Maintenance calories depend on sex, age, size and activity: for average-height US adults the charts below run from about 1,560 to 2,590 kcal a day for women and 2,020 to 3,250 for men. To lose weight, eat about 15% below your maintenance (TDEE). For a 35-year-old woman at 165 lb that is roughly 1,900 kcal; for a 30-year-old man at 190 lb, about 2,400 kcal. The charts below cover other ages and activity levels.
Key takeaways
- Your daily calorie need is your TDEE: BMR (Mifflin–St Jeor) multiplied by an activity factor between 1.2 and 1.9.
- For an average-height US woman (5′4″, 170 lb), maintenance ranges from 1,561 kcal (age 65, sedentary) to 2,589 kcal (age 25, active).
- For an average-height US man (5′9″, 200 lb), maintenance ranges from 2,019 kcal (age 65, sedentary) to 3,247 kcal (age 25, active).
- Eating 1,200 kcal a day is below the BMR of every example adult here and should not be a self-directed plan; 1,500 can suit some small, sedentary adults but is too low for many men.
- Calorie needs fall with age and with weight loss, so recheck your number every 5–10 lb.
The fastest way to get your own number is the TDEE calculator: enter your age, height, weight and activity and it returns maintenance and weight-loss calories. The charts below show where typical adults land so you can sanity-check the result.
How many calories should I eat a day?
Your calorie need equals your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE): resting energy plus movement, exercise and digestion. We estimate it with the Mifflin–St Jeor equation, found to be the most reliable of the common formulas reviewed (Mifflin et al., 1990; Frankenfield et al., 2005), multiplied by an activity factor. Official guidance such as the Dietary Guidelines for Americans gives estimated calorie needs by age, sex and activity in the same spirit (Dietary Guidelines 2020–2025; NASEM, 2023): lower for older and less active adults, higher for younger and more active ones. The charts here are computed, not copied, so they will not match those tables exactly.
For a 35-year-old woman at 5′5″ and 165 lb, maintenance is 2,239 kcal/day (BMR 1,444 × 1.55). For a 30-year-old man at 5′10″ and 190 lb it is 2,834 kcal/day (BMR 1,828 × 1.55).
Calories for women by age and activity
For an average-height US woman: 5′4″ (162.6 cm), 170 lb (77.1 kg). “Lose” means a 15% deficit from maintenance.
| Age | Sedentary: maintain | Sedentary: lose | Moderate: maintain | Moderate: lose | Active: maintain | Active: lose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 1,801 | 1,531 | 2,327 | 1,978 | 2,589 | 2,201 |
| 35 | 1,741 | 1,480 | 2,249 | 1,912 | 2,503 | 2,128 |
| 45 | 1,681 | 1,429 | 2,172 | 1,846 | 2,417 | 2,054 |
| 55 | 1,621 | 1,378 | 2,094 | 1,780 | 2,331 | 1,981 |
| 65 | 1,561 | 1,327 | 2,017 | 1,714 | 2,244 | 1,908 |
Sedentary is a desk job with little exercise (×1.2); moderate is exercise 3–5 days a week (×1.55); active is hard exercise 6–7 days a week (×1.725). BMR for these women runs from 1,501 kcal at 25 to 1,301 kcal at 65.
Calories for men by age and activity
For an average-height US man: 5′9″ (175.3 cm), 200 lb (90.7 kg).
| Age | Sedentary: maintain | Sedentary: lose | Moderate: maintain | Moderate: lose | Active: maintain | Active: lose |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | 2,259 | 1,920 | 2,918 | 2,480 | 3,247 | 2,760 |
| 35 | 2,199 | 1,869 | 2,840 | 2,414 | 3,161 | 2,687 |
| 45 | 2,139 | 1,818 | 2,763 | 2,349 | 3,075 | 2,614 |
| 55 | 2,079 | 1,767 | 2,685 | 2,283 | 2,989 | 2,540 |
| 65 | 2,019 | 1,716 | 2,608 | 2,217 | 2,902 | 2,467 |
BMR for these men runs from 1,883 kcal at 25 to 1,683 kcal at 65.
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Use a deficit of 10–20% below maintenance. In the tables above we used 15%. A 20% deficit would be 1,861 kcal for the 25-year-old moderately active woman and 2,334 kcal for the 25-year-old man. Be careful with older, sedentary adults: a 20% deficit for the 65-year-old sedentary woman would be 1,249 kcal, below her BMR of 1,301, which is why 15% is the cap we show there.
Fat loss slows as you lose weight, because your calorie burn drops (Hall et al., 2011). Recalculate every 5–10 lb. For choosing the percentage, see how to use TDEE to lose weight and the calorie deficit guide.
Is 1,200 calories a day too low?
For nearly every adult, yes. The BMR of every person in the tables is above 1,200 kcal (the lowest is 1,301). A 1,200 kcal intake is a 46% deficit for our example woman and 58% for our example man.
At that level it is hard to get enough protein, fiber and micronutrients, and muscle loss and rebound eating become more likely. Plans this low belong under medical supervision, for example for a short, clinician-led program. If a calculator hands you 1,200, extend the timeline instead.
Is 1,500 calories a day too low?
It depends on the person. In the women’s table, 1,500 is barely below maintenance for a sedentary 65-year-old (1,561 kcal) and close to the 15% target for a sedentary 25-year-old (1,531 kcal). It is a 33% deficit for our example woman and 47% for our example man, whose BMR (1,828) is above it. So 1,500 is too low for most men and for many active women.
How many calories do I burn a day?
The number is your TDEE. The same woman burns 1,733 kcal sedentary, 2,239 moderate and 2,744 as an athlete. That range shows why activity matters. If your daily steps or training are different from what you assumed, update the factor. You can also try the calories burned calculator for single workouts and the BMR calculator for resting energy. For more detail, see what TDEE is.
Expenditure is fairly stable through the middle of adulthood and declines later in life (Pontzer et al., 2021), which is why the tables step down with age.
Body size and life stage change the answer. Check where you sit with the BMI calculator and the ideal weight calculator. For life stages, see the breastfeeding TDEE calculator, the perimenopause TDEE calculator and the PCOS TDEE calculator. These cover calorie math only, not medical advice.
More guides on eating for fat loss are in the weight loss section.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories should I eat to lose weight?
Eat about 10–20% below your maintenance calories. A 15% deficit suits most people and typically gives 0.5–1 lb of loss a week at average body sizes. First find maintenance with the TDEE calculator, then apply the percentage. See calorie deficit.
Is 1,200 calories a day enough?
For almost all adults, no. 1,200 kcal is below the resting energy (BMR) of nearly every adult, making it hard to meet protein and nutrient needs and to keep muscle. It should be used only with a doctor or registered dietitian's guidance. A smaller deficit from TDEE is safer and more sustainable.
Is 1,500 calories a day good for weight loss?
It can work for a small, fairly sedentary adult but is a large deficit for many. For our example woman (TDEE 2,239) it is a 33% deficit; for our example man (TDEE 2,834) it is 47%. Calculate a percentage from your own TDEE rather than copying a round number.
How many calories do I burn a day?
Your total daily burn is your TDEE: BMR plus movement, exercise and digestion. In the charts here it runs from about 1,560 to 2,590 kcal for women and 2,020 to 3,250 for men, but yours depends on size, age and activity. The TDEE calculator estimates it in seconds.
How many calories should a 50-year-old woman eat?
At 5′4″ and 170 lb, a 45–55-year-old woman needs about 1,621–2,172 kcal to maintain at sedentary to moderate activity, using Mifflin–St Jeor, and roughly 1,378–1,846 to lose at a 15% deficit. Perimenopause can change appetite and weight, so use the perimenopause TDEE calculator for planning.
Do calorie needs change with age?
Yes, they tend to decline gradually, mostly because people lose lean mass and move less. In the tables below, 10 more years of age lowers maintenance by about 78 kcal at moderate activity. Staying active and keeping muscle with strength training offsets part of it.
References
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO (1990). A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 51(2):241–247.
- Frankenfield D, Roth-Yousey L, Compher C (2005). Comparison of predictive equations for resting metabolic rate in healthy nonobese and obese adults: a systematic review. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 105(5):775–789.
- U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (2020). Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020–2025 (9th ed.). DietaryGuidelines.gov.
- National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (2023). Dietary Reference Intakes for Energy. The National Academies Press.
- Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al. (2011). Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. The Lancet 378(9793):826–837.
- Pontzer H, Yamada Y, Sagayama H, et al. (2021). Daily energy expenditure through the human life course. Science 373(6556):808–812.