Calorie needs at age 63, female
Use the form to estimate your maintenance calories. For the sums, read the worked example for a woman aged 63 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb.
How it works
Start with resting calories from Mifflin-St Jeor. Take 10 times weight in kilograms and add 6.25 times height in centimeters. Subtract 5 times age. Then add 5 for males or subtract 161 for females. Multiply by an activity factor to get daily calories. For a woman aged 63 at the lightly active level the fixed adjustment is minus 161.
Worked example
For a woman aged 63, weight is 68.04 kg and height is 162.56 cm. Weight gives 10 × 68.04 = 680.4. Height gives 6.25 × 162.56 = 1016. Age takes off 5 × 63 = 315. Subtract 161. Resting calories are 1220.4, or 1220 when rounded. Multiply by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 1678.1. That rounds to 1678 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 63 at 5 ft 4 in and 150 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1464 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 1678 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 1892 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2105 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2319 calories a day
Common questions
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 63 at 150 lb, BMR is 1220 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 1678.
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 63-year-old woman ranges from 1464 to 2319 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 1678.
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 1178 calories a day for this 63-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 1928 calories a day for this 63-year-old woman at the lightly active level.
Why does age 63 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 63 that is 315 calories. Without the age term this 63-year-old woman would burn 1535 calories at rest, or 2111 a day at the lightly active level.