Calorie needs at age 62, male
This page estimates total daily energy use. The sample is a man aged 62 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, and the table shows every activity level.
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. Here the man aged 62 has a height of 177.8 cm and a weight of 80.74 kg, at the lightly active level.
Worked example
A man aged 62 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 × 62 = 310. Add 5. The total is 1613.65, or 1614 calories at rest. Multiply 1613.65 by 1.375 for the lightly active level. That gives 2218.8, or 2219 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same man aged 62 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1936 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2219 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2501 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2784 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 3066 calories a day
Common questions
Why does age 62 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 62 that is 310 calories. Without the age term this 62-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 62-year-old man, a 5 percent error on 2219 calories is 111 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 62 at 178 lb, BMR is 1614 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 2219.
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 62-year-old man ranges from 1936 to 3066 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 2219.
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 1719 calories a day for this 62-year-old man at the lightly active level.