How to calculate maintenance calories

Worked examples from the same calculator

Unless the row says otherwise: age 30, 70 kg, 175 cm, male coefficient. PAL 1.4–1.6 is an illustrative, explicitly chosen scenario. Only the final output is rounded using decimal half-up rules.

From resting energy to total daily expenditure

Initial maintenance estimate = unrounded REE × chosen PAL. Total expenditure includes resting energy, physical activity and the thermic effect of food. PAL represents total expenditure relative to resting energy; do not add food thermogenesis or exercise again on top of this total.

Choose a PAL scenario explicitly

NIDDK lists typical PAL values from 1.4 to 2.5. This tool uses your lower and upper selections in that range and starts with blank fields. It does not map workouts per week to fixed coefficients. These multipliers come from a separate planning assumption, not the Mifflin paper.

Use trends to revisit the estimate

A selected PAL range is an input scenario, not a statistical confidence interval. Compare consistent intake records and body-weight trends over time when reassessing the starting estimate. Changes in body weight, activity and physiology can change expenditure, so a fixed intake is not a promise of permanent weight maintenance.

Source formulas and scope

The simplified equations in the original Mifflin–St Jeor PubMed abstract read:

REE (males) = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) + 5; REE (females) = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) - 5 x age (y) - 161.

Output is estimated REE in kcal/day. Original study: 498 healthy adults, ages 19–78. This tool excludes children, pregnancy and breastfeeding; it provides no medical advice. The equation’s two coefficients reflect the study, and do not establish validation for other populations. US inputs use exactly 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg and 1 in = 2.54 cm without intermediate rounding. Other maximum input limits only prevent extreme or accidental entries; they are not clinical thresholds.

NIDDK’s PAL guidance states:

Typical physical activity level numbers range from 1.4 (sedentary) to 2.5 (very active).

REE × PAL is this tool’s initial approximation of total daily expenditure. PAL is selected by you, separately from the original resting-energy equation. Ranges reflect the entered scenarios, not personal error bounds. Hall et al. describe the static rule as “This ubiquitous weight-loss rule (also known as the 3500 kcal per pound rule)” and explain that it ignores physiological adaptations. The dynamic Hall model is not implemented here; no weight-change timeline is calculated.

Use the tool that matches your question

BMI describes a weight-to-height ratio; resting energy excludes activity; maintenance considers daily expenditure; deficit compares expenditure with intake; the gain tool adds your chosen surplus; macro conversion counts energy from entered grams.

• How do you calculate BMI?
• RMR calculator: estimate resting energy
• What is a calorie deficit?
• Weight gain calculator: starting calorie scenarios
• Calories in protein: grams to kcal calculator

For a specific activity session, use the walking calorie calculator or sit-ups calorie calculator. Their session estimates are separate from whole-day expenditure; avoid counting an activity twice.