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Calorie Deficit & Maintenance Calculator
Maintenance calorie calculator and diet calculator: estimate TDEE with Mifflin-St Jeor, then compare 10–25% deficit scenarios. Default is 15%.
How the maintenance calorie calculator works
This diet calculator estimates maintenance calories (TDEE), then shows deficit options. BMR uses Mifflin-St Jeor. Male equation: 10×kg + 6.25×cm − 5×age + 5. Female equation: 10×kg + 6.25×cm − 5×age − 161. TDEE is BMR times an activity multiplier (1.2 to 1.9). Maintenance is shown as a range. If you already know a holding intake, enter it.
Scenarios are 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% below maintenance. 15% is the default. ARC will not print targets for people under 18, pregnant, breastfeeding, or with eating-disorder concern. It also will not display a calorie number below the range this product is designed to recommend.
How this is calculated
- Mifflin-St Jeor is a widely used BMR equation. It is still an estimate.
- Activity multipliers are coarse. Prefer a known maintenance number when you have one.
If the scale is not moving, read why a calorie deficit might not be working.
Questions
What is a maintenance calorie calculator?
A maintenance calorie calculator estimates TDEE, the daily intake that holds your current weight. ARC uses Mifflin-St Jeor for BMR, multiplies by an activity factor from 1.2 to 1.9, and shows a maintenance range. Enter a known holding intake instead of the equation when you have one.
Is this a diet calculator?
Yes, for the calorie side of a diet. After maintenance is estimated, ARC compares 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% calorie deficits so you can pick a daily intake to try. Pair it with the protein calculator for grams, not a meal-by-meal menu.
What calorie deficit should I use?
ARC compares 10%, 15%, 20%, and 25% below maintenance. 15% is the default starting point. Smaller deficits are easier to hold; larger ones finish a cut faster if you can actually eat them. When a calorie deficit is not working.
Is a 500-calorie deficit always appropriate?
No. A fixed 500-calorie cut ignores how much you currently eat and how large that drop is as a percentage. ARC works from a percentage of maintenance so the plan scales with the person.
How is maintenance calorie intake estimated?
BMR uses Mifflin-St Jeor. TDEE is BMR times an activity multiplier from 1.2 to 1.9. Maintenance is shown as a range. If you already know a holding intake, enter that instead of the equation.
Why might actual weight loss differ?
Equations miss NEAT, weekend eating, and water. The number is a starting plan. If the scale is not moving after a honest stretch, review why a deficit might not be landing and adjust from weekly data, do not treat the first printout as a guarantee.