HOW TO CALCULATE MAINTENANCE CALORIES

Understanding maintenance calories and how to calculate them is an essential tool when beginning a diet and before transitioning into a muscle gain or fat loss phase!

WHAT ARE MAINTENANCE CALORIES?

The daily calorie intake that keeps your body weight more or less stable: accounting for minor fluctuations.

Maintenance calories are determined by your TDEE: Total Daily Energy Expenditure which is composed of four components outlined below:

1. RMR: Resting Metabolic Rate (~60%)

   • Amount of calories burned throughout the day: includes BMR and little movements

2. TEA: Thermic Effect of Activity (~30%)

   • Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT): includes walking, moving around, and daily activities

   • Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT): includes structured exercise and training

3. TEF: Thermic Effect of Food (~10%)

   • Energy for digesting calories

4. AT: Adaptive Thermogenesis (~1-2%)

   • Energy for body temperature: heat and cool down

ESTIMATING MAINTENANCE CALORIES

When estimating maintenance calories: the goal is to determine how many calories you need to eat per day to maintain your current body weight. Maintenance calories should not be thought of as a fixed number but rather as a moving target that will change based on your changing body composition. Many estimation equations can be used to calculate your approximate maintenance calories.

Method 1: Easy Beginning

• One simple way to estimate maintenance calories is to multiply your body weight (lbs) by 15 for a moderately active individual. If using body weight in kilograms instead: multiply by 33. This method fits most people who are resistance training 4 to 5 times per week and have a healthy body composition. This calculation will not be appropriate for considerable over or underweight individuals.

Method 2: Ballpark Estimate Formula (My Favorite)

• Multiply body weight (lbs) by 10 = BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate)

• BMR x Activity Factor = Estimated Maintenance Calories

• Example: 175 (lbs) x 10 = 1,750 (BMR)

  • 1,750 (BMR) x 1.5 (Activity Factor) = 2,625 = Estimated Maintenance Calories

Method 3: Guess And Check

• Track your body weight and calorie intake each day for 2-3 weeks

• Train normally and aim to keep your body weight stable

• If you gain weight on the scale for 3 days on average: reduce daily intake by 250-500 calories

• If you lose weight on the scale for 3 days on average: increase daily intake by 250-500 calories

• Repeat this process until body weight begins to stabilize

With this method: ensure you are tracking your food intake consistently and accurately. When body weight stabilizes: you have found your maintenance calories!

SUMMARY

Calculating maintenance calories is a key part of setting up and beginning your dietary intake. Whichever method you choose: focus on getting a secure idea of how many calories you need to maintain your body weight!