How to Calculate Maintenance Calories | Dr Pals NewME
TDEE = BMR × activity factor. Here's the simple two-step process to find your maintenance intake and why it's a baseline, not a fixed rule.
How many calories should I eat? If you're trying to maintain, lose, or gain weight, you've probably asked yourself this question at least once. As a clinical health coach, it's easily the most common question I get asked. But honestly, that's the wrong question to ask.
The right question is: how many calories do I need to maintain my current weight? In other words — what are my maintenance calories?
Most of the time, people are either:
- Eating too much or too little.
- Eating healthy but still gaining weight.
- Randomly following 900, 1200, or 1500 kcal targets from Instagram or YouTube.
- Sometimes all of the above.
And when we dig deeper, the issue is simple: they don't know their maintenance calories.
What Are Maintenance Calories?
Maintenance calories are the number of calories your body needs to:
- Keep your weight stable.
- Function consistently.
- Support daily activity.
This is also known as your daily calorie needs or TDEE (Total Daily Energy Expenditure). It includes breathing, digestion, circulation, cell production — plus walking, working, exercising, and other daily activity.
The basic energy requirement (breathing, digestion, organs working) is called the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR). Add your daily activity on top, and you get your TDEE — your maintenance calories.
Once you know your maintenance calories:
- Eat below your maintenance intake → you lose weight.
- Eat above your maintenance intake → you gain weight.
- Eat around your maintenance intake → you maintain your weight.
Step 1: Calculate Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
BMR is the number of calories your body needs just to stay alive. The most commonly used formulas are:
For women
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) − 161
For men
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) − (5 × age in years) + 5
This gives your baseline calories at rest. To fully calculate maintenance calories (TDEE), we still need to factor in your daily activity level — that's Step 2.
Step 2: Apply Your Activity Factor to Find TDEE
Maintenance calories (TDEE) = BMR × activity factor
How to choose the activity factor:
- Sedentary (very little movement) → 1.2
- Lightly active (sports/exercise 1–3 days a week) → 1.375
- Moderately active (sports/exercise 3–5 days a week) → 1.55
- Very active (sports/exercise 6–7 days a week) → 1.725
- Extremely active (sports/exercise 2× a day, 7 days a week) → 1.9
Example
A 32-year-old woman, 170 cm tall, 65 kg, with a desk job (sedentary), has a BMR of 1670 calories.
Maintenance calories (TDEE) = 1670 × 1.2 = 2004 calories/day
These are her estimated maintenance calories — roughly how much she should eat to maintain her current weight.
This Is an Estimate, Not an Exact Number
Most people don't realise this. Your actual maintenance calories can vary depending on:
- Daily movement (walking, chores).
- Muscle mass.
- Hormones.
- Stress levels.
Even people with similar stats can differ by 200–300 calories in their TDEE. So don't stop at the calculation — refine it.
Here's what I tell my clients:
- Use the number as a baseline, not a fixed rule.
- Eat around your maintenance calories and track for 2–3 weeks. If your weight stays the same, you've found it.
- If weight increases → decrease slightly. If weight decreases → increase slightly.
- Your body doesn't respond to formulas — it responds to habits. Adjust around activity changes, routine shifts, workout intensity, etc.
A Real Client Example
I had a client who was eating 1200 calories every day because she thought it would help her lose weight faster. Instead, she felt:
- Tired.
- Poor digestion.
- Weight loss stalled.
When we calculated her maintenance calories, her TDEE was around 1900. We increased her intake gradually, closer to maintenance, and:
- Energy improved.
- Digestion improved.
- Fat loss actually started.
This is why understanding your maintenance calories is powerful.
Final Takeaway
If you're confused about your maintenance calories, start here:
- Calculate your BMR.
- Adjust to your activity.
- Track and refine.
Your body is not trying to betray you — it just wants enough fuel to function properly. Once you understand and apply your maintenance intake, everything from weight loss to energy levels becomes much easier and more sustainable.