What are maintenance calories?
Your maintenance calories are the amount you can eat each day without gaining or losing weight — the same figure as your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Eat at maintenance to hold steady, slightly below to lose, slightly above to gain.
How maintenance calories are calculated
We estimate your resting metabolism (BMR) with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation, then multiply by an activity factor built from your daily movement and exercise. The result is your maintenance number; the macro split shows a balanced way to hit it.
Maintenance is the smart target after a diet — holding a new weight is its own skill. Swoodie tracks every meal against your maintenance number automatically, and the calorie deficit calculator handles the losing phase.
General estimates for healthy adults, not medical advice.
Frequently asked questions
What are maintenance calories?
The number of calories that keeps your weight the same — your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE). Eat at it to maintain, below to lose, above to gain.
How do I find my maintenance calories?
Enter your age, sex, height, weight and activity above. The calculator estimates your BMR with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation and multiplies by your activity factor to give your maintenance calories, with the 'Maintain' goal selected.
Are maintenance calories the same as TDEE?
Yes — maintenance calories and TDEE are the same figure: the total energy you burn in a day.