The number of calories you burn in a day doing nothing-also known as your basal metabolic rate (BMR)-typically ranges from about 1,300 to over 2,000 calories, depending mainly on factors like your age, sex, weight, and body composition
Why You Burn Calories Doing Nothing
Your body continuously burns calories to maintain vital functions such as:
- Keeping your heart beating
- Running your brain
- Regulating body temperature
- Supporting organ function
Even activities like breathing, reading, or sitting quietly consume energy
Estimating Calories Burned at Rest
- A rough estimate for resting calorie burn is about 1.05 calories per hour per kilogram of body weight.
- For example, a person weighing 180 pounds (about 82 kg) lying quietly might burn around 112 calories per hour doing nothing
- Another simple estimate is multiplying your body weight in pounds by 11 to get a daily calorie burn at rest
Typical Daily Calorie Burn Doing Nothing
- Average adults burn around 1,800 calories per day with no exercise
- This number varies by individual factors, but it represents the energy needed for survival, not physical activity
Additional Notes
- Small movements like fidgeting can increase calorie burn by up to 350 calories per day beyond resting levels
- Being more active increases total daily calorie burn, but even without exercise, your body is always using energy.
In summary, even when you do nothing physically, your body burns roughly 1,300 to 2,000 calories daily just to keep you alive and functioning, with the exact number depending on your personal characteristics
