When it comes to weight loss and fitness, understanding how many calories your body burns each day is essential.

This number, known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR), can help you determine how much you need to eat and exercise to reach your weight loss and fitness goals. In this article, we’ll go over how to calculate your BMR and daily calorie burn.

What is Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)?

Basal metabolic rate (BMR) is the number of calories your body needs to function at rest. This includes all the energy required to keep your heart beating, your lungs breathing, and your organs functioning properly.

Essentially, your BMR is the minimum number of calories your body needs to survive.

Your BMR is influenced by many factors, including your gender, age, weight, and muscle mass. Because muscle burns more calories than fat, having more muscle mass can increase your BMR and help you burn more calories throughout the day.

Calculating Your BMR

There are several formulas you can use to calculate your BMR. The most widely used formula is the Mifflin-St. Jeor equation:.

BMR for Men = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) + 5.

BMR for Women = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) – 161.

To use this formula, simply plug in your weight, height, and age, and then calculate your BMR.

For example, a 35-year-old woman who is 5’4″ (163 cm) tall and weighs 140 pounds (64 kg) would have a BMR of approximately 1,344 calories per day.

Calculating Your Daily Calorie Burn

Once you have calculated your BMR, you can use this number to estimate the number of calories you burn each day. This is known as your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE).

Your TDEE is influenced by several factors, including your activity level and the thermic effect of food. The thermic effect of food is the number of calories your body burns digesting and processing the food you eat.

To estimate your TDEE, you can use an online calculator or multiply your BMR by an activity factor:.

Sedentary (little or no exercise) = BMR x 1.2.

Lightly active (light exercise or sports 1-3 days a week) = BMR x 1.375.

Moderately active (moderate exercise or sports 3-5 days a week) = BMR x 1.55.

Very active (hard exercise or sports 6-7 days a week) = BMR x 1.725.

Extremely active (very hard exercise or sports, plus physical job or training twice a day) = BMR x 1.9.

Using the example above, the 35-year-old woman who is 5’4″ (163 cm) tall and weighs 140 pounds (64 kg) would have a TDEE of approximately:.

Sedentary: 1,613 calories per day.

Lightly active: 1,847 calories per day.

Moderately active: 2,086 calories per day.

Very active: 2,324 calories per day.

Extremely active: 2,563 calories per day.

Using Your BMR to Lose Weight

If you want to lose weight, you need to create a calorie deficit by consuming fewer calories than you burn. To do this, you can either eat fewer calories, exercise more, or a combination of both.

One pound of body fat equals approximately 3,500 calories. To lose one pound per week, you need to create a calorie deficit of 500 calories per day.

This can be achieved by reducing your daily calorie intake by 250 calories and increasing your daily calorie burn by 250 calories through exercise.

It’s important to note that creating too large of a calorie deficit can be unhealthy and may lead to muscle loss and other health issues. For healthy weight loss, aim to create a calorie deficit of no more than 500-1,000 calories per day.

The Bottom Line

Knowing how many calories your body burns each day can help you achieve your weight loss and fitness goals.

By calculating your BMR and TDEE, you can determine how many calories you need to consume and burn each day to create a calorie deficit and achieve healthy weight loss.