Calorie needs at age 25, female
Use the form to estimate your maintenance calories. For the sums, read the worked example for a woman aged 25 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb.
How it works
Daily calories equal resting calories times an activity factor. Resting calories come from Mifflin-St Jeor: 10 times kilograms plus 6.25 times centimeters minus 5 times age, with 5 added for males or 161 taken off for females. The factor runs from 1.2 to 1.9. For a woman aged 25 at the lightly active level the fixed adjustment is minus 161.
Worked example
Say a woman aged 25 is 5 ft 4 in tall and weighs 150 lb. That is 162.56 cm and 68.04 kg. The weight term is 10 × 68.04 = 680.4. The height term is 6.25 × 162.56 = 1016. The age term is 5 × 25 = 125. Subtract 161. The result is 1410.4 at rest. Times 1.375 for the lightly active level is 1939.3, which rounds to 1939 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 25 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1692 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1939 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2186 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2433 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2680 calories a day
Common questions
What is the difference between BMR and TDEE?
BMR is what your body burns at rest. TDEE adds the calories you use moving and exercising. It is always higher. For this woman aged 25 at 150 lb, BMR is 1410 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1939.
Which activity level should I pick?
Pick the one that matches a typical week, not your best week. If you sit most of the day and train a few times, lightly or moderately active is usually closer than very active. Across the five levels this 25-year-old woman ranges from 1692 to 2680 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 1939.
How big a calorie deficit is reasonable for weight loss?
A deficit of 500 calories a day is a common starting point and works out to roughly half a kilogram a week. Smaller deficits are slower and easier to keep up. A 500 calorie deficit here means 1439 calories a day for this 25-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
How big a surplus helps build muscle?
A modest surplus of about 250 calories a day is a common starting point. Larger surpluses tend to add more fat without adding muscle faster. A 250 calorie surplus here means 2189 calories a day for this 25-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
Why does age 25 change the result?
The formula takes 5 calories off for every year of age, which reflects that resting burn tends to fall over time. At 25 that is 125 calories. Without the age term this 25-year-old woman would burn 1535 calories at rest, or 2111 a day at the lightly active level.