How many calories does a person burn per day? There is no single answer to this question, as you might guess. Calorie consumption is an individual value that depends on genetics, gender, age, height, weight, habitat and physical activity habits. Given these factors, you can calculate how many calories you personally spend per day and how much is enough for you not to get better.
What determines the daily calorie intake
Calorie absorption, as well as metabolism in general, is affected by many factors, slowing down or speeding up the process, such as medication, muscle mass, spicy or salty tastes, smoking, etc. Daily calorie expenditure depends primarily on daily physical activity, but in general, men burn more calories than women. On average, calorie intake rates come down to the following numbers, which change with age: the older the person, the fewer calories needed:

Inactive lifestyle: 2000 to 2400 calories for men, 1600 to 2000 for women.

Moderate activity: 2200-2800 kcal for men, 1800-2200 for women.

Active lifestyle: 2400-3000 kcal for men, 2000-2400 kcal for women.

The absorption of calories is also affected by seasonal changes in the weather. In colder climates, more energy is required to maintain a constant body temperature as the metabolism increases to generate heat. Thus, walking along the street in winter, you spend more calories than during summer promenades.

How to calculate calorie consumption per day
To determine how many calories you need, you need to calculate your basal metabolic rate (BMR) and determine your activity factor.

Basal metabolic rate is the approximate number of calories burned per day at rest. In other words, this is the minimum amount of energy needed to maintain the life of the body, including breathing, heartbeat, digestion of food, but without taking into account physical exertion.

In order to calculate BMR, nutritionists use two standard equations: the Harris-Benedict formula and the Mifflin-St. Jeor formula, named after the scientists who developed the principle of counting calories.

How many calories are burned during different types of activity
At rest, about 20% of the energy consumed is used for brain metabolism. Other calories are burned in the process of basal metabolism - blood circulation, digestion, respiration, cellular respiration, tissue repair and growth. We also need mechanical energy to work our skeletal muscles in order to maintain our posture and move around.

How many calories you burn when you eat depends on the time of day. During the morning meal, the body burns about 60 kcal, at lunch - 85 kcal, at dinner - 60 kcal. Most of the energy is spent on the digestion of animal proteins: 30-40% of the nutritional value of the protein is spent on its absorption. The cost of digesting carbohydrates is 4-7%, fats - only 2-4%.

During sleep, a person spends an average of 60-70 kcal per hour, provided that you sleep at least 8 hours and do not eat carbohydrates or fats at night.

Calorie consumption at work depends on the mental and physical load. On average, for an 8-hour working day, office workers spend about 550 kcal, service and education workers - up to 1050 kcal. Most calories are burned by those who work physically (loaders, athletes, etc.) - about 2000 kcal.

Even if you are sitting at home, you have a chance to burn more calories. Rest in a prone position will destroy no more than 70 kcal per hour, but you will spend 120-280 kcal on cleaning (washing dishes - 50 kcal, windows - 280 kcal, floors - 280 kcal). A ten-minute shower after cleaning - minus another 40 kcal.

Most calories are burned during exercise. Jogging - 380 kcal, swimming - 200-600 kcal (depending on style), cycling - 220-450 kcal, skating or rollerblading - 200-620 kcal, dancing - 350 kcal, jumping rope - 350 kcal. Yoga lovers burn about 250-300 calories per hour. In an hour of circuit training, you can lose about 350-400 calories, and strength training will burn about 400 calories on average.

If you don’t like sports, but you like walking, keep in mind that a quiet walk burns about 140 kilocalories per hour, and a fast walk burns about 180.