Ever wondered how many calories does the average person burn a day without exercise? Your body is actually burning energy all day long, even when you’re sitting, sleeping, or just relaxing on the couch.
The average person burns between 1,200 to 2,400 calories per day without any exercise. This happens through basic body functions like breathing, digesting food, and keeping your heart beating throughout the day.
In this guide, you’ll learn exactly how your body burns these calories, what factors affect your daily burn, and how to calculate your own personal numbers. Let’s dive in and discover the surprising truth about your natural calorie burn.
Table of Contents
- Understanding the Basics: How Your Body Burns Calories
- The Answer: Average Daily Calorie Burn Without Exercise
- Key Factors That Affect Your Personal Calorie Burn
- How to Calculate YOUR Personal Calorie Burn
- Common Daily Activities and Their Calorie Burn
- Myths and Misconceptions About Calorie Burning
- Practical Tips to Increase Daily Calorie Burn Without Exercise
- When to Be Concerned About Your Calorie Burn
- Conclusion
Understanding the Basics: How Your Body Burns Calories
Think of calories as tiny units of energy. Your body needs this energy to do everything, from blinking your eyes to thinking about what to eat for dinner.
Just like your phone needs battery power to work, your body needs calories to function. Even when you’re doing absolutely nothing, your body is using energy every single second.
The Three Main Ways Your Body Burns Calories
Your body has three different ways it uses up calories throughout the day:
1. Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)
This is the biggest calorie burner in your daily life. BMR accounts for about 60 to 75 percent of all calories you burn.
Your BMR covers all the basic things your body does to keep you alive:
- Making your heart beat
- Helping you breathe
- Building new cells
- Moving blood through your body
- Keeping your brain working
- Controlling your body temperature
Think of it as the cost of simply being alive. Even if you stayed in bed all day, your body would still burn these calories.
2. Thermic Effect of Food (TEF)
This takes up about 10 percent of your daily calorie burn. Yes, you actually burn calories just by eating and digesting food!
Your body needs energy to:
- Chew and swallow food
- Break down food in your stomach
- Absorb nutrients
- Store or use the energy from food
Different foods require different amounts of energy to digest. Protein actually burns the most calories during digestion.
3. Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis (NEAT)
NEAT makes up about 15 to 30 percent of your daily calorie burn. This includes all the little movements you make throughout the day that aren’t planned exercise.
Examples of NEAT activities:
- Walking to your car
- Doing laundry
- Typing on your computer
- Cooking dinner
- Playing with your pet
- Tapping your foot
- Standing instead of sitting
- Cleaning your home
These small activities add up to burn hundreds of calories every single day.
The Answer: Average Daily Calorie Burn Without Exercise
General Numbers You Should Know
Here’s what research shows about average calorie burn for people who don’t exercise:
For Adult Women:
- Burns between 1,200 to 2,400 calories per day
- This assumes a sedentary lifestyle with minimal movement
For Adult Men:
- Burns between 2,000 to 3,000 calories per day
- Also assumes a sedentary lifestyle with basic daily activities
These numbers represent your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) when you live a mostly inactive life. Remember, these are just averages. Your personal number could be higher or lower.
Breaking Down Where These Calories Go
Let’s see where all these calories actually get used:
| Component | Women (Average) | Men (Average) | Percentage of Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| BMR | 1,200 to 1,500 calories | 1,500 to 1,800 calories | 60 to 75% |
| NEAT | 200 to 400 calories | 300 to 600 calories | 15 to 30% |
| TEF | 160 to 240 calories | 200 to 300 calories | About 10% |
| Total | 1,600 to 2,400 calories | 2,000 to 3,000 calories | 100% |
As you can see, most of your calorie burn comes from just staying alive. Your BMR does most of the heavy lifting.
What Does “Sedentary” Really Mean?
When we talk about sedentary lifestyle, we mean:
- Sitting at a desk for most of the day
- Driving instead of walking
- Watching TV in the evening
- Very little standing or moving around
- No planned exercise or sports
Even small increases in daily movement can push you into the “lightly active” category, which burns 200 to 400 more calories per day.
Key Factors That Affect Your Personal Calorie Burn
Not everyone burns the same amount of calories. Here are the main things that affect your personal daily burn:
1. Your Age
How it works:
- Your metabolism naturally slows down as you get older
- After age 30, you lose about 1 to 2 percent of your metabolic rate each decade
- A 50 year old person burns fewer calories than a 20 year old person of the same size
Why this happens:
- You lose muscle mass as you age
- Your hormone levels change
- Your cells become less active
- Your organs work a bit slower
What this means for you:
A 30 year old woman might burn 1,800 calories per day, while a 60 year old woman of the same weight might only burn 1,500 calories per day.
2. Your Sex or Gender
Men typically burn more calories than women, even at the same weight and age.
The main reasons:
✓ More Muscle Mass: Men naturally have about 10 to 15 percent more muscle than women
✓ Larger Body Size: Men are usually taller and heavier overall
✓ Hormone Differences: Testosterone helps build and maintain muscle, which burns more calories
✓ Higher BMR: Men’s basic body functions use more energy
Real example:
A 170 pound man might burn 2,200 calories per day without exercise, while a 170 pound woman might burn 1,900 calories per day.
3. Your Body Size and Composition
Your Weight Matters:
Bigger bodies need more energy to function. A person who weighs 200 pounds burns more calories than someone who weighs 130 pounds, even if they do the exact same activities.
Muscle vs. Fat:
This is super important to understand:
- Muscle tissue burns about 6 calories per pound per day at rest
- Fat tissue only burns about 2 calories per pound per day at rest
- Someone with more muscle burns more calories even while sleeping
Body Surface Area:
Taller people have more surface area, which means their body works harder to maintain temperature and pump blood throughout their body.
4. Your Genetics
Your genes play a role in how fast or slow your metabolism runs.
Some people are born with:
- Faster metabolic rates (they burn more calories naturally)
- Slower metabolic rates (they burn fewer calories naturally)
Good news: Genetics only account for about 10 to 30 percent of the difference between people. Your lifestyle choices matter more than your genes.
5. Your Hormone Levels
Thyroid Hormones:
Your thyroid gland controls your metabolic speed:
- Overactive thyroid = faster metabolism and more calorie burn
- Underactive thyroid = slower metabolism and less calorie burn
Other Important Hormones:
- Cortisol (stress hormone)
- Insulin (blood sugar control)
- Growth hormone
- Testosterone and estrogen
If you feel your metabolism is unusually slow, it’s worth checking your hormone levels with a doctor.
6. Environmental Factors
Temperature:
Your body burns extra calories to maintain its core temperature:
- Cold weather makes you burn more (your body works to warm you up)
- Very hot weather also increases burn (your body works to cool you down)
- Comfortable room temperature = lowest calorie burn
Altitude:
Living at high altitude can increase your daily calorie burn by 200 to 400 calories because:
- There’s less oxygen in the air
- Your body works harder to function normally
- Your breathing rate increases
How to Calculate YOUR Personal Calorie Burn
Ready to find out your own number? Here’s how to calculate it.
Step 1: Calculate Your BMR
We’ll use the Mifflin St Jeor Equation because it’s the most accurate formula available.
For Women:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age) – 161
For Men:
BMR = (10 × weight in kg) + (6.25 × height in cm) – (5 × age) + 5
Need to Convert Your Measurements?
- Pounds to kilograms: divide your weight by 2.2
- Inches to centimeters: multiply your height by 2.54
Real Example Calculation
Let’s calculate for a 35 year old woman who is 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighs 150 pounds.
Step by step:
- Convert weight: 150 pounds ÷ 2.2 = 68 kg
- Convert height: 65 inches × 2.54 = 165 cm
- Plug into formula: (10 × 68) + (6.25 × 165) – (5 × 35) – 161
- Calculate: 680 + 1,031 – 175 – 161 = 1,375 calories
Her BMR is 1,375 calories per day. This is what she burns just by being alive.
Step 2: Convert BMR to Total Daily Burn
Now we need to add in your daily activities using a multiplier.
Activity Level Multipliers:
| Activity Level | Multiplier | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Sedentary | 1.2 | Little to no movement, desk job, lots of sitting |
| Lightly Active | 1.375 | Light activity or walking 1 to 3 days per week |
| Moderately Active | 1.55 | Moderate activity 3 to 5 days per week |
| Very Active | 1.725 | Hard exercise 6 to 7 days per week |
| Extremely Active | 1.9 | Physical job plus daily exercise |
For our example woman with no exercise:
1,375 (BMR) × 1.2 (sedentary) = 1,650 calories per day
This is her Total Daily Energy Expenditure without any exercise.
Quick Method: Use an Online Calculator
Don’t want to do the math yourself? That’s totally fine.
Recommended calculators:
- Use any “TDEE calculator” or “BMR calculator” online
- Enter your age, weight, height, and activity level
- Get instant results
Important reminder: These are estimates. Your actual calorie burn might be 10 to 15 percent higher or lower than the calculator says.
Common Daily Activities and Their Calorie Burn
You might be surprised how many calories you burn doing regular daily activities. Here’s what different activities burn per hour:
Around the House
| Activity | Calories Burned Per Hour |
|---|---|
| Sitting and watching TV | 60 to 80 |
| Working at a computer | 70 to 90 |
| Standing still | 100 to 130 |
| Cooking meals | 90 to 120 |
| Washing dishes | 100 to 130 |
| Light cleaning | 150 to 200 |
| Vacuuming | 180 to 240 |
| Mopping floors | 170 to 230 |
| Doing laundry | 90 to 120 |
| Making beds | 130 to 170 |
Outside Activities
| Activity | Calories Burned Per Hour |
|---|---|
| Grocery shopping | 150 to 250 |
| Walking slowly | 150 to 200 |
| Playing with kids | 200 to 300 |
| Light gardening | 200 to 300 |
| Raking leaves | 250 to 350 |
| Mowing lawn (push mower) | 300 to 400 |
| Shoveling snow | 350 to 450 |
| Washing the car | 180 to 250 |
At Work
| Activity | Calories Burned Per Hour |
|---|---|
| Sitting at desk | 60 to 80 |
| Standing at desk | 100 to 130 |
| Light office work | 80 to 110 |
| Stocking shelves | 180 to 240 |
| Waiting tables | 150 to 250 |
| Teaching (standing) | 130 to 180 |
The Big Takeaway:
Even small activities add up! If you do light cleaning for 2 hours, you burn an extra 300 to 400 calories. That’s significant.
Myths and Misconceptions About Calorie Burning
Let’s clear up some common confusion about how calories really work.
Myth 1: You Need Exercise to Burn Significant Calories
The Myth: People think you only burn calories when you’re actively exercising.
The Truth: Your body burns most of its calories just keeping you alive. About 60 to 75 percent of your daily calorie burn happens automatically through your BMR.
Exercise is great for health, but it’s not the main way your body burns calories. Your heart, lungs, brain, and other organs are the real calorie burning champions.
Myth 2: Eating Certain Foods Boosts Metabolism Dramatically
The Myth: Foods like green tea, spicy peppers, or apple cider vinegar can dramatically speed up your metabolism.
The Truth: While some foods slightly increase calorie burn, the effect is very small. We’re talking about 20 to 50 extra calories per day at most.
No food is a magic metabolism booster. The thermic effect of food is already built into your daily calorie burn at about 10 percent of what you eat.
Myth 3: Thin People Have Faster Metabolisms
The Myth: Skinny people can eat whatever they want because they have super fast metabolisms.
The Truth: Actually, the opposite is usually true. Larger bodies burn more calories than smaller bodies because they have more mass to maintain.
A 200 pound person burns more calories at rest than a 120 pound person. Thin people often burn fewer total calories because they have less body mass.
Myth 4: Your Metabolism Stops When You Sleep
The Myth: You don’t burn calories while sleeping.
The Truth: Your metabolism never stops. Your BMR continues working 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
While you sleep, your body is:
- Breathing
- Pumping blood
- Repairing cells
- Processing the day’s food
- Dreaming (which uses brain energy)
You burn about 50 to 70 calories per hour while sleeping. That’s 400 to 560 calories in an 8 hour night!
Practical Tips to Increase Daily Calorie Burn Without Exercise
Want to burn more calories without hitting the gym? Here are simple ways to boost your daily burn.
Increase Your NEAT (Daily Movement)
These small changes can add 200 to 500 extra calories to your daily burn:
At Home: ✓ Stand while talking on the phone ✓ Do household chores at a faster pace ✓ Take the stairs instead of the elevator ✓ Walk around while brushing your teeth ✓ Dance while cooking dinner ✓ Do stretches during TV commercials ✓ Play actively with your kids or pets
At Work: ✓ Stand at your desk for part of the day ✓ Take the long route to the bathroom ✓ Walk to a coworker’s desk instead of emailing ✓ Take a quick walk during your lunch break ✓ Park farther away from the entrance ✓ Use a standing desk if possible
General Tips: ✓ Fidget more (yes, this actually burns calories!) ✓ Tap your feet while sitting ✓ Take phone calls while walking ✓ Choose active hobbies like gardening
The Impact: Just adding 2 hours of standing instead of sitting can burn an extra 100 to 150 calories per day. Over a year, that’s 36,500 to 54,750 calories!
Build and Maintain Muscle Mass
Muscle burns more calories than fat, even when you’re doing nothing.
Why Muscle Matters:
- 1 pound of muscle burns about 6 calories per day at rest
- 1 pound of fat burns about 2 calories per day at rest
- More muscle = higher BMR = more calories burned 24/7
Simple Ways to Maintain Muscle:
- Eat enough protein (we’ll cover this next)
- Do basic bodyweight movements like squats when you’re waiting for coffee
- Carry your groceries instead of using a cart
- Take stairs regularly
- Do yard work and heavy cleaning
You don’t need to become a bodybuilder. Even maintaining your current muscle mass helps keep your metabolism steady as you age.
Stay in Cooler Environments
Your body burns extra calories to keep you warm.
Easy Ways to Use This:
- Keep your home a bit cooler (65 to 68 degrees instead of 72 to 75)
- Take a cool shower instead of hot
- Sleep in a cooler bedroom
- Spend time outdoors in cool weather
The Numbers: Spending time in cool temperatures can increase your daily calorie burn by 100 to 300 calories. Your body has to work harder to maintain its core temperature.
Warning: Don’t make yourself uncomfortable. Shivering and being cold all the time isn’t healthy or enjoyable.
Eat Enough Protein
Protein has the highest thermic effect of all foods.
What This Means:
- Protein: Your body uses 20 to 30 percent of protein calories just to digest it
- Carbs: Your body uses 5 to 10 percent of carb calories to digest them
- Fats: Your body uses 0 to 3 percent of fat calories to digest them
Practical Example:
If you eat 100 calories of protein, your body burns 20 to 30 of those calories just digesting it. You only get 70 to 80 calories of usable energy.
How Much Protein:
- Aim for 0.7 to 1 gram per pound of body weight
- A 150 pound person should eat 105 to 150 grams of protein per day
Good Protein Sources:
- Chicken, turkey, fish
- Eggs
- Greek yogurt
- Beans and lentils
- Tofu
- Lean beef
- Cottage cheese
Stay Hydrated
Drinking water has several metabolism benefits.
How Water Helps:
- Your body burns calories to warm cold water to body temperature
- Proper hydration helps all body processes work efficiently
- Being dehydrated can slow your metabolism by 2 to 3 percent
The Cold Water Bonus:
Drinking 8 glasses (64 ounces) of cold water per day can burn an extra 70 to 100 calories. Your body has to heat that water from cold to body temperature, which requires energy.
Simple Goal: Drink at least 8 cups of water daily. More if you’re active or it’s hot outside.
When to Be Concerned About Your Calorie Burn
Most people have normal metabolic rates. But sometimes, there are real medical issues that need attention.
Signs of a Potential Problem
See a doctor if you experience:
- Sudden weight gain despite no changes in eating or activity
- Extreme fatigue all the time
- Always feeling cold when others are comfortable
- Depression or mood changes
- Dry skin and brittle nails
- Hair loss
- Constipation
- Muscle weakness
- Very slow heart rate
These could be signs of hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid), which slows metabolism.
Medical Conditions That Affect Metabolism
Thyroid Disorders:
- Most common cause of metabolism problems
- Simple blood test can diagnose
- Very treatable with medication
Other Conditions:
- Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
- Cushing’s syndrome
- Diabetes
- Certain medications can slow metabolism
Good News: If you do have a medical condition affecting your metabolism, proper treatment can often fix the problem.
Don’t Obsess Over Numbers
Here’s an important reminder: These calorie numbers are just estimates. They’re helpful for understanding your body, but they’re not perfect.
Things to Remember:
- Your actual burn can vary by 10 to 20 percent from calculators
- Day to day variation is normal
- How you feel matters more than exact numbers
- Focus on overall health, not perfect calorie counting
Healthy Mindset:
Your body is amazing. It’s burning calories right now as you read this, keeping your heart beating, your brain thinking, and your body functioning. That’s worth appreciating, whether you burn 1,600 or 3,000 calories per day.
Conclusion
So, how many calories does the average person burn a day without exercise? The answer is between 1,600 to 3,000 calories, depending on your age, sex, size, and activity level.
Remember that most of this calorie burn (about 60 to 75 percent) comes from your Basal Metabolic Rate. Your body is constantly working to keep you alive, burning calories with every heartbeat and breath.
Your personal calorie burn is unique to you. Use the formulas in this guide to calculate your own BMR and TDEE. Understanding your numbers helps you make better decisions about food and activity.
The best part? You can increase your daily calorie burn with simple changes like standing more, staying cool, eating protein, and drinking water. These small adjustments add up over time.
Ajay Rathod is a fitness enthusiast with several years of hands-on experience in home workouts, strength training, and beginner fitness programs. He researches evidence-based fitness practices and simplifies them for everyday people.