You burn calories at rest all day long — usually somewhere around 1,200–2,000 calories per day for most adults, depending on your body and lifestyle.

What “at rest” really means

When people ask “how many calories do I burn at rest,” they’re usually talking about:

  • BMR/RMR : Basal or resting metabolic rate, the energy your body uses just to stay alive (breathing, circulation, organ function, cell repair).
  • This usually makes up about 70–80% of your total daily calories burned for the average person.

In other words, even if you stayed in bed all day, your body would still use a surprising amount of energy.

Rough numbers you can use

Because I don’t have your age, height, sex, or weight, I can only give ranges and simple rules of thumb.

  • Many adults burn about 1,200–2,000 calories per day at rest.
  • One large review found an average of 0.863 calories per kilogram per hour at rest.
* Example: if you weigh 70 kg, that’s roughly 0.863×70≈600.863×70≈600.863×70≈60 calories per hour at rest, or around 1,400–1,500 calories per day.
  • Another estimate is around 0.48 calories per pound per hour , which works out similarly (about 45–100 calories per hour depending on weight).

During sleep, you’re still burning calories too:

  • Typical range: about 50–70 calories per hour of sleep for many adults.
  • A 150 lb (≈68 kg) person might burn around 60–70 calories per hour while asleep , which is roughly 400–550 calories over 7–8 hours.

Why your number is unique

Your personal “calories burned at rest” depends on:

  • Body weight and muscle mass – More muscle and higher weight = higher resting burn.
  • Age – Resting metabolism tends to go down slowly with age.
  • Sex – On average, men have a slightly higher resting burn because of more lean mass.
  • Genetics, hormones, and health conditions – Thyroid issues, certain medications, and chronic illness can change your resting rate.

Two people the same weight can still burn different amounts at rest because of differences in muscle, hormones, and lifestyle.

Quick way to estimate your own

Without a calculator, a simple ballpark method is:

  • Take your weight in kilograms and multiply by about 21–24 to get a rough daily resting calorie estimate (common RMR/BMR formulas cluster around this range for many adults).

For a more tailored number, online “resting metabolic rate” or “RMR calculator” tools let you plug in:

  • Age
  • Sex
  • Height
  • Weight

and give an estimate of how many calories you burn at rest per day.

How this fits weight loss or gain

Your resting calories are your baseline :

  • Eat around your total daily calories (resting + movement) → weight stays about the same.
  • Eat less than your total daily burn (but still above your resting calories) → you typically lose weight.
  • Eat more than your total daily burn → you typically gain weight.

It’s not healthy to consistently eat below your resting calorie needs, because that’s the energy your body requires just to run core functions.

If you tell me your age, sex, height, and weight, I can walk you through a personalized estimate and what it means for your goals.