How Many Calories You Really Burn Every Day

You burn calories every day no matter what you are doing, whether sitting, walking, or working out. You even burn calories doing nothing at all! Have you ever wondered how many calories you burn each day? We're here for you: Some simple math can lead you to your daily calorie burn. Factoring in your activity level can help you determine how many additional calories to burn, should you want to maintain your weight, or lose some. 

First, you need to calculate your basal metabolic rate, or BMR, which Healthline states is "the number of calories your body needs to function at rest." There are two different formulas, one for men and one for women. According to Healthline, the formula for women is 655.1 + (4.35 x weight) + (4.7 x height) – (4.7 x age) = BMR. For men, the formula is 66 + (6.2 x weight) + (12.7 x height) – (6.76 x age) = BMR. For example, a 170-pound, 5 foot 3-inch-tall, 40-year-old woman would have a BMR of 1502.70. 

Your daily activity level is another factor in how many calories you burn every day. You can figure this out with a little more math. You're almost there!

How many calories you burn depending on your activity level

The second step to the equation above involves factoring in your activity level, using pre-determined numbers. Medical News Today outlines these numbers as 1.2 for little to no exercise, 1.375 for light exercise one-to-three days a week, 1.55 for moderate activity, such as three-to-five days of exercise, 1.725 for vigorous exercise six-to-seven days a week, or 1.9 for anyone who is extremely active every day.

Your activity level involves all activity in your day — not just exercising or working out. Examples of daily activity levels are — 1.2 for a desk job, 1.375 for a daily walk, 1.55 for a restaurant server or mail-person on foot, 1.725 for a vigorous workout almost every day, and 1.9 for an athlete or someone in military training. 

Take your activity level number and multiply it by your BMR number. In the example above, the woman had a BMR of about 1500. If her activity level is sedentary, 1500 multiplied by 1.2 equals 1800. She can take in up to 1800 calories a day to maintain her current weight. If her goal is to lose weight, she'd need to calculate a calorie deficit