Calorie needs at age 27, female
TDEE is the number of calories you burn in a day. This page works it out for a 27-year-old woman at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, then shows how it changes with activity.
How it works
Start with resting calories from Mifflin-St Jeor. Take 10 times weight in kilograms and add 6.25 times height in centimeters. Subtract 5 times age. Then add 5 for males or subtract 161 for females. Multiply by an activity factor to get daily calories. Here the woman aged 27 has a height of 162.56 cm and a weight of 68.04 kg, at the lightly active level.
Worked example
For a woman aged 27, weight is 68.04 kg and height is 162.56 cm. Weight gives 10 × 68.04 = 680.4. Height gives 6.25 × 162.56 = 1016. Age takes off 5 × 27 = 135. Subtract 161. Resting calories are 1400.4, or 1400 when rounded. Multiply by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 1925.6. That rounds to 1926 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 27 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1680 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1926 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2171 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2416 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2661 calories a day
Common questions
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 1426 calories a day for this 27-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 2176 calories a day for this 27-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
Why does age 27 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 27 that is 135 calories. Without the age term this 27-year-old woman would burn 1535 calories at rest, or 2111 a day at the lightly active level.
How accurate is a calorie estimate?
It is a starting estimate. Track your weight over two or three weeks and adjust the target up or down based on what actually happens. For this 27-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 1926 calories is 96 calories a day.
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 27 at 150 lb, BMR is 1400 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1926.