How Many Calories Do I Burn in a Day?
Curious about how many calories your body burns each day, even at rest? This guide explains the basics of calorie expenditure and how to estimate your burn.
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We have all heard that you need to achieve a calorie deficit if you want to lose weight. This entails consuming fewer calories than you can burn off in a given day. This has prompted many people to wonder, ‘how many calories should I burn a day?’
The answer to this question will depend largely on how many calories you consume each day. Of course, this answer will differ from person to person, so there is no universal guideline to how many calories you should burn every day. It will depend on your diet and health status.
Still, there are ways to get an approximate idea of how many calories you currently burn in a day and how many more (or less) you need to burn in order to lose weight and/or stay healthy.
So read on as we discuss the most important aspects of the caloric burn questions.
How Your Body Burns Calories
Your body burns calories all the time, whether you are conscious of it or not. Breathing, generating new cells, and the circulation of your blood are all examples of how your body burns calories without your effort.
Of course, there are ways that you can burn more calories, like exercising and being physically active. How many calories you burn during these activities will depend on factors like your height, weight, metabolism, the nature of your exercise, and certain health conditions.
Physical activity of any kind burns calories. The number of calories burnt during these activities depends on their intensity and of course, your body composition. Still, any kind of physical activity burns calories.
How to Calculate Calories Burned Per Day
On to the question, ‘how many calories do I burn a day?’ This is an important question because it is the first step in determining how many calories you need to expend if you want to achieve a calorie deficit.
In your normal routine, how many calories do you burn?
It depends on a few factors so let’s go through each step of how to determine how many calories you burn in a day:
- Calculate Your Resting Metabolic Rate - Your resting metabolic rate is the amount of energy your body needs to carry out the most basic functions like breathing and moving your blood throughout your system. The way to calculate your resting metabolic rate is different for men and women.
- Determine Your Activity Level - Next, you assign your daily activity level using given values: 1.2 for little to no exercise, 1.375 for 1-3 days of moderate exercise per week, 1.55 for 3-5 days of exercise per week, 1.725 for 6-7 days of exercise per week, and 1.9 for hard exercise performed two or more times per day.
- Add it All Up - Now, add the values you got for your resting metabolic rate and your activity level and you will get an approximate idea of how many calories you burn per day.
For men, you multiply your weight by 9.99, multiply your height by 6.25, subtract 4.92 times your age plus 5. For women, the formula is the same except you subtract 161 from your age.
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Calories Burned Through Daily Activities
Different activities burn a different amount of calories. Of course, more strenuous activity will burn more calories and moderate exercise will burn fewer.
Let’s look at the following chart which gives some examples of daily activities and their caloric burn value:
| Activity | Number of Calories Burned (based on an assumed weight of 155 pounds) |
|---|---|
| Cooking | 93 calories |
| Watching TV | 28 calories |
| Gardening | 167 calories |
| Walking | 149 calories |
| Grocery shopping | 130 calories |
Calories burned in 30 minutes
| Intensity Level | Task | 125-lb Person | 155-lb Person | 185-lb Person |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High | cleaning the gutters | 150 | 186 | 222 |
| walking at 4.5 mph | 150 | 186 | 222 | |
| Moderate | mowing the lawn | 135 | 167 | 200 |
| gardening | 135 | 167 | 200 | |
| washing the car | 135 | 167 | 200 | |
| walking at 4 mph | 135 | 167 | 200 | |
| playing with the kids (moderate activity) | 120 | 149 | 178 | |
| walking at 3.5 mph | 120 | 149 | 178 | |
| Low | grocery shopping (with cart) | 105 | 130 | 155 |
| cooking | 75 | 93 | 111 | |
| Very Low | 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 | |
| Resting | sleeping | 19 | 23 | 28 |
How Many Calories Should You Burn Daily?
The amount of calories that you should burn in a day will depend on things like your sex, your age, your weight, and most importantly, how many calories you consume per day.
It also depends on what you are counting calories for. If you are trying to lose weight and need to know how many calories you should burn, you should try to burn about 500-700 calories more than you consume.
According to Abdullah Boulad , Founder of the Balance Rehab Clinic “Your daily calorie burn operates as a personal energy blueprint which has its own unique characteristics for each individual. The majority of your daily caloric expenditure goes toward basic life functions including breathing and maintaining your heartbeat. The process of food digestion requires your body to use energy as a fuel source. Stress, sleep, and muscle mass? The numbers shift according to the influence of these factors.“
Remember that losing weight is all about achieving a calorie deficit so any amount of calories that you burn should count against the amount that you consume. If you consume more than you burn, you will simply need to burn more or consume fewer.
Do Men and Women Burn Calories Differently?
The short answer to this question is yes, men and women burn calories differently. This has mostly to do with the typical makeup of a man and woman’s body. For instance, since men tend to have greater muscle mass than women, they burn calories at a higher rate even when they are resting.
A man’s body is usually larger which requires more caloric burn simply to move around and operate. Men typically have higher metabolic rates than women which can also affect the number of calories they burn when they are active and even when they are not.
The Mayo Clinic published a great report explaining how the metabolic differences between men and women affects caloric burn. Much of it has to do with the fact that men have more muscle mass which tends to burn calories at a higher rate when compared to women.
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Best Tools to Track Calories Burned
If you are still a bit confused as to how to determine how many calories you burn on a daily basis, there are some helpful tools to make it easier. Countless smartphone apps can keep track of your daily caloric burn. Fitness watches can also make it easier to track your calories. You can even use simple calculators online that will help you determine how many calories you need to burn to lose weight.Conclusion
The number of calories you burn in a day has a huge impact on your health and your body composition. It is always best to speak with a trusted healthcare practitioner for help with determining what is safe and healthy for you.
If you follow the simple guidelines and calculating methods we outlined in this post, you are sure to get an accurate idea of how many calories you currently burn, and how many you need to burn for weight loss.
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References
- Resting Metabolic Rate of Individuals: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10456516/
- Metabolism and weight loss: How you burn calories: https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/weight-loss/in-depth/metabolism/art-20046508