Textbook Problem

Run, Kristen, Run

Kristen, who was active in competitive sports throughout high school, has decided to run a marathon with some of her college friends. She is 25 years old, 5 foot, 8 inches tall, and weighs 135 pounds. She eats all sorts of foods, likes fruits and vegetables, but tries to avoid greasy foods. She says coffee is her downfall—she drinks 4–6 cups a day. She doesn’t like sweets, although she keeps ice cream in her freezer. A family history notes that her mother needed angioplasty to treat occluded arteries shortly after menopause and that her father is not at risk for any chronic conditions. Although she would eventually like to have children, Kristen is not pregnant now.

An analysis of a 24-hour dietary recall shows the following:

2090 calories

352 g carbohydrate (67% of calories)

41 g total fiber

98 g protein (19% of calories)

33 g fat (14% of calories)

(7 g saturated fat, 1 g trans fat, 1.5 g omega-3 fatty acid, 99 mg cholesterol)

3343 mg sodium

34 mg iron

958 g calcium

117 mcg vitamin A

158 mg vitamin C

0.5 mcg vitamin D

7.4 IU vitamin E

1548 mcg folic acid

283 mg choline

How many calories does Kristen need to maintain her weight?

Summary Introduction

To determine: The amount of calories required by Person K to maintain her body weight.

Introduction: The status of the weight of individuals is estimated by their body mass index (BMI). BMI is calculated by dividing the weight of a person in kilogram by the square of height in meters. Resting energy expenditure (REE) is defined as the amount of energy expended by a person during a non-active period (at rest).

Explanation of Solution

Person K who is 25 years old has a weight of 135 pounds (61.23 kg) and a height of 5 foot 8 inches (172.72 cm). During her high school, she actively participated in various competitive sports. Also, she decided to run a marathon with some of her college friends. Usually, she eats all varieties of fruits and vegetables and tries to avoid greasy foods.  Daily, she used to drink around 4-6 cups of coffee. She does not like sweets. Her mother requires angioplasty in order to treat occluded arteries just after menopause and also her father is not at any risk under any chronic conditions. Person K is not pregnant although she wishes to have children.

The Resting energy expenditure (REE) can be calculated using a validated estimation formula. The Mifflin-St. Jeor formula requires accurate measures of height in cm and weight in kg using the formula given below:

$\text{REE}=\left(10\times \text{wt}\right)+\left(6.25\times \text{ht}\right)-\left(5\times \text{age}\right)-161$

Person K has a weight of 135 pounds (61.23 kg) and height of 5 foot 8 inches (172.72 cm) tall. Then, the REE of Person K is calculated as follows:

$\begin{array}{c}\text{REE}=\left(10\times \text{wt}\right)+\left(6.25\times \text{ht}\right)-\left(5\times \text{age}\right)-161\\ =612.3+1079.5-125-161\\ =1405.8\end{array}$

After determining the REE, the obtained value of REE is multiplied by an activity factor of 1.725, owing to the high activity level of Person K, to obtain the estimated daily calorie requirement:

$\begin{array}{c}\text{Energy}\text{requirement}=1405.8\times 1.725\\ =2425\text{cal}\end{array}$

Thus, the daily energy requirement for Person K is 2425 cal to maintain her weight.

Conclusion

Person K needs 2425 calories to maintain her weight.