How Many Calories Do You Burn Per Day?

Your body burns calories all day, even when you rest.
How many calories you burn per day depends on your body and how much you move.

What Does “Calories Burned Per Day” Mean?

Calories are units of energy.
Your body uses them to stay alive and to do every activity.

Each day, you burn calories in two main ways:

- Just by being alive (breathing, thinking, staying warm).
- By moving (walking, working, cleaning, exercising).

Together, this is your total daily calorie burn.

Your body burns a lot of calories even if you lie in bed all day.
This is called your resting calories or BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate).

These calories go to:

- Breathing
- Heart beating
- Brain and organs working
- Keeping body temperature normal

For many adults, resting burn alone is roughly:

- Around 1,200–1,800 calories per day for many women.
- Around 1,400–2,000 calories per day for many men.

These are very general ranges.
Your own number depends on age, height, weight, and muscle.

On top of resting calories, you burn more when you move.
These are your active calories.

You burn active calories when you:

- Walk to the bus or around the office.
- Do housework or play with kids.
- Exercise (gym, running, cycling, sports).

The more you move, and the harder you move, the more extra calories you burn.

Maria works at a desk most of the day.

- Resting calories: maybe about 1,300–1,500 per day.
- Light movement: walking to the bus, moving around the house, a short walk after work.

With this, her total daily burn might be roughly:

If she adds a 30‑minute brisk walk, she might burn a bit more that day.
Over time, even small daily walks can increase her total burn.

John works in a job where he stands and walks a lot.

- Resting calories: maybe about 1,600–1,800 per day.
- Work movement: on his feet, walking, lifting light things.
- Plus he does a bike ride or gym session a few times a week.

His total daily burn might be closer to:

This shows how activity level can change daily calorie burn even for similar bodies.

Many things change your daily burn:

- Age: Younger people often burn more.
- Sex: Men usually burn more than women at the same size because of more muscle.
- Height and weight: Bigger bodies burn more.
- Muscle amount: More muscle = higher burn, even at rest.
- Activity level: More movement = more calories burned.

This is why there is no single “correct” daily calorie number for everyone.

Instead of guessing, you can use a calorie calculator.
A calculator uses your:

Then it gives you an estimate of:

You can try an online tool like this: Calories Burned Calculator

This is just an estimate, but it’s a helpful starting point.

Knowing roughly how many calories you burn per day can help you:

- Maintain weight: eat about the same as you burn.
- Lose weight slowly: eat a bit less than you burn.
- Gain weight: eat a bit more than you burn.

Healthy changes are usually small and slow, not extreme.
If you have health conditions, talk with a doctor before big diet or exercise changes.