Calorie needs at age 37, male
Use the form to estimate your maintenance calories. For the sums, read the worked example for a man aged 37 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb.
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 man aged 37 has a height of 177.8 cm and a weight of 80.74 kg, at the lightly active level.
Worked example
For a man aged 37, weight is 80.74 kg and height is 177.8 cm. Weight gives 10 × 80.74 = 807.4. Height gives 6.25 × 177.8 = 1111.25. Age takes off 5 × 37 = 185. Add 5. Resting calories are 1738.65, or 1739 when rounded. Multiply by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 2390.6. That rounds to 2391 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same man aged 37 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 2086 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2391 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2695 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2999 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 3303 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 1891 calories a day for this 37-year-old man 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 2641 calories a day for this 37-year-old man at the lightly active level.
Why does age 37 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 37 that is 185 calories. Without the age term this 37-year-old man would burn 1924 calories at rest, or 2645 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 37-year-old man, a 5 percent error on 2391 calories is 120 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 man aged 37 at 178 lb, BMR is 1739 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 2391.