”, 175 lb, 35-year-old man maintains on about 2,690 calories.
Manzoor Ahmad
Pharmacist · Supplement & Nutrition Writer (9+ yrs) · Calculator Developer (13+ yrs)
I’m a practising pharmacist and DexoCalc’s calculator developer. People often ask me why their weight changes when they’re ‘eating the same’, so this tool lets you measure your true maintenance from your own data. The reverse-diet planner and the weight-gain medication checklist come from those conversations.
References
- Mifflin MD, et al. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241–247. PubMed
- Hall KD, et al. Lancet. 2011;378(9793):826–837. PubMed
- Rosenbaum M, Leibel RL. Adaptive thermogenesis in humans. Int J Obes. 2010;34(S1):S47–S55. PubMed
- Wharton S, et al. Medications that cause weight gain and alternatives in Canada. Clin Obes. 2018;8(1):30–44. PubMed
- NIDDK. Body Weight Planner.
Medical disclaimer: Maintenance estimates are for healthy adults and are not medical advice. Unexplained weight changes can signal thyroid, kidney or heart problems, or medication effects. See your doctor if your weight changes without a clear reason.