An individual's calorie requirements are personal and will differ for a number of reasons such as their goals, height, weight, muscle mass, activity level, hormones, genetics and more. Below are some general guidelines for the average calorie requirements to maintain your current weight. Remember, these numbers do not take into account your personal requirements and should be used as a guide only.
Maintenance Calorie Guidelines - Female:
| Sedentary | Lightly Active | Active | Heavy Activity | |
| 55 - 64.9 KG | 1680 - 1786 | 1939 - 2061 | 2068 - 2198 | 2456 - 2610 |
| 65 - 74.9 KG | 1786 - 1892 | 2061 - 2183 | 2198 - 2328 | 2610 - 2765 |
| 75 - 84.9 KG | 1892 - 1997 | 2183 - 2304 | 2328 - 2458 | 2765 - 2919 |
| 85 - 105+ KG | 1997 - 2208 | 2304 - 2548 | 2458 - 2718 | 2919 - 3228 |
Maintenance Calorie Guidelines - Male:
| Sedentary | Lightly Active | Active | Heavy Activity | |
| 55 - 64.9 KG | 1955 - 2104 | 2406 - 2590 | 2557 - 2590 | 3159 - 3399 |
| 65 - 74.9 KG | 2104 - 2254 | 2590 - 2774 | 2752 - 2774 | 3399 - 3640 |
| 75 - 84.9 KG | 2254 - 2403 | 2774 - 2957 | 2774 - 2957 | 3640 - 3881 |
| 85 - 105+ KG | 2403 - 2701 | 2957 - 3324 | 2957 - 3324 | 3881 - 4363 |
Each activity level explained:
- Sedentary means typically physically inactive in both work and leisure. You typically commutes via bus or car, with no planned physical activity each week.
- Lightly Active means the daily routine includes some walking and moving for example, a lightly active job or a long commute by foot. You perform intense exercise for one or two hours per week (i.e. exercise where you cannot comfortably hold a conversation).
- Active means you may have an active job, where you are on your feet most of the day. You perform intense exercise for three to four hours per week.
- Heavy Activity means intense exercise lasting at least an hour per day, and a heavy physical job, such as a labourer, or an athlete in training.
If your goal is sustainable weight loss, take your maintenance calories recommendation above, and subtract 500 calories to use as a daily calorie target. A safe and sustainable rate of weight loss is a rate of around 0.5kg (500g) per week. If you find yourself losing weight more quickly, it is recommended that you increase your calorie intake or you may risk losing muscle mass. Start by adding 100-200 calories per day, until your weight loss is at a maintainable rate.
The above calorie recommendations should be used as a rough guide only, and does not replace any medical recommendation provided by a health professional. Remember, your needs may differ week to week, based on many factors such as hormones and fluctuating activity levels and the best thing you can do is listen to your body.
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