Calorie needs at age 66, male
Use the form to estimate your maintenance calories. For the sums, read the worked example for a man aged 66 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb.
How it works
Daily calories equal resting calories times an activity factor. Resting calories come from Mifflin-St Jeor: 10 times kilograms plus 6.25 times centimeters minus 5 times age, with 5 added for males or 161 taken off for females. The factor runs from 1.2 to 1.9. For a man aged 66 at the lightly active level the fixed adjustment is plus 5.
Worked example
Say a man aged 66 is 5 ft 10 in tall and weighs 178 lb. That is 177.8 cm and 80.74 kg. The weight term is 10 × 80.74 = 807.4. The height term is 6.25 × 177.8 = 1111.25. The age term is 5 × 66 = 330. Add 5. The result is 1593.65 at rest. Times 1.375 for the lightly active level is 2191.3, which rounds to 2191 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same man aged 66 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1912 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2191 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2470 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2749 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 3028 calories a day
Common questions
Why does age 66 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 66 that is 330 calories. Without the age term this 66-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 66-year-old man, a 5 percent error on 2191 calories is 110 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 66 at 178 lb, BMR is 1594 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 2191.
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 66-year-old man ranges from 1912 to 3028 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 2191.
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 1691 calories a day for this 66-year-old man at the lightly active level.