The number of calories you should burn in a day depends on your personal factors such as age, sex, height, weight, and activity level, as well as your health and fitness goals.

General calorie needs

• Most adult women need about 1,600 to 2,200 calories per day.
• Most adult men need about 2,200 to 3,000 calories per day.
  These ranges vary based on activity level and other factors

How to determine your calorie burn

1. Calculate your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) or Resting Metabolic Rate (RMR), which is the number of calories your body burns at rest to maintain basic functions.
2. Multiply your BMR by an activity factor that corresponds to your daily activity level:
   • Sedentary (little or no exercise): BMR × 1.2–1.3
   • Lightly active (light exercise 1–3 days/week): BMR × 1.375
   • Moderately active (moderate exercise 3–5 days/week): BMR × 1.55
   • Very active (hard exercise 6–7 days/week): BMR × 1.725
   • Extra active (very hard exercise or physical job): BMR × 1.9
     This gives your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE), or the calories you burn in a day including activity

Calories to burn based on goals

• To maintain weight: Burn calories equal to your TDEE.
• To lose weight: Aim for a calorie deficit of about 500–750 calories per day below your TDEE, which typically results in losing about 1 to 1.5 pounds per week.
• To gain weight: Aim for a calorie surplus of about 300–500 calories per day above your TDEE for gradual, healthy weight gain

Summary

The exact number of calories you should burn daily varies widely, but you can estimate it by calculating your BMR and adjusting for activity level to find your TDEE. Then adjust your calorie burn target based on whether you want to lose, maintain, or gain weight. For example, a moderately active adult woman might burn around 2,000 calories daily, while a moderately active adult man might burn around 2,600 to 2,800 calories daily

. If you want a personalized number, use the Mifflin-St Jeor equation or an online calculator to find your BMR and multiply by your activity factor to get your daily calorie burn goal