Maintenance Mode
Plan evidence-based diet breaks so fat loss keeps working.
Estimate your maintenance calories and map a week-by-week schedule of diet blocks and maintenance breaks — after 8–12 weeks of deficit, 1–2 weeks at maintenance is how fat loss keeps working.
How this is calculated
Methodology & sources
- Maintenance calories: BMR via the Mifflin-St Jeor equation × activity factor — Mifflin et al. 1990, Am J Clin Nutr (PubMed 2305711)
- Diet-break evidence: MATADOR trial — 2-week energy-balance blocks attenuated metabolic adaptation vs continuous restriction — Byrne et al. 2018, Int J Obes (PubMed 28925405)
- Muscle preservation: Intermittent energy restriction with scheduled maintenance periods preserved more fat-free mass and resting metabolic rate — Campbell et al. 2020 (PubMed 33467235)
- Protein target: ~1.6 g/kg/day as the plateau for retaining lean mass, benefit possible to ~2.2 g/kg — Morton et al. 2018, Br J Sports Med (PubMed 28642676)
Privacy — how your data is handled
All math runs in your browser on your device. Nothing you type is sent to a server,
and saved results live only in this browser's local storage. Tools that use live
public data (food databases, weather) request only what they need to display.
👟 Practical toolkit tip — Simple Pocket Pedometer or Wrist Step Counter
Why it helps: Tracking daily step volume (7,500–10,000 steps/day) prevents subconscious NEAT drop-off when you are in a calorie deficit.
Pro tip: A 15-minute brisk walk after dinner adds ~1,600 steps and blunts post-meal blood glucose spikes.