A 45-year-old man looking to figure out how many calories he should consume every day needs to consider a few more factors beyond just his age.
A Helpful Equation
The Harris-Benedict Equation estimates a person's daily caloric intake based on not only age, but also height, weight, gender and activity level. To find your caloric needs, you'll first need to calculate your basal metabolic rate, which is equivalent to the number of calories your body needs to complete basic internal functions at rest. Using a calculator available at bmi-calculator.net, we find that a 45-year-old, 6 foot 4 inch, 220-lb. man has a BMR of 2,095.
Factoring in Activity Level
The final step is to multiply BMR by the number that best describes your weekly exercise regimen: for heavy exercise, multiply by 1.725; for moderate exercise, multiply by 1.55; for light exercise, multiply by 1.375 and if you're sedentary, multiply by 1.2. If the man in the example exercises moderately every week, he'll need 3,247 calories to maintain his body weight.
Losing Weight
If he is trying to lose 1 lb. per week, he'll need to cut his food consumption back a bit every day. One pound of fat equals about 3,500 calories. Thus, to meet his weight-loss goals, he'll need to cut his caloric intake by 500 calories per day.
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