Key takeaway
Your maintenance intake is better understood as a range that produces a broadly stable trend over time.
From BMR to daily expenditure
Basal metabolic rate estimates the energy used at rest. Multiplying BMR by an activity factor gives a rough total daily energy-expenditure estimate that includes movement, exercise and digestion.
Activity categories are blunt. Two people selecting ‘moderately active’ can still differ substantially.
Confirm with a trend
Track average intake and body weight consistently for at least two weeks, and preferably longer when the expected change is small. If the weight trend is stable, observed intake is close to current maintenance.
Water, glycogen, sodium, menstrual-cycle changes and food mass can obscure short-term signals.
Maintenance moves
Expenditure changes with body mass, training volume, spontaneous movement, illness, recovery and season. Re-estimate when life or training changes rather than treating one number as permanent.
Use this information in context
This article is general education for adults. It is not a diagnosis, treatment plan or individualized medical nutrition advice. See the methodology and references and the nutrition disclaimer.