Calorie needs at age 41, female
Enter your age, size and activity to see how many calories you use each day. The example below is a woman aged 41 who is 5 ft 4 in tall and weighs 150 lb.
How it works
Your body burns calories at rest. The page estimates that with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 times weight in kilograms plus 6.25 times height in centimeters minus 5 times age, then plus 5 for males or minus 161 for females. It multiplies the result by an activity factor from 1.2 to 1.9 to get your daily total. For a woman aged 41 at the lightly active level the fixed adjustment is minus 161.
Worked example
Take a woman aged 41 who is 5 ft 4 in tall and weighs 150 lb. In metric that is 162.56 cm and 68.04 kg. Multiply weight by 10: 10 × 68.04 = 680.4. Multiply height by 6.25: 6.25 × 162.56 = 1016. Subtract 5 × 41 = 205. Subtract 161. That gives 1330.4, which rounds to 1330 calories at rest. Multiply 1330.4 by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 1829.3, which rounds to 1829 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 41 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1596 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1829 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2062 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2295 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2528 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 1329 calories a day for this 41-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 2079 calories a day for this 41-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
Why does age 41 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 41 that is 205 calories. Without the age term this 41-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 41-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 1829 calories is 91 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 41 at 150 lb, BMR is 1330 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1829.