How many Calories should I eat a Day by Age?

Ever wondered how many calories you should eat per day, based on your age? Use this handy calcount Calories by Age Calculator to get an idea of how many calories a day you should eat by age. Age matters when it comes to the rate of calorie burn, because our metabolism naturally slows as we grow older.




You need fewer Calories as you Age

Age is an important factor when it comes to calorie burn, for the simple reason that it affects the speed at which your body uses the calories you eat. This rate of energy use can be thought of as the “metabolism”. More specifically, the key change with age is a reduction in the Basal Metabolic Rate.

Even though the body is constantly repairing itself, things just do not get fixed “good-as-new”. There is a gradual build-up of cellular detritus and harmful substances at the smallest scales which negatively affect essential functions. Things like telomeres get shorter. Processes just fall apart in the end. This gradual and general degradation leads to a measurable decline in the speed at which the body extracts energy from food.

For a more detailed explanation of the metabolism and the other factors which affect it, read our Calorie Counter page.

Lifestyle Changes affect Calorie Requirements

In addition to the slowing basal metabolic rate, advancing age is often associated with a general slowdown in activity levels as lifestyles change. It is not unreasonable to assume that a 21-year-old is likely to have a more energetic day-plan than a 56-year-old! Reduced activity means that less energy is needed throughout the day, leading to a feedback loop which facilitates a reduction in muscle-mass and metabolism.

If you are “getting-on” in years, you can break the loop, defy the trend, and prolong your faster metabolism rate by exercising regularly. If possible, do activities that make your muscles work hard.

Increased muscle mass is the surest way to keep your metabolism relatively high as you age. Exercising will not stop you from ageing, but it will keep you healthier for longer!

Calorie Requirements by Age Table

To get a credible answer for the question “How many calories a day should I eat by age?”, we can apply average heights and healthy weights to generally accepted Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) equations. Thus, this tool will work very well for people who are of average height, healthy weight, and do not do any exercise other than normal day-to-day activities.

If you do more exercise than a sedentary person, you can use this table to estimate your required calories by age. For example, if you are a 21 year old female who does moderate exercise, you should eat about 2,200 calories per day. Here’s the table:

AgeMen, Moderate
Exercise
Men, High Level ExerciseWomen, Moderate
Exercise
Women, High Level Exercise
19-252,8003,0002,2002,400
26-302,6003,0002,0002,400
31-352,6003,0002,0002,200
36-452,6002,8002,0002,200
46-502,4002,8002,0002,200
51-552,4002,8001,8002,200
56-602,4002,6001,8002,200
61-652,4002,6001,8002,000
66-752,2002,6001,8002,000
76 and up2,2002,4001,8002,000

Calorie Intake by Age

As you’ve hopefully surmised from this article and Calories by Age tool, your calorie intake should naturally change as you get older. This is a simple tool, primarily designed to shed some light on what effect aging has on daily calorie intake requirements. If you want a more detailed calculator which factors in your exact height and weight as well as your age and gender, head on over to the calcount Calorie Calculator.

To dig even deeper and find out what your recommended macronutrient intake is (and much more), explore our Calorie Tracker.