Step Two
Determine your daily calorie needs according to your gender, age, and activity level on the Daily Calorie Guidelines chart below. If you are trying to lose weight, you should generally reduce your calorie intake by about 500 calories. For example, if you were consuming 2,000 calories per day, 1,500 calories would be appropriate for weight loss.
Daily Calorie Guidelines
Estimated Calorie Requirements for Gender and Age Group
Gender
Age
Activity Level a
Sedentary Level b
Moderately Active c
Active d
Child
2-3
1,000
1,000-1,4000 e
1,000-1,4000
Female
4-8
1,200
1,400-1,600
1,400-1,800
9-13
1,600
1,600-2,600
1,800-2,200
14-18
1,800
2,000
2,400
19-30
2,000
2,000-2,200
2,400
31-50
1,800
2,000
2,200
51+
1,600
1,800
2,000-2,200
Male
4-8
1,400
1,400-1,600
1,600-2,000
9-13
1,800
1,800-2,200
2,000-2,600
14-18
2,200
2,400-2,800
2,800-3,200
19-30
2,400
2,600-2,800
3,000
31-50
2,200
2,400-2,600
2,800-3,000
51+
2,000
2,200-2,400
2,400-2,800
Source: Table 3: Estimated Calorie Requirements (in Kilocalories) for Each Gender and Age Group at Three Levels of Physical Activity, Dietary Guidelines for Americans, Sixth Edition; USDA and DHHS, January 2005.
Estimated amounts of calories needed to maintain energy balance for various gender and age groups at three different levels of physical activity. The estimates are rounded to the nearest 200 calories and were determined using the Institute of Medicine equation.
- These levels are based on Estimated Energy Requirements (EER) from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) Dietary Reference Intakes Macronutrients Report, 2002, calculated by gender, age, and activity level for reference-sized individuals. “Reference size” as determined by IOM, is based on median height and weight for ages up to age 18 years of age and median height and weight for that height to give a BMI of 21.5 for adult females and 22.5 for adult males.
- Sedentary means a lifestyle that includes only the light physical activity associated with typical daily life.
- Moderately active means a lifestyle that includes physical activity equivalent to walking about 1.5 to 3 miles per day, at 3 to 4 miles per hour, in addition to the light physical activity associated with typical daily life.
- Active means a lifestyle that includes physical activity equivalent to walking more than 3 miles per day at 3 to 4 miles per hour, in addition to light physical activity associated with typical daily life.
- The calorie ranges shown are to accommodate needs of different ages within the each group. For children and adolescents, more calories are needed at older ages. For adults, fewer calories are needed at older ages.
