How to Calculate Calories Burned in a Day

Co-authored by Claudia Carberry, RD, MS

Last Updated: March 17, 2023

Whether a person gains or loses weight is determined by whether they eat more or less calories per day than they expend through daily activities. Knowing how to calculate the number of calories you burn per day can help you maintain a healthy weight or track your exercise progress. There are a variety of ways to calculate how many calories you burn in a day. In addition, you can use this information to help you lose weight, gain weight, maintain your weight or just get more detailed information on your body's specific needs.

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Determining Your Calories Burned

1
Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate. Our bodies are like engines that are constantly running. They're always burning fuel or calories (even during sleep). BMR is the number of calories you burn each day simply by being alive.
- Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) can vary based on your age, sex, size, and genetics.^{[1]
  X
  Research source} To get an accurate picture of the amount of calories you burn per day, start by calculating a value for your BMR.
- Use the following equations to find your BMR by hand.
- Men: (13.75 × weight) + (5 × height) - (6.76 × age) + 66
- Women: (9.56 × weight) + (1.85 × height) - (4.68 × age) + 655
2
Adjust your BMR to include physical activity. To get an accurate count for your daily expenditure, we also need to include the calories burned from physical activity. People need different calorie levels depending on their activity level and energy expenditure from exercise.^{[2]
X
Research source} Multiply your BMR by any of the following activity levels:
- If you don't exercise or have a very sedentary lifestyle, multiply your BMR by 1.2.^{[3]
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  Research source}
- If you do moderate amounts of exercise (1 to 3 days per week) or are lightly active, multiply your BMR by 1.375.^{[4]
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  Research source}
- If you exercise on 3 to 5 days per week or have an active lifestyle, multiply your BMR by 1.55.^{[5]
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  Research source}
- If you exercise most days and doing vigorous activity throughout the day, multiply your BMR by 1.725.^{[6]
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  Research source}
- If you exercise every day or exercise more than once in a day and have a very physically demanding job, multiply your BMR by 1.9.^{[7]
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  Research source}
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3
Use an online BMR calculator. These can automatically find your BMR based on basic info like your age, gender, height, and weight.
- Using an online calculator will most likely be a little easier and more simple to use than doing a long mathematical equation by yourself.
- If you choose this option, find an BMR calculator from a reputable site. Many wellness clinics, hospitals or government websites offer BMR calculators.
- Have your current weight and height information ready as these are important factors in your BMR calculation.
4
Purchase a continuous heart rate monitor. Another way to measure how many calories you burn in a day is by wearing a continuous heart rate monitor.
- There are some heart rate monitors available now that you can wear for 24 hours. It will give you an estimate of how many calories you burn throughout the entire day (with or without exercise).
- These types of monitors will ask you for your age, height, weight and gender. Each monitor uses different formulas or algorithms to calculate your total calories burned.
- You can wear your heart rate monitor for 24 hours without exercising to get an idea of how many calories you burn with daily activities. Then compare this amount to a tracked 24 hour period in which you did exercise.
- Note that even some emotions increase your heart rate and may "trick" your heart rate monitor into thinking you're exercising and burning more calories than you actually are. Although this is not common, it's something to keep in mind.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Losing or Gaining Weight with Caloric Information

1
Start a food journal. It will be useful to track your total calorie intake using a food journal, food journaling app or website. This will help you manipulate your predetermined caloric goal to result in any desired weight changes. It can also help keep you accountable to your diet plan.
- Food journals are also a great way to get insight into what you currently eat and how that compared to your determined caloric goal.
- Food journals will be able to give you an idea of where you're eating most of calories during the day.
- Lastly, journaling will be able to help you track and successful gain, lose or maintain your weight.
2
Cut calories to lose weight. If you're trying to lose weight, you'll want to make sure that you consistently have a net negative calorie intake each day. You can do this by reducing the number of calories you eat, burning more calories through exercise, or both.
- In general, losing about 3500 calories per week equates to losing one pound of body weight. Cutting out 500 calories daily will help you reach this weekly deficit.^{[8]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
- Don't lose weight too quickly or cut out too many calories. Most reputable sources recommend losing no more than about 1-2 pounds per week. This can be dangerous and may leave you feeling weak, tired and low in essential nutrients.^{[9]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Mayo Clinic
  Educational website from one of the world's leading hospitals
  Go to source}
- Keep in mind that as you shed pounds you'll gradually have to work harder to maintain your weight. Having a low weight decreases your BMR and the number of calories you burn from exercise, meaning you'll have to further lower the number of calories you eat per day or exercise harder to continue to lose weight.
3
Increase calories to gain weight. Take in more calories than you burn through daily activities and exercise to help you gain weight.
- You can do this by increasing the number of calories you eat or decreasing the amount of calories you spend through exercise or with a combination of both.
- Regardless of your reason to gain weight, choose healthy, yet high calorie foods to help you meet a higher calorie goal. Choosing fried, processed or other unhealthy foods isn't ideal.
- Note that some exercise is necessary to maintain good health. Don't discontinue exercise unless instructed by your doctor.
- Though everyone's physical activity needs are different, most medical sources recommend about two and a half hours of moderate aerobic exercise with strength training on two days out of the week (or one and a half hours of intense aerobic exercise).^{[10]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  Main public health institute for the US, run by the Dept. of Health and Human Services
  Go to source}

Calories Burned Calculator and Tracker Template

Sample Calories Burned Calculator

Sample Calorie Tracker Template

Expert Q&A

Question

How many calories does the average person burn in a day?

Claudia Carberry, RD, MS
Master's Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville
Claudia Carberry is a Registered Dietitian specializing in kidney transplants and counseling patients for weight loss at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Claudia received her MS in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2010.

Claudia Carberry, RD, MS

Master's Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Expert Answer

This varies greatly from person to person. Your age, gender, and amount of muscle mass all play a role in how many calories you burn each day, as does your activity level.
Question

How many calories should I burn a day to lose weight calculator?

Claudia Carberry, RD, MS
Master's Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville
Claudia Carberry is a Registered Dietitian specializing in kidney transplants and counseling patients for weight loss at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Claudia received her MS in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2010.

Claudia Carberry, RD, MS

Master's Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Expert Answer

Burning 500 calories per day will help you lose 1 pound per week. If you work on diet and exercise simultaneously, you will lose more weight.
Question

How many calories do you need to burn to lose 1 kg?

Claudia Carberry, RD, MS
Master's Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville
Claudia Carberry is a Registered Dietitian specializing in kidney transplants and counseling patients for weight loss at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She is a member of the Arkansas Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Claudia received her MS in Nutrition from the University of Tennessee Knoxville in 2010.

Claudia Carberry, RD, MS

Master's Degree, Nutrition, University of Tennessee Knoxville

Expert Answer

You'd need to burn 7,700 calories to lose 1 kg. To lose 1 lb, you'd need to burn 3,500 calories.