Calorie needs at age 55, male
TDEE is the number of calories you burn in a day. This page works it out for a 55-year-old man at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, then shows how it changes with activity.
How it works
The page works in two steps. Step one is resting calories with the Mifflin-St Jeor equation: 10 times kilograms plus 6.25 times centimeters minus 5 times age, plus 5 for males or minus 161 for females. Step two multiplies by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9. Here the man aged 55 has a height of 177.8 cm and a weight of 80.74 kg, at the lightly active level.
Worked example
For a man aged 55, weight is 80.74 kg and height is 177.8 cm. Weight gives 10 × 80.74 = 807.4. Height gives 6.25 × 177.8 = 1111.25. Age takes off 5 × 55 = 275. Add 5. Resting calories are 1648.65, or 1649 when rounded. Multiply by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 2266.9. That rounds to 2267 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same man aged 55 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1978 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2267 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2555 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2844 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 3132 calories a day
Common questions
Why does age 55 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 55 that is 275 calories. Without the age term this 55-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 55-year-old man, a 5 percent error on 2267 calories is 113 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 55 at 178 lb, BMR is 1649 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 2267.
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 55-year-old man ranges from 1978 to 3132 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 2267.
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 1767 calories a day for this 55-year-old man at the lightly active level.