Calorie needs at age 59, male
Use the form to estimate your maintenance calories. For the sums, read the worked example for a man aged 59 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb.
How it works
Resting calories are 10 times weight in kilograms plus 6.25 times height in centimeters minus 5 times age. Add 5 for males or subtract 161 for females. Multiply by 1.2 for little exercise up to 1.9 for very hard training. For a man aged 59 at the lightly active level the fixed adjustment is plus 5.
Worked example
A man aged 59 is 177.8 cm tall and weighs 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 × 59 = 295. Add 5. The total is 1628.65, or 1629 calories at rest. Multiply 1628.65 by 1.375 for the lightly active level. That gives 2239.4, or 2239 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same man aged 59 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1954 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2239 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2524 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2809 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 3094 calories a day
Common questions
Why does age 59 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 59 that is 295 calories. Without the age term this 59-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 59-year-old man, a 5 percent error on 2239 calories is 112 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 59 at 178 lb, BMR is 1629 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 2239.
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 man ranges from 1954 to 3094 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 2239.
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 1739 calories a day for this 59-year-old man at the lightly active level.