Calorie needs at age 59, female
Daily calorie needs depend on age, sex, size and how much you move. Here is the sum for a 59-year-old woman who is 5 ft 4 in and 150 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 150 lb the weight term for this 59-year-old woman is 680.4, at the lightly active level.
Worked example
Take a woman aged 59 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 × 59 = 295. Subtract 161. That gives 1240.4, which rounds to 1240 calories at rest. Multiply 1240.4 by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 1705.6, which rounds to 1706 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 59 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1488 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1706 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 1923 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2140 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2357 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 59-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 1706 calories is 85 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 59 at 150 lb, BMR is 1240 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1706.
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 59-year-old woman ranges from 1488 to 2357 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 1706.
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 1206 calories a day for this 59-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 1956 calories a day for this 59-year-old woman at the lightly active level.