Menopause Calorie Calculator
Enter your age, height, weight and activity level to get an estimate of your daily maintenance calories at menopause age.
Your estimated maintenance calories
2,298calories a day
Mifflin-St Jeor already takes 5 calories off your resting rate for every year of age.
No menopause-specific calorie formula is published, so this page adds nothing on top of the standard estimate.
NIH Office of Dietary Supplements: women aged 51 to 70 need 1,200 mg calcium a day, up from 1,000 mg at 19 to 50.
In NutriScan, open Profile, then Modify Macros, and type 2,298 as your calorie goal if your doctor agrees with it. Meals you log count down from it.
Not medical advice. A general maintenance estimate, not a measurement of your own metabolism. Bring it to your doctor if you want a weight or nutrition plan around menopause.
How the menopause calorie calculator works
No menopause-specific calorie formula is published, so this calculator uses the standard one and adds nothing. The Mifflin-St Jeor equation gives the calories you burn at rest:
BMR = 10 x weight in kg + 6.25 x height in cm - 5 x age - 161
That BMR is multiplied by an activity factor: 1.2 sedentary, 1.375 lightly active, 1.55 moderately active, 1.725 very active, 1.9 extra active. These are the standard activity multipliers used with the equation; they are not part of the Mifflin paper.
Age is already in the equation: every extra year lowers the resting estimate by 5 calories. That is how the number comes down as you move past 50, without any menopause factor.
Worked example
A 52 year old woman, 165 cm, 65 kg, moderately active:
- BMR: 10 x 65 + 6.25 x 165 - 5 x 52 - 161 = 1,260 calories
- TDEE: 1,260 x 1.55 = 1,953 calories a day
The same woman at 30 had a BMR of 1,370 and a TDEE of 2,124. The 171 calorie gap comes from the age term and the activity multiplier alone.
What this number can and cannot say
It is an estimate for an average woman of your age, height and weight. Menopause also changes body composition, sleep and appetite for many people, and the equation does not see any of that. Weigh yourself and watch your intake for two to three weeks. If your weight holds steady on the number, it fits you. If not, move it by 100 to 200 calories and check again.
One nutrient figure worth knowing
The NIH Office of Dietary Supplements lists the calcium recommendation for women aged 51 to 70 at 1,200 mg a day, up from 1,000 mg for ages 19 to 50.
Track your meals in NutriScan
Log meals from a photo, voice or a typed line, and see calories, protein, carbs and fat against your goal. To use the number from this page, open Profile, then Modify Macros, and type it in as your calorie goal.
The free plan gives you 5 scans a week. Premium removes the scan cap and costs about $59 a year. The app has passed 150k downloads and holds a 4.6 star rating.
Sources
- Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (1990): the BMR equation.
- NIH Office of Dietary Supplements, Calcium fact sheet for health professionals: 1,000 mg (19 to 50) and 1,200 mg (women 51 to 70).
This page is information, not medical advice. NutriScan does not say it uses this formula; it is the published one. Talk to your doctor about weight, hormones and nutrition at menopause.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories should I eat per day during menopause?
It depends on your size and activity. A moderately active 52 year old woman at 165 cm and 65 kg has a maintenance of about 1,953 calories a day by the Mifflin-St Jeor equation. Enter your own numbers above.
Is there a special calorie formula for menopause?
No menopause-specific calorie formula is published. This calculator uses Mifflin-St Jeor, which already lowers the estimate for age, and adds no extra adjustment.
Why do I gain weight at menopause on the same diet?
Resting energy tends to drop with age and muscle loss, and activity often drops too. The equation reflects the age part only. If your weight is rising on the number shown, lower it by 100 to 200 calories and check again after two to three weeks.
Should I use a calorie deficit?
That is a decision for you and your doctor. This calculator shows maintenance only. The weight loss calculator sets a deficit with a date.
Related calculators
- TDEE calculator for maintenance calories
- Protein intake calculator for daily grams and a per meal split
- Weight loss calculator for a calorie target with a date
- PCOS macro calculator for a split weighted for insulin resistance