Calories for a moderately active routine
Activity changes daily calories more than most people expect. This page uses the moderately active level for a woman aged 30 at 5 ft 6 in and 160 lb.
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 woman aged 30 has a height of 167.64 cm and a weight of 72.57 kg, at the moderately active level.
Worked example
Take a woman aged 30 who is 5 ft 6 in tall and weighs 160 lb. In metric that is 167.64 cm and 72.57 kg. Multiply weight by 10: 10 × 72.57 = 725.7. Multiply height by 6.25: 6.25 × 167.64 = 1047.75. Subtract 5 × 30 = 150. Subtract 161. That gives 1462.45, which rounds to 1462 calories at rest. Multiply 1462.45 by 1.55 for the moderately active level to get 2266.8, which rounds to 2267 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 moderately 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 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 2267 calories is 113 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 moderately active level is 2267.
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 30-year-old woman ranges from 1755 to 2779 calories a day, and the moderately active level gives 2267.
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 1767 calories a day for this 30-year-old woman at the moderately 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 2517 calories a day for this 30-year-old woman at the moderately active level.