LeanGLP

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Plateau & maintenance calculator: see the energy math behind the stall

Plateaus feel like failure; usually they're arithmetic. This calculator runs the Mifflin-St Jeor equation on your numbers, applies the guideline deficit band, and shows what expenditure looks like at your goal weight — which supports honest planning for the plateau and for the transition to maintenance.

Last verified 2026-08-05

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Estimates carry real uncertainty (±10-20%) — treat every number as a starting point, not a verdict.

plateau math

~2,010 kcal/day

estimated current expenditure (TDEE)

resting metabolic rate

1,462 kcal

Mifflin-St Jeor equation (1990) — the equation the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics review rated most reliable for adults.

guideline deficit band

1,260–1,510 kcal

TDEE minus the 500-750 kcal/day band from the 2013 AHA/ACC/TOS obesity guideline.

protein stays high

75–100 g/day

The muscle-preservation range doesn't drop at a plateau or in maintenance — full protein calculator.

Why plateaus happen (the honest version): at your goal weight, the same equation estimates ~1,820 kcal/day of expenditure — 190 kcal less than today. As weight drops, expenditure drops with it, and measured adaptation can run further than the equation predicts (the Biggest Loser follow-up study documented this pattern). A plateau usually means intake and expenditure have converged, not that anything is broken. Work through the plateau nutrition checklist before changing anything else.

Disclosure: some links below are affiliate links — if you buy through them we may earn a commission, at no cost to you. It never changes the math or the food advice. How we make money.

See Factor's GLP-1 Balance meals
See Withings body-comp scales

These are population equations applied to your inputs — individual metabolism varies ±10-20%. Educational nutrition information supporting your planning, not medical advice; medication decisions (dose changes, stopping) belong to you and your prescriber.

Companion reading: the plateau nutrition checklist and maintaining after coming off a GLP-1.