i doubt i'm burning this many calories just by being a teen...

http://kidsnutrition.org/bodycomp/bmiz2.html

scroll to see your caloric needs results and tell me if you're surprised... they're so much higher than the adult ones...

Makes sense to me. You're a growing teenager and your body is developing. You'll be burning more calories naturally through growth.

Yup, it's MUCH higher for teens then adults, and has nothing to do with how active you are.  Like lala said, you're still growing.  Even if you're not getting taller, your teen years are when you develop into an adult, so there's a lot going on that you can't even see.

I"m a 16 year old male 5'11 128lbs, I really don't think that i need to eat over 2000 cals if I"m lightly active. I think this cart overestimates just a little.

Original Post by beowulf34319:

I"m a 16 year old male 5'11 128lbs, I really don't think that i need to eat over 2000 cals if I"m lightly active. I think this cart overestimates just a little.

 Actually, I think that's about right.  I'm a 28 year old female (this means slower metabolism) and on light activity, I'm supposed to be eating around 1700 to maintain.  You are younger and still growing. 300 more calories is nothing for your body.  Try eating what it tells you to for a couple of weeks.  See where it gets you.  If it ends up being too much, then back off a little bit. 

I maintain on HIGHER than what it tells me! :D It seems accurate for teens with healthy metabolisms.

As a teen, everytime you move you burn more calories than adults...it's so unfair!  Enjoy it while it lasts!

i think this is a bit too much

I think those estimates are VERY, very true for boys.  Girls, maybe in the younger teens, but probably not so much in the later years.

When my husband was a growing boy, he would eat like crazy.  His mom would only have healthy food in the house, but because his body so badly needed the calories, he would eat entire blocks of raw tofu, and and an entire half-gallon of milk in one sitting.  He even told me that he used to eat an entire family sized lasagna.

He went from about 5'4" to 6'1" from the time I met him, until I married him (14 to 22 years old).  He also has very large, strong bones because he fed his body when it needed it.  He has never broken a bone.

When he first reached that 6'1" height he was still GROSSLY skinny, despite how much he was eating.  Once his height leveled, he has filled out, and his metabolism has slowed down.

Original Post by kaffwynn:

I think those estimates are VERY, very true for boys.  Girls, maybe in the younger teens, but probably not so much in the later years.

When my husband was a growing boy, he would eat like crazy.  His mom would only have healthy food in the house, but because his body so badly needed the calories, he would eat entire blocks of raw tofu, and and an entire half-gallon of milk in one sitting.  He even told me that he used to eat an entire family sized lasagna.

He went from about 5'4" to 6'1" from the time I met him, until I married him (14 to 22 years old).  He also has very large, strong bones because he fed his body when it needed it.  He has never broken a bone.

When he first reached that 6'1" height he was still GROSSLY skinny, despite how much he was eating.  Once his height leveled, he has filled out, and his metabolism has slowed down.

 Why not for girls in their later teens? This calculator adjusts to age, and when I plug in my approximate stats [17 yrs, 65 inches, 120 pounds] it gives me 1690. CC, an adult calculator, gives me 1700 for the same stats.

my metabolism is super slow, and it used to be so fast, i screwed up big time, but i agree that young people need more calories! for sure! 

Original Post by revolution3:

 Why not for girls in their later teens? This calculator adjusts to age, and when I plug in my approximate stats [17 yrs, 65 inches, 120 pounds] it gives me 1690. CC, an adult calculator, gives me 1700 for the same stats.

 Ahh, I didn't realize it continued to adjust with age (as in, slows down in the later teen years, which is what I would expect it to do).  But, it seems like it does, so that seems about right.

if i run for 50 minutes 4 days out of the week, how many calories would i need?

i am 5''9 a 16 year old male teen

that weights 127 lbs

if i run for 50 minutes 4 days out of the week, how many calories would i need?

Well, that would equal out to be 200 minutes of running per week, or about 30/ a day. You are defined as having a low activity level. With your stats and activity plugged in, the calculator says that you need 2650/day.

I have found this calculator to be spot on for me. I need 3000 cals a day due to biking 2 hours a day, and all other calculators place my needs way too low.

i don't think it's unreasonable.

we're teens. we're growing. our metabolisms are at their peak. we NEED lots of calories to help fuel our daily activities.

alexmp911 - you're fairly active, and, being that you're a sixteen year old guy, you probably require between 2500 and 3000 calories a day. It all depends on your metabolism and your lifestyle.

edit: grammar error

i am 16 year old male teen that goes to the gym for 50 minutes 4 days out of the week, how many calories would i need? and should i woory about calories this early?

I dont think teens need to worry about calories, just nutrition! And as a teen I'd rather have had enough nutrients to grow my body fully and develop into a healthy adult than to restrict and eat too little because I feel 2000 is a lot.

Heck, I'm 20 and I eat over 2000 cal a day on maintenence.

I know what you mean! I'm 14 but there is no way I can burn practically 3000 calories (2970) on a very active day (more then one hour a day, which I usually am) I don't even think I can even eat that much :P I would just be stuffing myself.