Calorie needs at age 39, female
Enter your age, size and activity to see how many calories you use each day. The example below is a woman aged 39 who is 5 ft 4 in tall and weighs 150 lb.
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. This 39-year-old woman uses a factor of 1.375 for the lightly active level.
Worked example
A woman aged 39 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 × 39 = 195. Subtract 161. The total is 1340.4, or 1340 calories at rest. Multiply 1340.4 by 1.375 for the lightly active level. That gives 1843.1, or 1843 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 39 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1608 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1843 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2078 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2312 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2547 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 2093 calories a day for this 39-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
Why does age 39 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 39 that is 195 calories. Without the age term this 39-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 39-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 1843 calories is 92 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 39 at 150 lb, BMR is 1340 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1843.
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 39-year-old woman ranges from 1608 to 2547 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 1843.