Calories for a extra active routine
How many calories does a extra active person need? This page answers it for a 30-year-old woman at 5 ft 6 in and 160 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. Here the woman aged 30 has a height of 167.64 cm and a weight of 72.57 kg, at the extra active level.
Worked example
Say a woman aged 30 is 5 ft 6 in tall and weighs 160 lb. That is 167.64 cm and 72.57 kg. The weight term is 10 × 72.57 = 725.7. The height term is 6.25 × 167.64 = 1047.75. The age term is 5 × 30 = 150. Subtract 161. The result is 1462.45 at rest. Times 1.9 for the extra active level is 2778.7, which rounds to 2779 calories a day.
Maintenance calories at every activity level for the same woman aged 30 at 5 ft 6 in and 160 lb, with the extra active level set in the form above.
- Sedentary (little or no exercise)
- 1755 calories a day
- Lightly active (light exercise 1 to 3 days a week)
- 2011 calories a day
- Moderately active (moderate exercise 3 to 5 days a week)
- 2267 calories a day
- Very active (hard exercise 6 to 7 days a week)
- 2523 calories a day
- Extra active (very hard exercise and a physical job)
- 2779 calories a day
Common questions
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 2279 calories a day for this 30-year-old woman at the extra 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 3029 calories a day for this 30-year-old woman at the extra active level.
Why does age 30 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 30 that is 150 calories. Without the age term this 30-year-old woman would burn 1612 calories at rest, or 3064 a day at the extra 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 30-year-old woman, a 5 percent error on 2779 calories is 139 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 woman aged 30 at 160 lb, BMR is 1462 calories and TDEE at the extra active level is 2779.