FAQ & Assumptions

Maintenance calories are the amount of energy you need per day to keep your body weight stable over time. In this calculator, maintenance calories are estimated as your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), which combines BMR, physical activity, and the thermic effect of food (TEF). In simple terms, this is what you would need to eat daily to neither gain nor lose weight. Learn more on the TDEE page.

Net calories represent the calories your body needs without exercise — essentially BMR plus TEF, or TDEE minus activity calories. This value removes day-to-day variability from workouts and step counts. Use this number as your calorie goal in tracking apps that add exercise calories on top (such as MyFitnessPal). On active days, logged exercise calories increase your allowed intake, keeping your total aligned with your maintenance target. See the TDEE breakdown for details.

The Total Daily Energy Expenditure is the number of calories you burn in a day from basal metabolic rate (BMR), physical activity (NEAT + EAT), and the thermic effect of food (TEF). In practice, TDEE represents your maintenance calories — the intake that would keep your weight stable over time. Read the full explanation on the TDEE page.

The Basal Metabolic Rate is the number of calories your body burns at complete rest to support vital functions like breathing, circulation, and cell maintenance. BMR is the foundation for estimating daily calorie needs and feeds into TDEE calculations. Learn more on the BMR page.

The Thermic Effect of Food (TEF) also known as Diet-Induced Thermogenesis (DIT) or Specific Dynamic Action (SDA) represents the calories your body uses to digest, absorb, and process food. TEF is often around 8–12% of total calorie intake but varies with macronutrient composition, total intake, and diet quality. See typical ranges and methods on the TEF page.

Diet-Induced Thermogenesis (DIT) is another term for the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). It describes the energy your body uses to digest, absorb, and store nutrients from food. Learn more on the TEF page.

Specific Dynamic Action (SDA) is another term for the Thermic Effect of Food (TEF). It refers to the energy your body expends to digest, absorb, and store food. More details are available on the TEF page.

Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) includes calories burned from everyday movement such as walking, standing, commuting, and chores. Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (EAT) refers to calories burned during structured exercise like lifting, running, cycling, or swimming. Together, NEAT and EAT make up your physical activity calories. Learn more on the physical activity page.

A Physical Activity Level (PAL) is an activity multiplier applied to BMR to estimate TDEE. It provides a quick, averaged way to estimate daily calorie needs when detailed activity data is unavailable. PAL values reflect typical weekly activity patterns rather than single high-activity days. The physical activity page explains the ranges used here.

This calculator provides an informed estimate based on established formulas and transparent assumptions. Like all calorie calculators, it cannot be perfectly accurate. The best way to refine your target is to compare predicted maintenance calories with 2–4 weeks of real body weight trends and adjust accordingly.

Results vary depending on which BMR formula is used, how activity is modeled (PAL vs manual calories), and whether TEF is treated explicitly or implicitly. Small differences between calculators are normal and reflect different assumptions, not errors.

If your weight is not changing as expected, adjust your intake in small steps (for example ±100–200 kcal/day) and track results for another 2–4 weeks. Real-world trends are more reliable than any single calculation.

The calculator defaults to the Mifflin–St Jeor formula, which is widely used in modern nutrition research. If you provide a valid body fat percentage, it switches to the Katch–McArdle formula to base estimates on lean mass.

When you enter manual activity calories, you can choose between a fixed TEF percentage or a macro-weighted TEF model. When using a Physical Activity Level (PAL), TEF is typically treated as implicitly included in the multiplier and displayed as a standard estimate to avoid double counting. Details are explained on the TEF page.

Only add exercise calories if your tracking app does not already include activity or step-based calories automatically. Adding exercise on top of an activity level or step-based estimate can lead to double counting.

No. This calculator and all explanations are for educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified medical or healthcare professional for diagnosis, treatment, or individualized advice.

No. There are no accounts, logins, or cloud sync in the current version. All calculations run locally in your browser or app.

All data is entered manually by you, including body stats, activity inputs, and TEF settings. There are no wearable integrations or food databases connected in this version.

Using a calculate button prevents accidental changes from unit toggles or partial inputs. It mirrors how scientific calculators work by capturing a clear snapshot of your inputs before producing results.