Calorie needs at age 42, female
Enter your age, size and activity to see how many calories you use each day. The example below is a woman aged 42 who is 5 ft 4 in tall and weighs 150 lb.
How it works
The page works in two steps. Step one is resting calories with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 times kilograms plus 6.25 times centimeters minus 5 times age, plus 5 for males or minus 161 for females. Step two multiplies by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9. For a woman aged 42 at the lightly active level the age term takes 210 calories off.
Worked example
Convert first: 5 ft 4 in is 162.56 cm and 150 lb is 68.04 kg. Then 10 × 68.04 = 680.4 and 6.25 × 162.56 = 1016. Age 42 takes off 5 × 42 = 210. Subtract 161. Resting calories are 1325.4, which rounds to 1325. The lightly active factor is 1.375. 1325.4 × 1.375 = 1822.4, or 1822 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 42 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1590 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1822 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2054 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2286 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2518 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 2072 calories a day for this 42-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
Why does age 42 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 42 that is 210 calories. Without the age term this 42-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 42-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 1822 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 42 at 150 lb, BMR is 1325 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1822.
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 42-year-old woman ranges from 1590 to 2518 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 1822.