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How to find your maintenance calories

Maintenance is the quiet skill under every cut or bulk. Estimate it, verify it with your weight tracker, then use it as home base.

Updated 2026-07-01By Chris RichardsAll guides

The Corvex daily intake chart: a filled line chart of calories logged over time, including a sharp dip on one day and a recovery back to a steady band.
Intake over time. One low day barely moves the average — which is the point.

Estimate, then verify

Calculators give a starting TDEE. Real maintenance is whatever calorie average holds your weekly weight steady for 2–3 weeks.

Log intake and weight. If weight drifts down, you were below maintenance. If it drifts up, you were above. Adjust by 100–200 calories and retest.

Why maintenance phases matter

Living in a permanent deficit is a recipe for fatigue and rebound. Maintenance phases restore routine, training quality, and a calmer relationship with food while keeping the tracking habit alive.

Sources

  1. [1] Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, et al. “A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals” (1990) — American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 51:241–247
  2. [2] Body Weight Planner — National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIH)

General nutrition information, not medical advice. Calorie and macro targets are estimates — talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian before changing your diet, especially if you are pregnant, managing a health condition, or have a history of disordered eating.

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