What Is Daily Calorie Burn per Pound?

Daily calorie burn per pound of body weight is a quick way to estimate total daily energy expenditure without tracking every activity. Multiply your weight by an activity factor — roughly 12 kcal/lb for sedentary people up to 18 for athletes — and you get a solid estimate of what you burn in a day.

How It Works

The calculator multiplies your body weight in pounds by the selected factor. Because the factor covers total daily burn (resting metabolism plus activity), no separate BMR step is needed. The bar chart shows how the same weight produces very different daily burns across all five activity levels, with the selected one highlighted.

Understanding Your Results

The headline number is your estimated total daily burn — your maintenance calories if weight is stable. Eat below it to lose weight (a 500 kcal deficit is roughly one pound per week) or above it to gain. Remember the method ignores age, sex, and height, so treat it as a starting point and adjust based on what the scale actually does.