MOGLORD · WEB STORY

What does “eat at maintenance” actually mean?

One man's numbers, worked step by step — then check your own.

THE MAN

Meet Alex: 30, 180 lb, 5 ft 10 in

Office job, lifts 4 days a week. We'll build his calorie number the same way the calculator does.

STEP 1 · BMR

His body burns ~1,830 kcal at rest

The Mifflin-St Jeor formula turns age, weight and height into a basal rate: about 1,830 a day.

STEP 2 · ACTIVITY

Training multiplies it by 1.55

Lifting 4 days a week with an office job = moderately active. 1,830 × 1.55 ≈ 2,840 kcal a day.

THE ANSWER

His maintenance ≈ 2,840 kcal

Eat around that and his weight holds steady. This number — not a guess — starts every plan.

TO LOSE FAT

Subtract ~500: eat ≈ 2,340

A 500 kcal deficit loses about 1 lb a week. Slower and steadier beats a crash diet he can't hold.

TO GAIN MUSCLE

Add ~300: eat ≈ 3,140

A small surplus fuels growth with minimal fat gain. Big surpluses mostly add fat, not muscle.

REALITY CHECK

It's an estimate — adjust by results

Track weight for 2–3 weeks. Not moving as planned? Shift intake by 100–200 kcal and retest.

THE BOTTOM LINE

Your number takes 30 seconds

Same formula, your stats. Run your own maintenance calories with the free TDEE calculator.

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