Tool · 3 of 8 · used with every WITH ME client

Maintenance calories calculator

The calories that keep your weight where it is. Maintenance is a range of about 500 kcal, not one number, and we aim for its upper end: more nutrients, more training fuel and a higher daily energy burn.

WITH ME tools

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One time only. It unlocks the tools in this browser. The tools give general, illustrative estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice.

Sex

Age

Height, cm

Weight, kg

Body fat, percent (optional)Makes the estimate more precise. Estimate it here

Your average daily stepsFrom your phone or watch: the average of the last 7 days.Enter a number between 0 and 40,000.

Strength sessions a week

Your maintenance

Maintenance range

–

Your target: top of the range

– kcal

Resting burn (BMR)

– kcal

Average daily burn

– kcal

Training day

Rest day

How it is calculated

Why a range, not a number

Your body adjusts: eat a little more and you move more without noticing; eat less and you move less. Within a band of about 500 kcal, your weight holds steady. We aim for the top of that range for more nutrients and better training.

What we do in coaching

A formula is the starting point. Your real maintenance comes from logging seven days of normal eating and comparing it with your weight trend; from there, your targets are adjusted every week.

How this is calculated. Maintenance is your resting burn (Katch-McArdle, 370 + 21.6 × lean mass in kg, when you enter body fat; otherwise Mifflin-St Jeor) × 1.2 for basic daily living and digestion, plus walking from your average daily steps (steps × 0.0004 kcal × bodyweight in kg: walking costs about 0.5 kcal per kg per km, and a km is roughly 1,300 steps), plus roughly 300 kcal per strength session, averaged over the week. The range is your estimate ± 250 kcal. Protein at maintenance is set per kg of lean mass by age, from the WITH ME protein table: up to 30 years 1.8–2.0 g/kg, 31–40 2.0–2.3, 41–50 2.3–2.6, 51–60 2.6–2.9, 61 and over 2.9–3.2, higher with more strength sessions. Lean mass comes from your body fat %, or is estimated from height and weight. This is a starting point, not a guarantee: adjust it from the 2 to 3-week trend of your average weight. Based on Helms, Aragon & Fitschen 2014 (JISSN), Helms et al. 2014 (IJSNEM, protein in a deficit), Mettler et al. 2010, Longland et al. 2016, Morton et al. 2018 (BJSM), Iraki et al. 2019 (Sports) and Mifflin et al. 1990; walking cost from the ACSM walking equation.

The other tools

1Maximum muscle mass potential 2Body fat percentage calculator 3Maintenance calories calculator 4Body recomposition macros calculator 5Daily food tracking simulator 6Vitamin D and sunlight calculator 7Food preferences for your meal plan 8Reverse dieting and maintenance roadmap

Want these numbers checked against your real data?

Request your complimentary consultation with Alexandra

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These tools give general estimates for healthy adults and are not medical advice. If you are pregnant, breastfeeding, under 18, or have a medical condition or a history of disordered eating, talk to your doctor before changing how you eat.

Age	Calorie surplus gain muscle	Calorie deficit lose fat
0–30 years	1.8–2.0	2.2–2.4
31–40 years	2.0–2.3	2.4–2.8
41–50 years	2.3–2.6	2.8–3.1
51–60 years	2.6–2.9	3.1–3.5
61–70 years	2.9–3.2	3.5–3.8