Maintenance calories for a 55 kg man

A 30-year-old man weighing 55 kg at 178 cm burns about 2,275 calories a day lifting four days a week with 7,500 to 10,000 daily steps, and about 1,820 with a desk job and little activity. To lose about 0.28 kg a week, eat around 1,975 a day.

Updated

About you

Body fat is optional.

Sex
years
kg
cm
Training sessions a week

Your phone's weekly average is the honest number. Steps move your TDEE more than gym days do.

%

Adds Katch-McArdle and Cunningham, which work from lean mass instead of total weight.

Your TDEE

2,275kcal/day
BMR at rest (Mifflin-St Jeor)
1,520 kcal
Activity factor
×1.50

Calorie targets

Macros for cut

Protein
121 g
Carbs
249 g
Fat
55 g

Your BMR by formula

Without a body fat %, only Mifflin-St Jeor can run. With one, the lean mass formulas join in and Katch-McArdle sets your TDEE.

Mifflin-St Jeor1,520 kcal
Katch-McArdleNeeds body fat %
CunninghamNeeds body fat %

Your TDEE at each activity level

The classic multipliers most calculators use, applied to your BMR. Use it to sanity check the steps and sessions estimate above.

Activity levelMultiplierTDEE
SedentaryDesk job, little exercise×1.21,820 kcal
Lightly activeExercise 1 to 3 days a week×1.3752,085 kcal
Moderately activeExercise 3 to 5 days a week×1.552,350 kcal
Very activeHard exercise 6 to 7 days a week×1.7252,620 kcal
Extremely activePhysical job plus hard training×1.92,885 kcal

The calculator above starts at 55 kg. Change your age, height, steps and training days for your own number.

TDEE by height and activity at 55 kg

Worked out with Mifflin-St Jeor for a 30-year-old man. Find your height, then read across to how active you are.

TDEE by height and activity at 55 kg
HeightSedentaryLightly activeModerately activeVery activeExtremely active
160 cm1,6851,9302,1802,4252,670
165 cm1,7251,9752,2252,4802,730
170 cm1,7602,0202,2752,5302,790
175 cm1,8002,0602,3252,5852,850
180 cm1,8352,1052,3702,6402,905
185 cm1,8752,1452,4202,6952,965
190 cm1,9102,1902,4702,7453,025
195 cm1,9502,2352,5152,8003,085

Calories to cut, maintain or bulk at 55 kg

Targets for a 30-year-old man at 178 cm who lifts four days a week and walks 7,500 to 10,000 steps a day, with the pace set as a share of bodyweight.

Calories to cut, maintain or bulk at 55 kg
GoalCalories a dayWeekly change
Fast cut1,825−0.41 kg
Cut1,975−0.28 kg
Slow cut2,125−0.14 kg
Maintain2,275None
Lean bulk2,430+0.14 kg

TDEE by age at 55 kg

The formula takes 5 calories a day off resting energy for every year of age, so the same body burns a little less each decade. Worked out at 178 cm.

TDEE by age at 55 kg
AgeBMRSedentaryModerately active
20 years1,5701,8802,430
30 years1,5201,8202,350
40 years1,4701,7602,275
50 years1,4201,7002,195
60 years1,3701,6402,120

How much protein at 55 kg

Most of the research on lifters lands between 1.6 and 2.2 g of protein per kilogram of bodyweight a day. At 55 kg that is 88 to 121 g a day, with the top of the range most useful during a cut.

Other bodyweights

TDEE Calculator

Frequently asked questions

How many calories should a 55 kg man eat to lose weight?

Start from maintenance and take off enough to lose about 0.5% of bodyweight a week. For a 30-year-old man at 178 cm who lifts four days a week, maintenance is about 2,275 calories, so a cut sits near 1,975 a day. Weigh in daily, compare weekly averages, and adjust by 100 to 150 calories if the trend is off after two to three weeks.

How many calories should a 55 kg man eat to build muscle?

A lean bulk gains about 0.25% of bodyweight a week, which at 55 kg is a surplus of about 155 calories a day. That puts a man at 178 cm who lifts four days a week near 2,430 calories a day, with 88 to 121 g of protein.

How many calories does a 55 kg man burn at rest?

At rest, a 30-year-old man at 178 cm and 55 kg burns about 1,520 calories a day: that is the BMR. With a desk job and little exercise, the total for the day is about 1,820 calories.