How many calories does a body burn in a day. Calorie Burn Calculator: Understand Your Daily Energy Expenditure

09.08.202321.06.2023 by alexxlab

How many calories does your body burn each day. What factors influence your daily calorie expenditure. How to calculate your resting metabolic rate. Why is understanding your calorie needs crucial for weight management.

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Understanding Calorie Expenditure: The Basics

Calorie expenditure is a crucial aspect of our daily lives, yet many people struggle to understand how many calories their body actually burns. The number of calories you burn each day, also known as your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE), is influenced by various factors including your height, weight, age, sex, and activity level.

On average, adult females need between 1,600–2,200 calories per day, while adult males require 2,200–3,000 calories. However, these are general guidelines, and your individual calorie needs may differ significantly based on your unique circumstances.

Why Calories Matter

Calories are essential for basic bodily functions such as:

Breathing
Circulating blood
Cell processes

Beyond these basic functions, additional calories are burned through everyday movements and exercise, which can vary considerably from person to person.

Calculating Your Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR)

To understand your daily calorie burn, it’s crucial to first calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR). The Mifflin-St Jeor formula is a widely accepted method for this calculation.

The Mifflin-St Jeor Formula

For men: RMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (years) + 5

For women: RMR = 10 × weight (kg) + 6.25 × height (cm) – 5 × age (years) – 161

This formula provides your RMR, which represents the number of calories your body needs to function at rest. To get your TDEE, you’ll need to factor in your activity level.

From RMR to TDEE: Understanding Activity Factors

To calculate your TDEE, multiply your RMR by an activity factor:

Sedentary (little to no exercise): RMR × 1.2
Lightly active (light exercise 1-3 days/week): RMR × 1.375
Moderately active (moderate exercise 3-5 days/week): RMR × 1.55
Very active (hard exercise 6-7 days/week): RMR × 1.725
Extra active (very hard exercise & physical job): RMR × 1.9

The resulting number is an estimate of how many calories you burn in a day, considering both your basic bodily functions and your activity level.

Calorie Needs for Different Health Goals

Understanding your TDEE is crucial for setting and achieving health goals, whether you’re aiming to lose weight, maintain your current weight, or gain weight.

Calorie Needs for Weight Loss

To lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit. This means consuming fewer calories than your body burns, or increasing your calorie expenditure through exercise, or a combination of both.

For sustainable weight loss, aim for a calorie deficit of 10–20% below your TDEE. For example, if your TDEE is 2,200 calories, a 10–20% deficit would mean consuming between 1,760–1,980 calories per day.

Is a larger calorie deficit better for faster weight loss? While a larger deficit can lead to quicker weight loss, it’s often difficult to sustain long-term and may lead to significant hunger. Moreover, your body might respond by slowing down your metabolism to conserve energy, making further weight loss more challenging.

Calorie Needs for Weight Maintenance

If your goal is to maintain your current weight, your calorie intake should match your TDEE. This balance ensures that you’re neither gaining nor losing weight over time.

How can you tell if you’re in calorie balance? If you notice unintended weight gain, it’s likely that you’re consuming more calories than your TDEE or expending fewer calories than calculated. Conversely, unintended weight loss suggests that you’re either not eating enough calories or burning more than anticipated.

Calorie Needs for Weight Gain

To gain weight, you need to create a calorie surplus. This means consuming more calories than your body burns, reducing your calorie expenditure, or a combination of both.

For healthy and sustainable weight gain, aim for a mild calorie surplus of 10–20% above your TDEE. For instance, if your TDEE is 2,200 calories, a 10–20% surplus would mean consuming between 2,420–2,640 calories per day.

Factors Influencing Calorie Burn

Several factors can influence how many calories your body burns in a day:

Age: As we age, our metabolism typically slows down, reducing our calorie burn.
Sex: Men generally have a higher muscle mass and lower body fat percentage than women, leading to a higher calorie burn.
Body composition: Muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue, even at rest.
Genetics: Some people naturally have a faster or slower metabolism due to genetic factors.
Hormones: Hormonal imbalances can affect metabolism and calorie burn.
Physical activity: Regular exercise increases calorie burn both during the activity and for hours afterward.
Diet: Certain foods can temporarily boost metabolism, while long-term calorie restriction can slow it down.

The Role of Exercise in Calorie Burn

Exercise plays a significant role in increasing your daily calorie burn. Different types and intensities of exercise can have varying effects on your calorie expenditure.

Cardiovascular Exercise

Cardio exercises like running, cycling, or swimming can burn a significant number of calories in a short time. The exact number depends on factors such as intensity, duration, and your body weight.

Strength Training

While strength training may not burn as many calories during the activity as cardio, it has long-lasting effects on metabolism. Building muscle through strength training can increase your RMR, meaning you’ll burn more calories even when resting.

NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis)

NEAT refers to the calories burned during non-exercise activities like walking, fidgeting, or doing household chores. Increasing your NEAT can significantly boost your daily calorie burn without structured exercise.

The Impact of Diet on Calorie Burn

Your diet can influence your daily calorie burn in several ways:

Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)

TEF refers to the calories burned during digestion. Different macronutrients have varying TEF values:

Protein: 20-30% of calories consumed
Carbohydrates: 5-10% of calories consumed
Fats: 0-3% of calories consumed

A diet higher in protein can slightly increase your daily calorie burn due to its higher TEF.

Metabolic Adaptation

Long-term calorie restriction can lead to metabolic adaptation, where your body becomes more efficient and burns fewer calories. This is why it’s important to approach weight loss gradually and sustainably.

Tools and Technologies for Measuring Calorie Burn

While formulas can provide estimates, there are several tools and technologies available for more accurate measurement of calorie burn:

Fitness Trackers and Smartwatches

These devices use sensors to track your movement and heart rate, providing estimates of your calorie burn throughout the day.

Indirect Calorimetry

This method measures your oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production to determine your calorie burn. It’s more accurate than formulas but typically requires specialized equipment.

Doubly Labeled Water Method

This is the gold standard for measuring energy expenditure outside of a laboratory setting. It involves drinking water containing traced isotopes and measuring how quickly they’re eliminated from the body.

Can these tools provide 100% accurate measurements? While these tools can provide more precise estimates than formulas alone, it’s important to remember that they still have margins of error. The most accurate method remains the doubly labeled water method, but it’s expensive and not practical for everyday use.

Practical Tips for Managing Your Daily Calorie Burn

Understanding your daily calorie burn is just the first step. Here are some practical tips to help you manage your energy balance:

Keep a food diary: Tracking what you eat can help you understand your calorie intake.
Stay active throughout the day: Increase your NEAT by taking the stairs, walking more, or doing household chores.
Incorporate both cardio and strength training: This balanced approach can help boost your metabolism and overall health.
Get enough sleep: Poor sleep can disrupt hormones that regulate hunger and metabolism.
Stay hydrated: Drinking water can temporarily boost metabolism and help you feel fuller.
Eat a balanced diet: Include plenty of protein, fiber, and whole foods to support your metabolism and overall health.
Be consistent: Remember that sustainable changes over time are more effective than short-term extreme measures.

How can you make these changes sustainable? The key is to make gradual changes that you can maintain long-term. Start with one or two habits and build from there. Remember, small consistent changes can lead to significant results over time.

How Many Calories Do I Burn in a Day?

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To lose weight

To lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit. This means you’re either eating fewer calories than your body needs, burning additional calories, or a combination of both.

For sustainable weight loss, an ideal calorie deficit will be around 10–20% fewer calories than your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

Let’s say that your body needs 2,200 calories per day. A calorie deficit of 10–20% would be 1,760–1,980 calories per day (Equation: 2,200 – (2,200 × 0.1) = 1,980 or 2,200 – (2,200 × 0.2) = 1,760).

While you can achieve weight loss quicker with a larger calorie deficit, it may be difficult to sustain long term since it will likely lead to significant hunger. Your body may employ mechanisms to prevent further weight loss, such as sluggishness or a reduced metabolic rate (2, 3).

Furthermore, too large of a deficit can lead to loss of lean muscle. A mild calorie deficit paired with resistance training can help preserve lean muscle mass while also promoting fat loss (4, 5, 6).

That said, weight loss can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as age, genetics, hormones, medical conditions, and medications. Therefore, you may need to work with a healthcare professional who can develop personalized recommendations for you (7).

To maintain weight

If you’re looking to maintain your weight, you’ll want to ensure your calorie intake matches your calorie expenditure.

To figure this out, you’ll need to calculate your TDEE, which is the number of calories your body needs to sustain the weight you’re currently at.

If you notice that you’re gaining weight, this is likely a sign that you’re either consuming more calories or expending fewer calories than you intend to. If you’re losing weight, you’re liking not eating enough calories or expending too many calories.

To gain weight

If you want to gain weight, you need to be in a calorie surplus. This means that you’re either eating more calories than your body needs, expending fewer calories, or a combination of both.

As in the case of a calorie deficit, you’ll want to do this slowly to ensure it’s healthy and sustainable. A mild calorie surplus of around 10–20% will allow for slow, gradual weight gain.

If your calorie needs are 2,200 calories per day, a calorie surplus of 10–20% would be 2,420–2,640 calories per day.

While it may seem obvious to eat a very large amount of calories and limit your physical activity, this strategy isn’t ideal, as it will likely lead to excessive fat accumulation and removes the important health benefits of exercise (8).

Ideally, choose nutrient-dense foods that are higher in calories to support gradual weight gain. Examples include:

whole milk, yogurt, etc.
protein shakes
avocados
nuts, seeds, and their oils
rice and other whole grains
salmon and other oily fish
meal replacement drinks as a snack

If you struggle to eat large meals, you may want to eat smaller meals more frequently. You may also want to cut back on your physical activity if you’re extremely active. For example, you may wish to reduce the time, frequency, or intensity of your exercise.

In some cases, your healthcare professional may want you to gain weight quicker, so be sure to listen to their advice.

The Mifflin-St Jeor equation is an easy way to calculate how many calories you need to eat per day, and it’s considered one of the most accurate formulas. It’s adjusted based on your sex, age, height, and weight to give a personalized estimation (9).

This equation was first published in 1990 as an updated formula that better predicts a person’s energy expenditure than the previously used Harris-Benedict equation (10).

Once you calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR), you can multiply this figure by an activity factor based on your daily activity level — ranging from sedentary to very active — to find out the number of calories you need to consume each day to maintain your weight.

The next sections will tell you how to do these calculations. If you’re looking for a quick answer, you can use our handy online calculator to do the legwork for you.

Step 1. Calculate RMR

Your RMR is the number of calories your body needs to function, and it does not include your daily physical activity and other movements. To calculate your RMR, use your sex, age, height, and weight to adjust the formula.

The formulas for calculating this number are as follows, using kilograms for weight, centimeters for height, and years for age (9).

For males, use the following equation:

9.99 × weight + 6.25 × height – 4.92 × age + 5 = RMR for males

For example, a 40-year-old, 180-pound (81. 6-kg), 6-foot (183-cm) tall man has a BMR of 1,767. This means that, at rest, he’ll burn approximately 1,769 calories in a day (Equation: (9.99 × 81.6 kg) + (6.25 × 183) – (4.92 × 40) + 5 = 1,767).

For females, use the following equation:

9.99 × weight + 6.25 × height – 4.92 × age – 161= RMR for females

For example, a 40-year-old, 150-pound (68-kg), 5’6” (168-cm) woman has a RMR of 1,372 (Equation: (9.99 × 68 kg) + (6.25 × 168) – (4.92 × 40) – 161 = 1,372).

Keep in mind that this number calculates your RMR, or resting energy expenditure, which does not account for any movement throughout the day. You would not use this as the final number for your calorie needs.

Step 2. Work out your activity level

From there, you must figure out your activity level. The activity levels the equation uses are as follows (11):

1.2, or sedentary (little to no exercise)
1.375, or lightly active (light exercise 1–3 days per week)
1. 55, or moderately active (moderate exercise 3–5 days per week)
1.725, or very active (hard exercise 6–7 days per week)
1.9, or extra active (very hard exercise, training, or a physical job)

For example, a postal worker who walks all day for their job would have an activity level of 1.725depending on the length and difficulty of their route.

A desk worker who walks several times a week for exercise would have an activity level of 1.55.

Step 3. Use the full equation

Putting everything together, the Mifflin-St Jeor equation is as follows:

RMR × activity level = calories needed to maintain weight

A 150-pound (68-kg) female who’s extra active will need 2,611 calories to maintain their weight (Equation: 1,372 (RMR) × 1.9 (activity level) = 2,607 calories).

A 180-pound (81.6-kg) male who’s moderately active will need 2,742 calories to maintain their weight (Equation: 1,767 (RMR) × 1. 55 (activity level) = 2,739 calories).

As you can see in the above examples, a person’s activity level has a lot to do with how many calories they need each day.

Many people think they need to exercise hard to burn calories throughout the day.

While exercise does burn a lot of calories, your body also burns calories while you’re doing normal daily tasks. How much you burn has to do with how much you weigh.

For example, people will burn the following number of calories in 30 minutes of doing these tasks based on their weight (12):

Task	125-pound (56.7-kg) person	155-pound (70.3) person	185-pound (83.9-kg) person
walking at 4.5 mph	150	186	222
cleaning the gutters	150	186	222
mowing the lawn	135	167	200
gardening	135	167	200
washing the car	135	167	200
walking at 4 mph	135	167	200
walking at 3. 5 mph	120	149	178
playing with the kids (moderate activity)	120	149	178
grocery shopping (with cart)	105	130	155
cooking	75	93	111
sitting in meetings	49	60	72
light office work	45	56	67
computer work	41	51	61
standing in line	38	47	56
reading	34	42	50
watching television	23	28	33
sleeping	19	23	28

Note that your exercise habits affect how many calories you burn at rest. While aerobic activity may burn more calories during the training session, researchers have found that resistance exercise increases resting metabolic rate for up to 14 hours after exercising (13, 14).

You can use an interactive online calculator to find out how many calories you’ll burn while doing different activities. To use it, simply input your activity, the time spent doing it, and your weight.

Yes, males and females burn calories at different rates. This is why sex is included as a variable in the equation, along with age and weight, which also affect the number of calories a person burns.

People assigned male at birth generally have less body fat than people assigned female at birth. They also tend to have more muscle mass. More muscle means the body burns a higher number of calories while at rest.

So, generally, males usually burn more calories than females overall. That said, a person’s body composition plays an important role, as do hormone levels.

Losing weight isn’t always as simple as plugging numbers into a calculator.

The most effective way to lose weight and keep it off in the long term is to follow a balanced lifestyle that includes:

following a well-balanced diet
engaging in regular exercise
getting adequate quality sleep
effectively managing your stress levels

Some people also find these tips can help when they’re trying to lose weight:

reading labels to learn the nutritional facts about the foods you eat
keeping a food diary to see what you eat in a day and identify areas for improvement
choosing lower calorie options when choosing foods, such as skim milk instead of whole milk, air-popped popcorn instead of chips, and thin crust pizza instead of thick crust
reducing processed, high calorie, nutrient-poor foods like candy, cookies, and chips
being mindful of portion sizes to avoid overeating
putting food on a plate rather than eating it straight from the bag
using smaller plates and bowls
eating slowly and chewing food thoroughly
waiting at least 20 minutes before going back for seconds
making small, sustainable changes instead of favoring a crash diet
wear a fitness tracker or smartwatch to monitor your activity levels

Shop for food diaries to help get you started.

And check out the best calorie counter websites and apps here.

If you’re struggling to gain or lose weight, you may want to see a healthcare professional who can provide personal recommendations.

Lose weight

If you aren’t losing weight despite increasing your physical activity and decreasing your food intake, you may want to visit your primary care professional.

They can assess your current lifestyle habits, medications you’re taking, any medical conditions, family history, and other factors that may be preventing you from losing weight.

You may also be referred to other specialists, such as a registered dietitian, who can provide a detailed assessment of your diet and give personalized suggestions to help you achieve weight loss based on your unique situation.

If an underlying hormonal condition is suspected, such as hypothyroidism, they may refer you to an endocrinologist.

Gain weight

If you can’t put on weight or are losing weight unintentionally, it’s important that you speak with your primary care professional as soon as possible. In some cases, this could be a sign of an underlying condition like hyperthyroidism or cancer.

They may also refer you to a registered dietitian who can assess your diet and provide suggestions to increase your calorie intake in a healthy way, or a physical therapist who can help you build muscle.

The amount of calories you need each day is unique to your body, lifestyle habits, and health goals.

While the average male and female need roughly 2,200–3,000 and 1,600–2,200 calories per day, respectively, your needs may differ depending on your height, weight, and activity level.

Learning how to calculate your individual calorie needs is a good way to know whether you’re on track with your health and fitness goals, such as losing, maintaining, or gaining weight.

That said, if you’re looking for personalized recommendations or struggling to achieve specific health goals, talk with a healthcare professional who can give a more thorough assessment.

How Many Calories Do I Burn in a Day?

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Healthline only shows you brands and products that we stand behind.

Our team thoroughly researches and evaluates the recommendations we make on our site. To establish that the product manufacturers addressed safety and efficacy standards, we:

Evaluate ingredients and composition: Do they have the potential to cause harm?
Fact-check all health claims: Do they align with the current body of scientific evidence?
Assess the brand: Does it operate with integrity and adhere to industry best practices?

We do the research so you can find trusted products for your health and wellness.

Read more about our vetting process.

Was this helpful?

The amount of calories that you burn each day depends on several factors, including your height, weight, and activity level. Determining your daily calorie needs can help you reach your health goals.

Every day, you burn calories when you move around, exercise, and go about your daily tasks.

Calories are important for basic bodily functions, such as:

breathing
circulating blood
cell processes

This formula calculates your resting metabolic rate (RMR), also known as your resting energy expenditure, which is the number of calories your body needs to function at rest.

This article teaches you how to calculate your calorie needs based on your health goals.

The number of calories you should burn in a day largely depends on your personal health and fitness goals, as well as other factors like your age, sex, height, weight, and activity levels.