Calorie needs at age 51, female
Enter your age, size and activity to see how many calories you use each day. The example below is a woman aged 51 who is 5 ft 4 in tall and weighs 150 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 woman aged 51 at the lightly active level the age term takes 255 calories off.
Worked example
Take a woman aged 51 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 × 51 = 255. Subtract 161. That gives 1280.4, which rounds to 1280 calories at rest. Multiply 1280.4 by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 1760.6, which rounds to 1761 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 51 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1536 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1761 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 1985 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2209 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2433 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 51-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 1761 calories is 88 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 51 at 150 lb, BMR is 1280 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1761.
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 51-year-old woman ranges from 1536 to 2433 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 1761.
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 1261 calories a day for this 51-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 2011 calories a day for this 51-year-old woman at the lightly active level.