How Many Calories Do I Burn Every Day?

Change Your daily energy expenditure to lose weight faster

Do you know how many calories you burn every day? You should if you are trying to lose weight. You can calculate your energy balance and figure out how to much to eat each day when you know your number. You need to reach a negative energy balance to lose weight.

To reach a negative energy balance, you need to make sure that put less energy in your body than your body uses. That means that you need to consume fewer calories than you burn each day.

  But do to that you need to know how many calories you burn.

How Many Calories Do I Burn Every Day?

When researchers evaluate the total number of calories you burn, they refer to the number as your total energy expenditure or TEE.  TEE is the daily total of these different factors:

  • Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR). Your resting metabolic rate is amount of energy your body needs to maintain basic functions like breathing, circulating blood and building cells. Things like age, body size and gender affect your resting metabolic rate. Your RMR accounts for 60-75% of the total number of calories you burn each day.
  • Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT) This is the amount of energy that your body uses to do daily activities like washing dishes, typing on your computer, or walking around your office.  The number of calories you burn from NEAT varies greatly based on your activity level.
  • Calories Burned During Exercise The actual number of calories you burn during your workouts will depend on the intensity and duration of each session.  Calories burned through exercise and non-exercise physical activity account for roughly 15-30% of your TEE.
  • Thermic Effect of Food (TEF).  Your body burns calories to chew, digest and store food.  Each type of food (macronutrient) has a different TEF. Eating protein burns the most calories by a small margin. TEF accounts for about 10% of the total number of calories you burn each day.

How to Estimate Total Energy Expenditure

Dieters and exercisers use three common methods to estimate the number of calories they burn each day.

There are pros and cons to using each method. You can use more than one method and compare results to get the best estimate.

  • Metabolic testing. The equipment required to perform metabolic testing is fairly expensive and used to be available only in hospital or lab settings. However, many health clubs now offer metabolic testing at affordable prices. For some people, the test results help them schedule workouts and diet plans more effectively. But some critics feel the tests are not very accurate and therefore not worth the cost.
  • Activity monitors. Devices like the FitBit and BodyMedia FIT are widely available online and in sporting goods stores.  The gadgets monitor your daily movements to determine an estimated number of calories burned each day.  While the devices are easy to use, they provide a very general estimate.
  • Online calculators. Calculators like the one above can estimate your daily energy expenditure. Of course, the number is simply a guideline, but it's a good place to start if you wan to maintain your weight. If you want to gain or lose weight, use a weight loss calorie goal calculator to calculate your daily caloric needs by adjusting your daily calorie count goal down (or up).


    Increase Your Daily Calorie Expenditure

    To reach your negative energy balance and lose weight successfully, try to increase the amount of energy you use each day.  Of course, there are some components of your TEE that are hard to change.  Increasing your resting metabolic rate, for example, is fairly difficult.  And increasing the number of calories you burn when you eat food isn't an effective way to reach your negative energy balance, either.  But you can change your daily physical habits.

    The most effective way to increase your TEE is with exercise and NEAT.  Learn how to plan consistent workouts that are vigorous enough to burn fat but also allow your body enough time to recover, rebuild and stay healthy.  Between workouts, stay active.  Take the stairs instead of the elevator, walk to the store instead of taking the car and stay active at home to burn calories.  You'll boost your calorie burning potential and you may be able to increase the amount of lean muscle mass on your body, which can boost your resting metabolic rate. 

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