Calorie needs at age 51, male
Daily calorie needs depend on age, sex, size and how much you move. Here is the sum for a 51-year-old man who is 5 ft 10 in and 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 51 at the lightly active level the age term takes 255 calories off.
Worked example
Take a man aged 51 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 × 51 = 255. Add 5. That gives 1668.65, which rounds to 1669 calories at rest. Multiply 1668.65 by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 2294.4, which rounds to 2294 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same man aged 51 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 2002 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2294 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2586 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2878 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 3170 calories a day
Common questions
Why does age 51 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 51 that is 255 calories. Without the age term this 51-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 51-year-old man, a 5 percent error on 2294 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 51 at 178 lb, BMR is 1669 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 2294.
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 man ranges from 2002 to 3170 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 2294.
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 1794 calories a day for this 51-year-old man at the lightly active level.