Calorie needs at age 50, male
Enter your age, size and activity to see how many calories you use each day. The example below is a man aged 50 who is 5 ft 10 in tall and weighs 178 lb.
How it works
Daily calories equal resting calories times an activity factor. Resting calories come from Mifflin-St Jeor: 10 times kilograms plus 6.25 times centimeters minus 5 times age, with 5 added for males or 161 taken off for females. The factor runs from 1.2 to 1.9. For a man aged 50 at the lightly active level the age term takes 250 calories off.
Worked example
Say a man aged 50 is 5 ft 10 in tall and weighs 178 lb. That is 177.8 cm and 80.74 kg. The weight term is 10 × 80.74 = 807.4. The height term is 6.25 × 177.8 = 1111.25. The age term is 5 × 50 = 250. Add 5. The result is 1673.65 at rest. Times 1.375 for the lightly active level is 2301.3, which rounds to 2301 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same man aged 50 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 2008 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2301 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2594 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2887 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 3180 calories a day
Common questions
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 50-year-old man ranges from 2008 to 3180 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 2301.
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 1801 calories a day for this 50-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 2551 calories a day for this 50-year-old man at the lightly active level.
Why does age 50 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 50 that is 250 calories. Without the age term this 50-year-old man would burn 1924 calories at rest, or 2645 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 50-year-old man, a 5 percent error on 2301 calories is 115 calories a day.