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The number of calories 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.

Most female adults need 1,600–2,200 calories per day. Most adult males need 2,200–3,000 calories per day. However, the number of calories you need each day is unique to your body and activity levels (1).

You also burn calories from everyday movements and exercise, which can vary from person to person. If you’ve ever wondered how many calories you burn each day, the Mifflin-St Jeor formula can help you figure this out.

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.

With one more calculation, which considers your activity levels, you can work out how many calories you need each day to maintain your current weight. Eating fewer calories than this will likely result in weight loss. Eating more calories than this will likely lead to weight gain.

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 depends on your personal health and fitness goals as well as other factors, like:

  • age
  • sex
  • height
  • weight
  • activity levels

To lose weight

Losing weight requires a calorie deficit. This means either eating fewer calories than your body needs, burning additional calories, or a combination of both.

For sustainable weight loss, an ideal calorie deficit is around 500–750 fewer calories than your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) (2).

Let’s say your body needs 2,200 calories per day. A calorie deficit of 500–750 calories would be 1,450–1,700 calories per day.

While a larger calorie deficit may help quicken weight loss, it can be difficult to sustain long term since it will likely lead to significant hunger. Your body may then use mechanisms to prevent further weight loss, such as sluggishness or a reduced metabolic rate (3, 4).

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 (5, 6).

A variety of factors can influence weight loss, such as (7):

  • age
  • genetics
  • hormones
  • medical conditions
  • medications

A healthcare professional can help develop personalized recommendations for you.

To maintain weight

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

You’ll need to calculate your TDEE, which is the number of calories your body needs to sustain your current weight.

If you notice weight gain, it may be a sign that you’re either consuming more calories or expending fewer calories than you intend to.

If you’re losing weight, you’re likely 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 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 300–500 calories allows for slow, gradual weight gain (8).

If your calorie needs are 2,200 calories per day, a calorie surplus would be 2,500–2,700 calories per day.

While it may seem obvious to eat a very large number of calories and limit your physical activity, this strategy isn’t ideal. It will likely lead to excessive fat accumulation and won’t provide the important health benefits of exercise (9).

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 eating larger meals is difficult, you can try eating more frequent smaller meals instead. 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. 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 (10).

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 (11).

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 determine the number of calories you need each day to maintain your weight.

The next sections 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. 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 (10).

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 male has a BMR of 1,767. This means that, at rest, he burns approximately 1,767 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-foot, 6-inch (168-cm) female has an 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

Then, figure out your activity level. The activity levels the equation uses are as follows (10):

  • 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 two or more times per day, training, or a physical job)

For example, a postal worker who walks all day for their job would have an activity level of 1.55 to 1.725 depending 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 1.275–1.55.

Step 3: Use the full equation

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.

A person’s activity level has a lot to do with the number of 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 as you do daily tasks. How much you burn has to do with how much you weigh.

For example, people burn the following number of calories in 30 minutes of doing these tasks based on their weight (13):

Calories burned in 30 minutes

Task125-lb (56.7-kg) person155-lb (70.3-kg) person185-lb (83.9-kg) person
walking at 4.5 mph150186222
cleaning the gutters150186222
mowing the lawn135167200
gardening135167200
washing the car135167200
walking at 4 mph135167200
walking at 3.5 mph120149178
playing with the kids (moderate activity)120149178
grocery shopping (with cart)105130155
cooking7593111
sitting in meetings496072
light office work455667
computer work415161
standing in line384756
reading344250
watching television232833
sleeping192328

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 (14, 15, 16).

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.

Males generally have less body fat than females. They also typically have more muscle mass, which means the body burns more calories at rest.

Males generally burn more calories than females overall. But a person’s body composition plays an important role, as do hormone levels.

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

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 air-popped popcorn instead of chips and thin crust pizza instead of thick crust
  • reducing processed, high calorie, nutrient-poor foods, like candy, cookies, chips, and sugar-sweetened beverages
  • 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
  • wearing a fitness tracker or smartwatch to monitor your activity levels

You can check out the best calorie counter websites and apps here.

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

This may include a primary care professional, who may help rule out medical causes, and potentially a registered dietitian.

How many calories do I naturally burn per day?

The number of calories you burn in a day can vary based on many factors, including your sex assigned at birth, height, and weight. You can use the following equations to determine the number of calories your body needs to function at rest (RMR):

  • For people assigned male at birth: 9.99 × weight + 6.25 × height – 4.92 × age + 5 = RMR
  • For people assigned female at birth: 9.99 × weight + 6.25 × height – 4.92 × age – 161 = RMR

How do I calculate my daily calorie burn?

You can determine how many calories you burn in a day by using the Mifflin-St Jeor equation or calorie calculator above.

To perform the calculation yourself, you must first calculate your resting metabolic rate (RMR).

Then, you can multiply this figure by an activity factor based on your daily activity level — ranging from sedentary to very active — to determine the number of calories you need each day to maintain your weight. Or you can use the calorie calculator above.

How many calories does a woman burn in a day without exercise?

How many calories a female burns in a day without exercise can depend on height, weight, and activity level. You can use the above calculator to determine resting metabolic rate.

How many calories do 10,000 steps burn?

The number of calories burned by walking 10,000 steps can vary depending on your sex, weight, and how long it takes. Walking faster generally burns more calories. You can use the following equation:

Calories burned per minute = 0.0175 x metabolic equivalent of task (MET) x weight in kilograms

The number 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 to calculate your individual calorie needs can help you know whether you’re on track with your health and fitness goals.

If you’re looking for personalized recommendations or need support with specific health goals, you can talk with a healthcare professional who can give a more thorough assessment.