How Many Calories & Grams of Fat Should a Female Consume?

The number of calories and grams of fat a female should consume varies according to age and level of physical activity. The more active you are, the higher your daily requirement of calories and fat grams.

Calories

Moderately active girls 9 to 13 years of age should consume 1,600 to 2,000 calories each day, according to the USDA's Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Teen girls 14 to 18 years of age should consume about 2,000 calories per day, while women 19 to 30 years of age need 2,000 to 2,200. If you are a moderately active woman 31 to 50 years of age, you need about 2,000 calories daily. If you are older than 50, you need about 1,800. Sedentary women require fewer calories, while active women require more.

Considerations

The Recommended Daily Values for a 1,200-Calorie Diet

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According to the USDA guidelines, children and adolescents 4 to 18 years of age should consume 25 to 35 percent of their total daily calories from fat. Adults older than 18 years of age should get 20 to 35 percent of their total daily calories from fat. Your consumption of saturated fat should not exceed 7 percent of your total daily calories, according to the American Heart Association.

Grams of Fat

Using the USDA guidelines percentage recommendations, you can calculate how many fat grams you should consume each day. Find the recommended number of calories for your age, compute the appropriate percentage of calories from fat and divide the result by nine, as each gram of fat contains 9 calories. For example, if you are a moderately active female 31 to 50 years of age, your total daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories. Of those, 20 to 35 percent should come from fat, which equals 400 to 700 calories. Dividing these calorie amounts by 9 yields your daily requirement of approximately 44 to 78 grams of fat.