How to calculate maintenance calories?

To calculate your maintenance calories, tracking is crucial. Here's a step-by-step guide based on advice from the Mind Pump Podcast:

1. Track Current Intake:

   • Track your current daily calorie intake for about two weeks without changing your eating habits. This gives you a baseline of how many calories you consume naturally 1 2.

2. Monitor Weight Fluctuations:

   • Keep an eye on your weight during this period. Daily fluctuations are normal due to factors like fluids, carbohydrates, sodium, and digestion. Instead, focus on weekly trends to determine if your weight remains stable 3.
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       1

       Finding Maintenance Calories

       00:57:15
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       2

       Macro Tracking Basics

       00:11:17
       
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       3

       Calorie Fluctuation Insights

       01:07:48
       
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       4

       Caloric Adjustments

       00:22:56
       

3. Determine Average Calories:

   • After two weeks, calculate the average daily caloric intake. If your weight has been relatively stable, this average represents your maintenance calories 1.

4. Validate with Tools (Optional):

   • Use tools like macro calculators for a starting point, but remember they're estimations. They can be off due to individual variances in metabolism and activity levels 2.

5. Adjust for Goals:

   • Once you know your maintenance calories, you can adjust depending on your goals. For weight loss, aim to consume fewer calories than maintenance. For muscle gain, increase your caloric intake 4.

By following these steps, you can accurately determine and adjust your maintenance calories to meet your fitness goals effectively.