Glossary
Maintenance calories
Maintenance calories are the daily calories at which your bodyweight stays the same.
Roughly equal to your TDEE. Eat above to build muscle, below to lose fat.
Also known as
maintenance, maintenance calorie
Related terms
TDEE
TDEE is total daily energy expenditure — the total calories you burn in a day.
Calorie surplus
A calorie surplus is eating more calories than you burn, so your body has fuel to build muscle.
Calorie deficit
A calorie deficit is eating fewer calories than you burn, which makes the body use fat for energy.