Calorie needs at age 49, male
Daily calorie needs depend on age, sex, size and how much you move. Here is the sum for a 49-year-old man who is 5 ft 10 in and 178 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. At 178 lb the weight term for this 49-year-old man is 807.4, at the lightly active level.
Worked example
Take a man aged 49 who is 5 ft 10 in tall and weighs 178 lb. In metric that is 177.8 cm and 80.74 kg. Multiply weight by 10: 10 × 80.74 = 807.4. Multiply height by 6.25: 6.25 × 177.8 = 1111.25. Subtract 5 × 49 = 245. Add 5. That gives 1678.65, which rounds to 1679 calories at rest. Multiply 1678.65 by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 2308.1, which rounds to 2308 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same man aged 49 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 2014 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2308 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2602 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2896 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 3189 calories a day
Common questions
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 49-year-old man, a 5 percent error on 2308 calories is 115 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 49 at 178 lb, BMR is 1679 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 2308.
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 49-year-old man ranges from 2014 to 3189 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 2308.
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 1808 calories a day for this 49-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 2558 calories a day for this 49-year-old man at the lightly active level.