Appendix 2. Estimated Calorie Needs per
Day, by Age, Sex, and Physical Activity
Level
The total number of calories a person needs each day varies depending on a number of factors,
including the person’s age, sex, height, weight, and level of physical activity. In addition, a need to lose,
maintain, or gain weight and other factors affect how many calories should be consumed. Estimated
amounts of calories needed to maintain calorie balance for various age and sex groups at three different
levels of physical activity are provided in Table A2-1. These estimates are based on the Estimated Energy
Requirements (EER) equations, using reference heights (average) and reference weights (healthy) for
each age-sex group. For children and adolescents, reference height and weight vary. For adults, the
reference man is 5 feet 10 inches tall and weighs 154 pounds. The reference woman is 5 feet 4 inches
tall and weighs 126 pounds.
Estimates range from 1,600 to 2,400 calories per day for adult women and 2,000 to 3,000 calories per
day for adult men. Within each age and sex category, the low end of the range is for sedentary
individuals; the high end of the range is for active individuals. Due to reductions in basal metabolic rate
that occur with aging, calorie needs generally decrease for adults as they age. Estimated needs for
young children range from 1,000 to 2,000 calories per day, and the range for older children and
adolescents varies substantially from 1,400 to 3,200 calories per day, with boys generally having higher
calorie needs than girls. These are only estimates, and approximations of individual calorie needs can be
aided with online tools such as those available at www.supertracker.usda.gov
(https://www.supertracker.usda.gov/).
Table A2-1.
Estimated Calorie Needs per Day, by Age, Sex, and
Physical Activity Level