Calorie needs at age 68, male
This page estimates total daily energy use. The sample is a man aged 68 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. For a man aged 68 at the lightly active level the age term takes 340 calories off.
Worked example
Take a man aged 68 who is 5 ft 10 in tall and weighs 178 lb. In metric that is 177.8 cm and 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 × 68 = 340. Add 5. That gives 1583.65, which rounds to 1584 calories at rest. Multiply 1583.65 by 1.375 for the lightly active level to get 2177.5, which rounds to 2178 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same man aged 68 at 5 ft 10 in and 178 lb, with the lightly active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1900 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2178 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2455 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2732 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 3009 calories a day
Common questions
Why does age 68 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 68 that is 340 calories. Without the age term this 68-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 68-year-old man, a 5 percent error on 2178 calories is 109 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 68 at 178 lb, BMR is 1584 calories and TDEE at the lightly active level is 2178.
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 68-year-old man ranges from 1900 to 3009 calories a day, and the lightly active level gives 2178.
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 1678 calories a day for this 68-year-old man at the lightly active level.