Maintenance Calories (TDEE) Calculator

Estimate your daily maintenance calories using Mifflin–St Jeor BMR and an activity multiplier.

Inputs

Sex

Male Female

Required for the Mifflin–St Jeor BMR equation.

Age Enter your age in full years. Physical activity level (PAL) Choose the closest description of your typical activity.

Height

Unit switching recalculates cleanly from the stored source value.

Weight

Unit switching preserves the stored source value.

Results

Basal metabolic rate (BMR)

—

Estimated calories at rest

Maintenance calories (TDEE)

—

Estimated calories to maintain weight

Body mass index (BMI)

—

kg/m²

Weight status

—

Adult BMI category

Activity factor used

—

Selected PAL multiplier

Mild fat-loss target

—

Example: TDEE − 250 kcal

Moderate fat-loss target

—

Example: TDEE − 500 kcal

Lean gain target

—

Example: TDEE + 250 kcal

Summary

Enter your details and click Calculate.

Step-by-step derivation

Provide your inputs to see the calculation breakdown here.

Formula used: Mifflin–St Jeor BMR, then TDEE = BMR × activity factor (PAL). Target calorie examples are rough starting points, not medical prescriptions.

This calculator is for general education only and does not replace professional medical or nutrition advice.

Use this Maintenance Calorie Calculator to estimate how many calories you may need each day to maintain your current body weight.

Calculation Method

The calculator first estimates resting calorie needs using the Mifflin–St Jeor equation:

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

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

It then estimates total daily energy expenditure:

Maintenance calories (TDEE) = BMR × activity factor

Example

For a 30-year-old male weighing 80 kg, 180 cm tall:

BMR = 10 × 80 + 6.25 × 180 − 5 × 30 + 5

BMR = 1,780 calories/day

Using a moderate activity factor of 1.55:

TDEE = 1,780 × 1.55 ≈ 2,759 calories/day

The estimated maintenance intake is therefore about 2,759 calories per day.

Important Limitations

This is a starting estimate rather than an exact calorie requirement. Activity level, body composition, metabolism, health, and actual daily movement can cause real energy needs to differ.

Monitor longer-term body-weight trends and adjust the estimate when necessary.

Source

Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. — A New Predictive Equation for Resting Energy Expenditure

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