Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate calories burned from any activity using metabolic equivalent (MET) values.
About this tool
Calories Burned Calculator
Calories Burned estimates the energy used during exercise using MET values, covering more than fifty activities, from your weight and duration.
How to use it
- Enter your weight and how long you exercised.
- Choose the activity from the list.
- Read the estimated calories burned.
What a MET is
A MET, or metabolic equivalent of task, expresses activity intensity as a multiple of resting metabolism. Sitting quietly is 1 MET. An activity rated at 8 METs uses roughly eight times the energy of sitting still.
The calculation is METs multiplied by weight in kilograms multiplied by hours. That is why a heavier person burns more for the same activity: there is more mass to move.
Worked example
The default entry:
- Weight170 lbs, about 77 kg
- ActivityJogging, 5 mph, about 8 METs
- Duration30 minutes
Result: Roughly 8 x 77 x 0.5, which is about 310 calories.
When it helps
- Comparing the energy cost of different activities.
- Estimating a week's exercise expenditure.
- Sanity-checking a fitness tracker, which often reads high.
- Planning intake around training days.
Common mistakes
- Treating the number as precise. MET values are population averages and individual variation is large.
- Forgetting that some of the burn would have happened anyway. You were going to burn resting calories during that half hour regardless.
- Eating back every estimated calorie. Estimates skew high, and doing so is a common reason a deficit stalls.
What this tool handles
- A general estimate, not medical or nutritional advice.
