A calorie is a measurement of the amount of energy released when food is digested. Your body requires a certain number of calories every day to maintain your current weight, depending on your age, skeletal dimensions and activity level. Middle-age men typically require fewer calories because they become more sedentary, lose muscle mass and have a lower resting, or basal, metabolic rate.
Age-Related Body Changes
A middle-age man has lost lean body mass, skeletal muscle, smooth muscle and muscle affecting the vital organs. The greater the loss of lean body mass, the more a man's metabolism slows down and the lower is his caloric requirement. If he does not cut back on the amount of calories he eats, he will gain weight, usually on the trunk and around the vital organs.
Height and Skeletal Frame
A man's height and skeletal frame further determine how many calories he needs. According to the University of Arizona Campus Health Services, a heavy man with a large frame needs more calories because he has more muscle and bone.
Height and skeletal frame help determine your basal metabolic rate -- the number of calories your body needs to maintain its weight if you were inactive all day. A 41-year-old man who weighs 190 lbs. and is 6 feet, 1 inch tall has a basal metabolic rate of 1,895 calories. A man of the same age and weight but 3 inches shorter has a basal metabolic rate 128 calories lower, due to his smaller height and frame.
Amount of Exercise
The more active a middle-age man is, the more calories he needs. If you are training more than one hour each day, you should consider taking in as many calories as a professional athlete to maintain your weight and muscle mass. An extra benefit of exercising is that an active person's basal metabolic rate is higher even when at rest than an inactive person's. The more intensely you exercise, the higher your metabolism rises during the exercise and the longer it will remain elevated.
Calculating Caloric Requirements
Use a calculator available online, such as the one available at FreeDieting.com, to estimate your caloric requirements based on age, height, weight and level of activity. Using this calculator, a 41-year-old man who weighs 190 lbs., is 6 feet, 1 inch tall and exercises three times a week has a daily caloric requirement of 2,506. A man of the same dimensions who is 20 years younger can take in somewhat more calories at 2,643. If the 41-year-old man exercised five times a week, his caloric needs surpass those of the moderately active 21-year-old at 2,825 calories.
By contrast, a 41-year-old man of the same dimensions who is sedentary needs only 2,187 calories. A man of the same height and weight who is 20 years younger can take in somewhat more calories at 2,307.
References
- Cleveland Clinic: What Is the Difference Between Fat and Calories?
- Colorado State University Extension; Nutrition and Aging; J.E. Anderson, et al.; May 2010
- University of Arizona Campus Health Services; Your Daily Calorie Requirement; Lynne Smiley; November 2009
- Discovery Health: Basal Metabolic Rate
- Free Dieting: Calorie Calculator -- Daily Calorie Needs
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