How Many Calories Do I Burn a Day?
Knowing roughly how many calories you burn a day — your TDEE — is the foundation of any fat-loss or muscle-gain plan. Here’s what makes it up and how to find yours.
What makes up your daily burn
- BMR (~60–70%) — calories to keep you alive at rest.
- NEAT — all non-exercise movement (walking, fidgeting, chores); a huge, variable factor (NEAT).
- Exercise — usually a smaller slice than people think.
- Digestion (TEF, ~10%) — the energy to process food; protein burns the most.
This total is your TDEE (see TDEE & BMR).
How to estimate yours
- Use a calculator (our free tool estimates it from your stats and activity).
- Treat it as a starting estimate, then adjust based on real-world results over 2–3 weeks.
- To lose fat, eat below it; to gain muscle, eat slightly above (calories to lose weight).
- Don’t trust wearable calorie-burn numbers too much — they’re rough (trackers).
Your daily burn (TDEE) is BMR + movement + exercise + digestion. Use a calculator for a starting estimate, then adjust by real results — don’t trust wearables exactly.
Quick answers
How many calories do I burn a day?
It’s your TDEE — made of your resting burn (BMR), daily movement (NEAT), exercise and digestion. Estimate it with a calculator, then adjust by real results.
How do I calculate my daily calorie burn?
Use a TDEE calculator (like our free tool) based on your stats and activity level, then fine-tune the estimate based on how your weight actually responds over a few weeks.
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