Each one of us, be it a woman or a man, needs to consume a certain amount of calories on a daily basis, to get enough energy for supporting the everyday activities that he/she indulges in. If you do not get the required amount of energy through calories, the body ends up using the fat stored inside the body, ultimately leading to weight loss. The basic amount of calories needed by an individual, to maintain his/her existing body weight, would depend upon his gender, age, height and weight. Apart from that, the calorie needs will also take into consideration the purpose behind knowing the calorie requirements.
The aim behind knowing calorie requirements can be any of the three - losing weight, gaining weight and maintaining weight. Those who want to lose weight will require less than basic calories and those who want to gain weight will need more than the basic calories needed to maintain weight. Even the amount of physical activity undertaken by person determines his calorie requirements. The more active a person, the more calories he will require, over the basic amount. In this article, we have provided information on the basic calorie requirement for normal adult women, mature women as well as older women.
Calories Need per Day for Females
Given below is the calorie chart for a normal female, who neither leads a sedentary lifestyle, nor is overly active.
Weight
|
18 to 35 Years
|
36 to 55 Years
|
Over 55 Years
|
45 kg (100 pounds)
|
1760 calories
|
1570 calories
|
1430 calories
|
50 kg (110 pounds)
|
1860 calories
|
1660 calories
|
1500 calories
|
55 kg (121 pounds)
|
1950 calories
|
1760 calories
|
1550 calories
|
60 kg (132 pounds)
|
2050 calories
|
1860 calories
|
1600 calories
|
65 kg (143 pounds)
|
2150 calories
|
1960 calories
|
1630 calories
|
70 kg (154 pounds)
|
2250 calories
|
2050 calories
|
1660 calories
|
75 kg+ (165 pounds)
|
2400 calories
|
2150 calories
|
1720 calories
|
Calculating Daily Calorie Needs
If you want to calculate your exact daily calorie needs, depending upon your weight, height, age and lifestyle, make use of the formulae explained below.
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) Calculation
Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) can be described as the amount of energy that is consumed by the body while carrying out the basic functions, like beating of heart, breathing, blinking, maintaining body temperature, and so on. It does not take into account the activities that you indulge in, externally. You can use the Harris-Benedict formula, given below, to calculate your BMR.
BMR = 655 + (9.6 x weight in kilos) + (1.8 x height in centimeters) - (4.7 x age in yrs)
Calorie Calculation
After calculating the BMR, as per your weight, height and age, you will have to determine the total calorie needs, as per the type of lifestyle you lead. The calorie needs will be:
- If you are sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR x 1.2
- If you are lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week): BMR x 1.375
- If you are moderately active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week): BMR x 1.55
- If you are very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week): BMR x 1.725
- If you are extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training): BMR x 1.9