Calorie needs at age 46, female
This page estimates total daily energy use. The sample is a woman aged 46 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, and the table shows every activity level.
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. Here the woman aged 46 has a height of 162.56 cm and a weight of 68.04 kg, at the lightly active level.
Worked example
Take a woman aged 46 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 × 46 = 230. Subtract 161. That gives 1305.4, which rounds to 1305 calories at rest. Multiply 1305.4 by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 1794.9, which rounds to 1795 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 46 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1566 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1795 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2023 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2252 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2480 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 2045 calories a day for this 46-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
Why does age 46 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 46 that is 230 calories. Without the age term this 46-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 46-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 1795 calories is 90 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 46 at 150 lb, BMR is 1305 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1795.
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 46-year-old woman ranges from 1566 to 2480 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 1795.