Calorie needs at age 31, female
TDEE is the number of calories you burn in a day. This page works it out for a 31-year-old woman at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, then shows how it changes with activity.
How it works
Resting calories are 10 times weight in kilograms plus 6.25 times height in centimeters minus 5 times age. Add 5 for males or subtract 161 for females. Multiply by 1.2 for little exercise up to 1.9 for very hard training. At 150 lb the weight term for this 31-year-old woman is 680.4, at the lightly active level.
Worked example
A woman aged 31 is 162.56 cm tall and weighs 68.04 kg. Multiply weight by 10: 10 × 68.04 = 680.4. Multiply height by 6.25: 6.25 × 162.56 = 1016. Subtract 5 × 31 = 155. Subtract 161. The total is 1380.4, or 1380 calories at rest. Multiply 1380.4 by 1.375 for the lightly active level. That gives 1898.1, or 1898 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 31 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1656 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1898 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2140 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2381 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2623 calories a day
Common questions
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 2148 calories a day for this 31-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
Why does age 31 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 31 that is 155 calories. Without the age term this 31-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 31-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 1898 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 31 at 150 lb, BMR is 1380 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1898.
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 31-year-old woman ranges from 1656 to 2623 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 1898.