Calorie needs at age 30, female
TDEE is the number of calories you burn in a day. This page works it out for a 30-year-old woman at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, then shows how it changes with activity.
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. This 30-year-old woman uses a factor of 1.375 for the lightly active level.
Worked example
Say a woman aged 30 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 × 30 = 150. Subtract 161. The result is 1385.4 at rest. Times 1.375 for the lightly active level is 1904.9, which rounds to 1905 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 30 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1662 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1905 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2147 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2390 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2632 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 1405 calories a day for this 30-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 2155 calories a day for this 30-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
Why does age 30 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 30 that is 150 calories. Without the age term this 30-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 30-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 1905 calories is 95 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 30 at 150 lb, BMR is 1385 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1905.