How to calculate number of calories burnt in a day?

Do you know the approximate number of calories burnt in a day without any physical activity?

Well, it so happens that even when you’re not doing anything, the body is burning calories. Without it, the body won’t be able to generate the energy required for daily activities.

The number of calories burnt in a day isn’t the same for everyone. It depends on the age, weight, height, sex and metabolic rate. However, we can assume an approximate number of calories burnt in a day for adults.

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How many calories are burnt in a day by an average adult?

Calories burnt (Photo via Unsplash/Karsten Winegeart)

It’s usually assumed that adults burn somewhere between 1,200 and 1,600 calories in a day without any physical activity.

The activities that consume the energy generated from burning these calories help maintain basic body functions like blood circulation, temperature regulation and breathing. This is known as the Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR).

However, this number can vary widely among adults depending on the factors mentioned above: age, sex, height, weight and metabolic rate. If you’re not doing any physical activity, it’s better to understand the approximate amount of calories burnt in a day in terms of your lifestyle to maintain a healthy weight.

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How to calculate calories burnt?

Fitness tracker (Photo via Unsplash/Artur Łuczka)

While you can’t figure out the number of calories burnt in a day with specific numbers, as you cannot count each calorie burnt, there are certain ways in which you can do the same.

Here are the following ways that can answer the question “how many calories do you burn doing nothing?”

Online calculators

You will come across several online calculators that can help calculate your daily calories and how much you’re burning daily. Most of these calculators base a number on information like weight, height, certain body measurements, the type of job you do (sedentary or involves physical labor) and bodyweight.

It’s important to understand that online calculators will always provide you with an approximate number and not the exact number of calories burnt in a day.

Fitness trackers

Almost every smartwatch comes with a calorie tracker or you can purchase a specific fitness tracker.

These devices monitor your daily activities and provide a number of calories burnt per day based on your overall heart rate, weight and activity level. The trackers provide a more accurate number than online calculators.

Metabolic testing

This is one of the methods that gives a more precise number of calories burnt in a day.

It involves measuring oxygen consumption and carbon dioxide production using daily activities using a device known as a metabolic cart. This testing is often done in medical and sports settings.

Tracking your food and weight

This is a DIY method of finding your daily calories burnt. All you need to do is make a note of your bodyweight and track your daily macros.

If your bodyweight remains the same at the end of the week, you can assume that the number of calories you’re eating is the number the body is burning daily. Hence, there's no surplus or deficit, which means neither the body is storing any calories (no weight gain) nor is it dipping into the stored calories (no weight loss).

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It’s important that you understand that if you’re burning the number of calories you’re consuming and not losing or gaining weight, it means those are your maintenance calories.

In fact, if calories are burnt in a day without any physical activity but with a proper diet, they are maintenance calories. It's very important to know if you wish to make changes to your fitness goals.

A calorie deficit diet will help you lose weight, while a calorie surplus diet will help you add muscle mass.