How Many Calories Should I Burn A Day To Stay Healthy? Burning calories is the top priority for any health and fitness program. The question is, how many calories should you burn every day? Burning excess calories not only helps you lose weight but helps maintain a good weight too. Calorie calculators are a handy tool to estimate the number of calories you need to burn per day in order to lose weight and stay healthy.
Calories need to be controlled if you’re trying to feel good and lose weight. Find out how many calories are burned while performing common exercises on any given day.
How Many Calories Should I Burn A Day To Stay Healthy
A person’s daily calorie needs will vary depending on their amount of physical activity and general health. To find out how many calories you need to consume each day to be healthy, read on.
Not less than 1200 calories should be consumed each day.
One of the most efficient ways to lose extra weight is by calculating calories. A woman needs, on average, 1500 calories per day to lose roughly half a kg per week and around 2000 calories per day to maintain a specific weight. Contrarily, men need about 2500 calories per day to maintain their weight and about 2000 calories per day to shed about half a kilogram in a week. Eating wholesome foods and exercising regularly, including both cardio and weight training, are easy ways to do this.
How many calories do you need in a day for good health?
According to celebrity nutritionist Nmami Agarwal, each person’s daily suggested calorie consumption will vary. The amount of physical activity a person engages in will determine how many calories they should consume each day. Different things apply to men, women, and children. “A person who leads a more physically active lifestyle may need more calories per day to maintain good health and fitness. It is not advised to embark on a calorie-restricted diet in order to lose weight because it cannot be maintained over the long term, “She continues by saying that it is not advised for someone to sacrifice their health in order to lose weight.
Your level of energy and general health need to be taken into account when deciding how many calories to consume each day. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics recommends that you never consume less than 1200 calories per day. If it falls below this level, you will start to lose muscle mass and run out of fuel for carrying out your everyday tasks.
The amount of physical activity you engage in determines how many calories you should consume each day.
Image Source: iStock
According to United States Department of Agriculture recommendations, kids between the ages of 2 and 8 need between 1,000 to 1,400 calories each day, according to Healthline. Boys and girls between the ages of 9 and 13 need 1,600 to 2,000 calories per day, respectively.
Whereas a sedentary woman in the same age range needs no more than 1,800 to 2,000 calories per day, an active woman needs at least 2,400 calories per day.
Although inactive males in the same age range need 2,000 to 2,600 calories, active men need 2,800 to 3,200 calories. Men and women over 30 who are active need between 2,000 and 3,000 calories, while inactive adults need between 1,600 and 2,400 calories.
Eat a healthy and balanced diet
A healthy, balanced diet is one that provides your body with the nutrition it needs to operate properly. The majority of the calories you consume each day should come from consuming fresh produce, whole grains, nuts, legumes, and lean proteins. Together with dark leafy green vegetables, seasonal vegetables, beans, lentils, almonds, peas, sunflower seeds, and walnuts to name a few, you should incorporate all types of seasonal fruits in your diet.
Now, in addition to exercising, folks who desire to reduce weight can accomplish it by adding extra physical activity to their daily schedule. Making modest adjustments like walking to your stroll, participating in sports, practicing yoga, consuming lots of water, and concentrating on calorie-burning cardio workouts in the gym will help you achieve this. Be sure that the calories you consume do not come from bad deep-fried foods or junk food, but exclusively from sources of healthy food.
How many calories should I burn in a day?
The number of calories you should burn in a day largely depends on your personal health and fitness goals, as well as other factors like your age, sex, height, weight, and activity levels.
To lose weight
To lose weight, you must be in a calorie deficit. This means you’re either eating fewer calories than your body needs, burning additional calories, or a combination of both.
For sustainable weight loss, an ideal calorie deficit will be around 10–20% fewer calories than your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
Say your body requires 2,200 calories daily. A daily calorie deficit of 10–20% would be 1,760–1,980 (either 2,200 – 2,200 0.1 or 2,200 – 2,200 0.2) calories).
With a higher calorie deficit, you can lose weight more quickly, but it can be hard to keep it off in the long run because you’ll probably feel quite hungry. Your body may use defense mechanisms like sluggishness or a slowed metabolism to stop additional weight loss.
Additionally, a deficit that is too great can result in the loss of lean muscle. Lean muscle mass can be maintained while also aiding fat reduction when a slight calorie deficit is combined with resistance training.
That said, weight loss can be influenced by a variety of factors, such as age, genetics, hormones, medical conditions, and medications. Therefore, you may need to work with a healthcare professional who can develop personalized recommendations for you.
To maintain weight
Make sure your calorie intake and expenditure are in balance if you want to maintain your weight.
You must determine your TDEE, or the quantity of calories your body requires to maintain your present weight, in order to determine this.
You’re either consuming more calories or burning fewer calories than you think you are if you find that you’re gaining weight. You may be eating too few calories or burning off too many calories if you’re losing weight.
To gain weight
You need to consume more calories than you burn off in order to acquire weight. This indicates that you are either consuming more calories than your body requires, burning off less energy, or doing both at once.
You’ll want to do this gradually to make sure it’s healthy and sustainable, just like with a calorie deficit. A small calorie surplus of between 10 and 20 percent will permit modest, moderate weight gain.
A calorie excess of 10–20% would be 2,420–2,640 calories per day if your daily caloric needs are 2,200 calories.
While it may seem clear to consume a lot of calories and exercise little, this approach isn’t ideal because it will probably result in excessive fat formation and eliminate the significant health benefits of exercise.
In order to promote progressive weight gain, choose nutrient-dense foods that are higher in calories. Examples comprise:
- 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
You might try to eat smaller meals more regularly if you have trouble eating huge meals. If you are quite active, you might want to reduce your physical activity as well. For instance, you might want to cut back on your exercise’s duration, frequency, or intensity.
Always pay attention to the recommendations of your healthcare provider because they could urge you to gain weight more quickly in particular circumstances.
How many calories do you burn from daily activities?
As you can see from the aforementioned illustrations, a person’s level of activity greatly influences the number of calories they require each day.
Many people believe that in order to burn calories throughout the day, they must exercise vigorously.
While physical activity does burn a significant amount of calories, your body also expends calories while you go about your regular business. Your weight has an impact on how much energy you expend.
According to their weight, people will, for instance, expend the following number of calories performing these activities for 30 minutes:
Task | 125-pound (56.7-kg) person | 155-pound (70.3) person | 185-pound (83.9-kg) person |
walking at 4.5 mph | 150 | 186 | 222 |
cleaning the gutters | 150 | 186 | 222 |
mowing the lawn | 135 | 167 | 200 |
gardening | 135 | 167 | 200 |
washing the car | 135 | 167 | 200 |
walking at 4 mph | 135 | 167 | 200 |
walking at 3.5 mph | 120 | 149 | 178 |
playing with the kids (moderate activity) | 120 | 149 | 178 |
grocery shopping (with cart) | 105 | 130 | 155 |
cooking | 75 | 93 | 111 |
sitting in meetings | 49 | 60 | 72 |
light office work | 45 | 56 | 67 |
computer work | 41 | 51 | 61 |
standing in line | 38 | 47 | 56 |
reading | 34 | 42 | 50 |
watching television | 23 | 28 | 33 |
sleeping | 19 | 23 | 28 |
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.
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.
How are calories burned?
The fuel that keeps our body functioning is calories. Every time our body works and, in any case, while we are at rest, calories are continuously consumed. In any case, the quantity of calories we consume increases and decreases depending on the effectiveness of the proactive actions we take. The best exercises for burning calories are probably those that stimulate the heart, like running, swimming, or working out at a fitness center.
Depending on body weight, low-impact, heart-stimulating exercise can burn between 160 and 200 calories in 30 minutes. An individual weighing between 120 and 125 pounds may burn about 114 calories in 10 minutes of running, 55 calories in 10 minutes of swimming, and 80 calories in 10 minutes of running at 5 miles per hour. Since we are aware of the calories used throughout these exercises, let’s calculate the daily calorie need.

How many calories should I burn to lose weight? Here are the healthy methods to burn calories.
The majority of people may burn more than 1800 calories a day without doing any exercise. Most of our calories are expended during regular physiological processes. Our bodies still have a range of housekeeping tasks to perform even when we are at rest. Your brain consumes a lot of energy, and your heart beats continuously. The majority of calories are burned while you are at rest. You will burn more calories if you move about or work in an active setting.
When determining how many calories I should burn each day, whether through exercise or naturally occurring biological processes, there are three important factors to consider:
Weight/Height:
The more fat mass or muscle mass you have, the more calories you will burn. Because they are supporting greater mass, taller people tend to weigh more.
Sex:
Men have higher muscle mass and less body fat than women, therefore they burn more calories.
Age:
As you become older, the amount of muscle you have decreases, slowing down the number of calories you burn.
How Many Calories Should I Burn To Lose Weight?
You must be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. This indicates you’re either consuming fewer calories than your body requires, burning more calories, or doing both. An optimum calorie deficit for long-term weight loss is 10–20 per cent fewer calories than your entire daily energy expenditure (TDEE).
Assume your body requires 2,200 calories per day. A 10–20 percent calorie deficit per day would be 1,760–1,980 calories (Equation: 2,200 – (2,200 x 0.1) = 1,980 or 2,200 – (2,200 x 0.2) = 1,760).
Although a bigger calorie deficit may help you lose weight more quickly, it can be challenging to maintain over the long run because it will undoubtedly result in extreme hunger. Your body may use sluggishness or a decreased metabolic rate to prevent further weight loss. A significant deficit could also cause lean muscle atrophy. You can maintain your lean muscle mass while losing weight if you follow a modest calorie restriction and engage in resistance training.
How Many Calories Should I Burn To Maintain Weight?
A healthy weight can only be maintained if your calorie intake balances your calorie usage.
You must first calculate your TDEE, or the quantity of calories your body needs to maintain its current weight, in order to achieve this.
The most common reason for weight gain is either eating more calories than you should be or exercising less than you should be. Either you don’t eat enough calories or you expend too many calories when trying to reduce weight.
How Many Calories Should I Burn To Gain Weight?
You must consume more calories than you burn off in order to gain weight. This suggests that either you’re taking in more calories than your body needs, burning less calories, or doing both.
As with a calorie deficit, you’ll want to accomplish this gradually to make sure it’s both healthy and long-lasting. You can gain weight gradually and steadily with a small calorie surplus of between 10 and 20 percent. If your daily calorie needs are 2,200 calories, a 10%–20% calorie surplus would be 2,420–2,640 calories per day.
Choose calorie-dense, nutrient-rich foods to help you gain weight gradually. Examples include:
- Milk, Yoghurt, etc.
- Proteins
- Avocados
- Nuts, Seeds, and Oils
- Rice and Whole Grains
- Salmon and Oily fish
- Meal replacement drinks
How Many Calories Do I Burn Without Exercise?
When doing nothing, the average person burns about 1800 calories each day. According to the Healthy Eating Guide, sitting for one hour burns 75 calories. Compared to sedentary women between the ages of 31 and 51, sedentary women between the ages of 19 and 30 burn between 1,800 and 2,000 calories per day.
Your body composition mostly dictates how many calories you burn each day. This suggests that the number of calories you burn depends on how much lean body mass you have. Due to its higher metabolic rate, muscle tissue burns more calories than fat tissue. This suggests that it works harder to grow, produce energy, and get rid of garbage. As a result, the more muscle you have, the more energy your body uses, which means that even when you’re not moving, your body is still burning calories.