How to Estimate Your Maintenance Calories
Maintenance calories are calculated by combining your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) — the energy your body uses at complete rest — with an activity multiplier that accounts for how much you move each day. The result is often called Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), and it represents your estimated maintenance level.
The two main calculation methods
The two equations most commonly used are the Mifflin-St Jeor formula and the Harris-Benedict formula. Both use your weight, height, age, and biological sex as inputs. Mifflin-St Jeor is generally considered the more accurate of the two for most adults, though no formula gives a perfect number — these are always estimates to work with and refine over time.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR × 1.2
- Lightly active (light movement 1–3 days per week): BMR × 1.375
- Moderately active (exercise 3–5 days per week): BMR × 1.55
- Very active (hard exercise 6–7 days per week): BMR × 1.725
Why your maintenance number changes on a GLP-1
As your body weight decreases, your BMR and TDEE decrease alongside it. This is one reason progress can slow over time — a calorie intake that was a healthy deficit at a higher weight may sit closer to maintenance months later. Recalculating regularly, rather than relying on a figure set at the start of your journey, helps you stay accurate. You can use our calorie calculator hub to explore this further, or cross-reference using a calorie maintenance calculator.
A note on individual variation
Formulas assume average metabolic rates, and real-world factors — sleep quality, stress hormones, medication effects, and body composition — all influence how many calories your body actually uses. Treat any calculated figure as a starting point, not a fixed prescription. General educational ranges are useful context; for personalised targets, your prescriber or doctor is the right person to consult.
For a step-by-step walkthrough of the underlying calculation, see our guide on how to calculate your maintenance calories.
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Once you have an estimate of your maintenance calories, the most useful thing you can do is log consistently against it — and that is where GLP Trackr earns its place in your routine.
The app lets you set a daily calorie target based on your maintenance figure and your goals, then tracks your intake automatically. The quickest way to log a meal is the AI photo scan: point your camera at your plate and the app returns an instant calorie and macro breakdown — no manual searching needed, which matters when appetite is low and logging feels like effort.
As your weight changes over time, your weight log feeds into the app's insights, making it easier to spot when your intake and your new maintenance level may need realigning. The calories calculator pages alongside this tool can help you run updated numbers whenever your weight shifts meaningfully.
GLP Trackr also tracks protein targets alongside calories — helpful context given how important adequate protein is when eating in a deficit on a GLP-1. You can explore related guidance in our calorie and maintenance tracking section.
GLP Trackr is a tracking tool and is not a substitute for advice from your prescriber or doctor. For personalised calorie or nutrition targets — especially if you have any underlying health conditions — always follow the guidance of your healthcare professional.
Ready to put your maintenance number to work? Set your calorie target in GLP Trackr and let the app track every meal against it. Available free on the App Store and Google Play — start your 7-day trial today.
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Frequently asked questions.
Maintenance calories are the total number of calories your body needs each day to stay at its current weight — neither gaining nor losing. This figure combines your resting metabolic rate with your daily activity level and is commonly called your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE).
Use your weight, height, age, and activity level in a TDEE formula such as Mifflin-St Jeor. Multiply your Basal Metabolic Rate by an activity factor (1.2 for sedentary up to 1.725 for very active). The result is an estimate — real-world factors mean individual needs vary.
Yes. As body weight decreases, your Basal Metabolic Rate and total energy needs decrease too. Recalculating your maintenance figure periodically — rather than sticking with an estimate from the start of your journey — helps keep your targets accurate over time.
Most formulas use biological sex as one input because average lean mass and hormonal factors influence metabolic rate. Results for women typically come out lower than for men of the same weight and height, though individual variation is significant and any figure is an estimate.
GLP Trackr lets you set a daily calorie target and log meals using AI photo scanning, barcode scanning, or manual search. Your intake is tracked against your target each day, and your weight log helps you spot when your maintenance estimate may need updating.