Maintenance calorie calculator
Estimate daily energy needs at your current weight, then compare activity assumptions.
Estimated maintenance
About kcal/day
Estimated resting energy (REE): kcal/day.
Resting energy is not a recommended minimum intake.
Activity scenarios
| Daily movement | kcal/day |
|---|---|
| Lower × 1.4 | |
| Mostly sitting + some activity × 1.6 | |
| Higher × 1.8 |
These scenarios are not a personal range or confidence interval. Actual needs can fall outside them.
Calculation details
Maintenance is estimated resting energy × the chosen activity factor. Values are rounded to the nearest 50 kcal for readability, with halves rounded up; rounding is not an error margin.
A starting estimate for adults
This general estimate is not intended for pregnancy or breastfeeding, clinical nutrition treatment, unusual body composition or exceptional athletic workloads.
The tool covers ages 19–78 as a limited scope, not a medical boundary. Height and weight limits are technical input checks, not health standards.
About the method and activity assumptions
Mifflin–St Jeor estimates resting energy (REE). Multiplying REE by a whole-day activity factor gives a static maintenance estimate, also called total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). This does not implement the full dynamic NIH Body Weight Planner.
Factor 1.6 represents mostly seated work or school plus some moderate activity, at least weekly. Factors 1.4 and 1.8 are lower and higher comparison assumptions; they do not cover every activity pattern.