This maintenance calorie calculator allows you to calculate how many calories your body needs to maintain your current weight. If you want to know how to distribute these calories healthily throughout your diet, check out our carb calculator, protein calculator and fat intake calculator. Show
In the article below, you will find information on how to calculate maintenance calories, what your daily calorie intake should be, and why weight maintenance and weight loss maintenance are not the same thing. Daily calorie intake - how many calories do I need?Every person is different, and we all need different amounts of energy to maintain our weight. A person's energy requirement depends on their age, weight, height, physiological state, body composition, physical activity level, and many other factors. First of all, check if your weight is within the healthy range. Why it is so important? Research shows that maintaining a normal weight could prevent many diseases, such a cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and even some types of cancer! If your body mass is not within the healthy range, use our ideal weight calculator to set a weight goal. In this situation you should increase or decrease your calorie intake, rather that focusing on weight maintenance. Why would I want to know my maintenance calories?Knowing your maintenance calories:
How to calculate maintenance calories? - what are my maintenance calories?There are many methods to answer what are my maintenance calories. Some of them are really sophisticated and need to be carried out in the laboratory; others involve using fitness trackers, apps, or different equations. There is no universal formula for estimating energy expenditure, but we usually calculate it by first assessing your basal metabolic rate (BMR), and then multiplying it by appropriate physical activity level (PAL) value. Researchers have developed several equations that predict basal metabolic rate. Our maintenance calorie calculator uses the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, as this is one of the most popular BMR equations and is recommended by the US Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The physical activity level is a way of expressing a person's daily physical activity. Different PAL values have been derived from research that uses direct, laboratory methods to assess Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), and have been validated in many studies. Typical adult PAL values range from 1.20 to 2.40. Do you wonder how many calories you burn while performing different types of activities? Try the calories burned calculator to find out! Weight loss maintenanceUnfortunately, research shows that less than 20% of people who have lost weight are able to maintain a 10% weight reduction with respect to their original weight over a year. They identified several reasons, including:
As some people lose weight, they actually require less energy than a person who was already at that weight (with all other factors also remaining the same), so by sticking to their calculated maintenance calories, they would actually gain weight. It isn't possible to calculate how much energy requirement decreases due to weight loss, as it affects components of total energy expenditure: it slightly reduces basal metabolic rate, the thermic effect of food, and nonexercise energy expenditure. You may not even realize that you are moving less; our bodies just try to be more efficient. If you recently lost weight, don't worry - it doesn't mean that you will put it back on! Being aware of the factors associated with weight loss maintenance will help you to implement prevention strategies. Increasing your physical activity may be one of the easiest and the most helpful solutions to this problem. Maintenance calorie calculator - an exampleTo answer the question what are my maintenance calories?, we will set up an example scenario. Lisa is a 25 year old woman who wants to maintain her weight. She weighs 62 kilograms, and is 168 cm tall. She hasn't lost any weight recently, and her PAL equals 1.4, as she has an office job and goes for a walk or a slow bike ride from time to time. Don't worry if you prefer pounds and inches. Our maintenance calorie calculator has built-in weight and length converters that switches between SI and imperial units automatically. Just select your preferred units!
When we input the values above, we can solve the equation:
In our example, Lisa needs to eat 1937.6 kcal per day to maintain her weight. Macronutrient distributionHopefully you have found out the daily calorie intake that will allow you to maintain your weight, but how should we distribute these calories in our diet? According to USDA Dietary Guidelines, a healthy diet should have the following macronutrient distribution:
Moreover, don't forget to drink enough fluids - water is the best choice! FAQHow do I calculate maintenance calories?To calculate your maintenance calories:
The formula for women is: BMR (kcal / day)= 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (y) – 161 (kcal / day) For men, it is: BMR (kcal / day) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (y) + 5 (kcal / day)
Do your maintenance calories change?Maintenance calories are the number of calories that won't cause weight loss or weight gain - they serve to maintain the current state. The maintenance calories value depends on two major factors - basal metabolic rate (BMR) and physical activity level (PAL). Changes in both those factors can cause your maintenance calories to change. PAL change is pretty intuitive - if you exercise more, you'll burn more, and if you stop moving, you'll burn and need fewer calories. What are my maintenance calories?Maintenance calories are the number of calories that will serve to maintain your current body weight. By eating your maintenance calories and exercising the same way you shouldn't lose or gain weight. To calculate your maintenance calories, we usually multiply BMR - basal metabolic rate - by PAL - physical activity factor. You can count your BMR using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula - separate for men and women. The formula for women is: BMR (kcal / day)= 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (y) – 161 (kcal / day) For men, it is: BMR (kcal / day) = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (y) + 5 (kcal / day) PAL expresses your daily activity as a number, and it's usually estimated, from a value of 1.2 up to 2.4 if you're a professional athlete. What is the physical activity level?A physical activity level (PAL for short) is a number that estimates you everyday activity level. Check out the table to find out your physical activity level. PAL Description 1.2 Little or no exercise 1.4 Light excercise 1-2 times a week 1.6 Moderate exercise 2-3 times/week 1.75 Hard exercise 3-5 times/week 2 Physical job or hard exercise 6-7 times/week 2.4 Professional athlete Is BMR the same as maintenance calories?No. BMR is your basal metabolic rate - the minimum amount of calories your body needs for processes like breathing, digesting, thinking (yes!) and keeping the body temperature steady. Your BMR would be the same as your maintenance calories if you were to lay in bed all day and rest in thermal comfort. But since you're walking around, working, sitting, standing up, and doing sports, you need more energy. To sum up: Aleksandra Zając, MD and Joanna Michałowska, PhD candidate 🥗 This calculator will help you to estimate how much energy and nutrients your body needs to maintain your current weight. How do I calculate my calorie needs?How to calculate your daily calorie needs. Step 1: Find your current body weight in kilograms (if you live in the US, just divide your current weight in pounds by 2.2 to get your weight in kilograms).. Step 2: Multiply your weight in kilograms by 0.9 if you are a woman or 1.0 if you are a man.. Step 3: Multiply by 24.. Is 1500 enough calories for a day?According to the 2020–2025 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, most adult females require between 1,600 and 2,000 calories, and adult males between 2,000 and 2,400 calories, per day. Consequently, most people will lose weight following a 1,500- to 1,800-calorie diet.
How do I calculate how many calories I should eat a day?Calculating Your Daily Calories. For women, BMR = 655.1 + (9.563 x weight in kg) + (1.850 x height in cm) - (4.676 x age in years). For men, BMR = 66.47 + (13.75 x weight in kg) + (5.003 x height in cm) - (6.755 x age in years). Is eating 1200 calories a day healthy?A 1,200-calorie diet is much too low for most people and can result in negative side effects like dizziness, extreme hunger, nausea, micronutrient deficiencies, fatigue, headaches, and gallstones ( 23 ). Furthermore, a 1,200-calorie diet can set you up for failure if long-term weight loss is your goal.
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