What EER is, and what drives it
The Estimated Energy Requirement is the calories per day a healthy person of your age, sex, height, weight and activity level needs to hold their weight steady. It comes from the Institute of Medicine (2005) and, unlike a plain BMR figure, it builds activity in directly. The biggest lever is the physical activity (PA) coefficient, which ranges from 1.0 to 1.9.
The adult formula
A is age in years, W is weight in kg, H is height in metres. Children and teens use separate equations; the shape is the same but the constants differ by age band (4–8, 9–13, 14–18).
Pick the right activity coefficient
| Activity level | PA (women) | PA (men) | What it looks like |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.00 | 1.00 | Desk work, little movement |
| Low active | 1.12 | 1.27 | Light activity 1–3 days a week |
| Active | 1.45 | 1.56 | Moderate exercise 3–5 days a week |
| Very active | 1.73 | 1.90 | Hard training or physical job, most days |
Misjudging this one input skews the whole result. A 30-year-old woman at 65 kg goes from about 1,900 kcal sedentary to about 3,100 kcal very active on the same body.
Using EER to lose weight, and its limits
- For a deficit, eat 300 to 750 kcal below your EER for roughly 0.3 to 0.75 kg a week. Do not drop below about 1,200 kcal (women) or 1,500 kcal (men) without medical supervision.
- It is a population estimate, accurate to within about 10 to 15%. Your real need can differ 20% or more with genetics and health.
- Verify against the scale. Eat at your EER for two to four weeks; steady weight confirms it, drift means adjust by roughly 250 kcal.
Common questions
What is the difference between EER and BMR?
BMR is the calories you burn at complete rest, about 60 to 70% of the total. EER is the full daily need, activity included, so it is BMR pushed up by the physical activity coefficient. For diet planning EER is the more useful number.
How many extra calories does pregnancy add?
Nothing in the first trimester, about 340 kcal a day in the second, and about 452 kcal a day in the third. "Eating for two" from the start leads to excess weight gain, not a healthier pregnancy.
Why is a man's EER higher than a woman's at the same weight?
Men carry more muscle, which burns more energy at rest than fat does, and hormones raise the baseline. At the same age, height and weight a man's EER runs roughly 15 to 25% higher, which is why the formula is sex-specific.
