Ever wondered how many calories you burn each day? Knowing this can make managing your weight and health a lot simpler. On average, most adult men burn between 2,000 and 3,000 calories each day depending on their age, weight, and physical activity level [1].
An adult male burns about 45 calories per hour while sleeping [2], and up to 990 calories per hour when engaging in high-intensity running [3].
Read on as we do a deep dive into the world of calories and explain in more detail how many calories you may burn in a day — and ways you can up that number.
What are calories?
Calories come from macronutrients in food — that's carbs, fats, and proteins — which your body breaks down to release energy. When you eat more calories than you burn, your body stores the extra energy as fat, which in the long run can cause weight gain.
On the flip side, when you burn more than you consume (aka, when you're in a calorie deficit), your body uses stored fat to make up the difference, leading to weight loss.
How many calories does the average man burn in a day?
Each person’s daily calorie needs are unique and are affected by three main components: basal metabolic rate (BMR), physical activity, and the thermic effect of food (TEF), which is the energy your body uses to digest and process what you eat [5].
Average calories per day for men
Age 19-30
- Sedentary: 2400-2600
- Moderately active: 2600-2800
- Active: 3000
Age 31-50
- Sedentary: 2200-2400
- Moderately active: 2400-2600
- Active: 2800-3000
Age 51+
- Sedentary: 2000-2200
- Moderately active: 2200-2400
- Active: 2400-2800
Factors that influence your caloric burn
We mentioned before that your BMR, exercise habits, and the TEF of the food you consume all affect your caloric burn, but there are a few more factors to consider. Let's go through them all:
Basal metabolic rate
Your BMR refers to the rate at which your body processes energy. In other words, the number of calories it needs to keep the essentials ticking over — things like breathing, digesting food, pumping blood around your body, and repairing cells.
Now, not everyone’s BMR is the same and that's largely down to factors like muscle mass, age, and genetics.
For instance, blokes with more muscle tend to burn more calories even when they’re doing sweet nothing. As you get older, you lose muscle mass and your BMR follows suit.
There's also another acronym we mention later on in this article — RMR, or resting metabolic rate. Though very similar to BMR, RMR refers to your caloric burn at rest but also includes light activities like eating, going to the bathroom, and walking.
Sex
The sex you were assigned at birth, we mean. This one is pure biology — men usually burn more calories than women, mostly because of body composition and hormones.
Men typically carry more muscle than women, and since muscle burns more calories than fat, that means men’s bodies tend to have a higher resting burn rate.
Hormones add another layer here. Testosterone, which men have in higher amounts, supports muscle growth and a higher metabolism.
Women, on the other hand, have higher levels of oestrogen, which promotes storing a bit more fat than men. This is completely normal — in fact, it's essential to support things like menstruating and pregnancy — but it does mean women tend to have a slightly lower caloric burn on average.
Age
Age plays a big role in how many calories you burn, and it’s not in your favour as the years go by. We touched on this before, but when you’re younger, your body burns more calories, partly because you’re usually more active, but also because you have more muscle mass.
Unfortunately, as you get older, things start to shift. Muscle mass tends to decrease and metabolism slows down along with it.
Even if you’re doing everything the same, your body’s burning fewer calories just to keep things going. Add to that hormonal changes, mainly the drop in testosterone that naturally happens, and your calorie burn can take a bit of a hit.
Body composition
By now, you know that your muscle mass heavily influences your body's ability to burn calories — so it should come as no surprise that 'body composition' is part of this list.
Basically, muscle is way more metabolically active than fat. So, someone with a higher muscle-to-fat ratio is naturally torching more calories at rest compared to someone who’s carrying a bit more body fat.
If you’re higher in body fat, your resting calorie burn won’t be as high, because fat doesn’t need much energy to sit there.
Exercise habits
Here's one you can actually control. As you can imagine, the more active you are, the higher your calories burned. While you're working out, especially with higher-intensity exercises like running or lifting weights, your body uses a ton of energy.
But it doesn’t just stop there. There's also what's called the “afterburn effect,” where your body keeps torching calories post-workout as it recovers and repairs [4].
Cardio is great for immediate calorie burn, while resistance training can keep your metabolic rate higher long-term by helping you build muscle.
All exercise burns calories, though, so choose something you enjoy and do it regularly. Consistency is what truly matters!
Eating habits
Another one you have a say over is your diet. All food has a TEF — a thermic effect — which is how much energy your body uses to break it down and process it. So, a higher TEF means a higher caloric burn.
Protein, for example, takes more energy to digest than carbs or fat, so you want to make sure you're getting enough each day.
Keep in mind that this won't move the needle as much as hitting the gym or going for a run, but it's still something to consider.
Estimating how many calories your body burns
Notice how we used the verb 'estimate'? Determining exactly how many calories you burn is not easy because you need a whole bunch of metrics that only specialised equipment can measure — like your metabolic rate variations and hormone levels.
Having said that, an estimate of your caloric burn can still be insightful. So, how can you get to one?
Mifflin-St Jeor formula
First, calculate your RMR. For men, the formula is [6]:
RMR = (10 x weight in kg) + (6.25 x height in cm) – (5 x age in years) + 5
Then, determine your activity level:
- Sedentary - 1.2
- Lightly active - 1.375
- Moderately active - 1.55
- Active - 1.725
- Very active - 1.9
Multiply the two and you've got an estimate of your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE). There are other formulas you can use but Mifflin-St Jeor is generally considered the most accurate one [6].
How many calories should you burn to lose weight?
The most important thing, in order to drop some weight, is to create a calorie deficit, meaning you eat fewer calories than your body uses in a day.
Generally speaking, a deficit of around 500 calories per day can lead to a weight loss of half a kilo per week [7]. But you can always take things slow with a reduction of 200-300 calories a day — whatever works best for you.
To find your deficit, simply subtract 500 calories (or less) from the TDEE you calculated before.
So, for example, if your TDEE is 2800, you can create a deficit by consuming 2300 calories per day.
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How to increase your body’s ability to burn calories
If you’re interested in boosting your daily calorie burn, there are some simple but effective ways to make it happen.
Here are a few lifestyle changes you can make to burn more calories throughout the day:
Increase physical activity
Adding both aerobic exercises — like walking, jogging, or cycling — and anaerobic exercises — such as weight training or resistance exercises — helps increase your daily calorie burn.
As we touched on before, aerobic exercise helps you burn calories during the activity, while anaerobic training builds muscle, which increases the calories you burn at rest.
Build muscle mass
Muscle is more metabolically active than fat, meaning it burns more calories even when you’re not exercising. Strength training, including exercises like lifting weights or bodyweight exercises (like push-ups and squats), helps build muscle mass.
Over time, this increase in muscle can raise your resting metabolic rate, making it easier to burn calories every day.
Stay active throughout the day
Looking to burn more calories without hitting the gym? Incorporating small actions, like standing instead of sitting, walking around during breaks, taking the stairs, or parking farther away, can all add up.
Even small bursts of movement throughout the day keep your metabolism active and increase your daily calorie expenditure.
Boost your intensity
High-intensity interval training (HIIT) is known for its calorie-burning power both during and after exercise.
HIIT involves alternating short bursts of intense activity with periods of rest, which can elevate your heart rate and burn more calories in less time.
Prioritise quality sleep
Getting enough restful sleep supports your metabolism, hormone balance, and energy levels, all of which are essential for efficient calorie burning.
Poor sleep can lead to hormonal imbalances that make it harder to burn calories and easier to gain weight, so prioritising a consistent sleep schedule can make a difference.
When combined, these small changes can help increase your daily energy expenditure and support a healthy metabolism.
Remember, boosting calorie burn doesn’t have to mean drastic lifestyle changes — it’s about making small adjustments that add up over time.
Image credit: Thirdman via Pexels
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