Calories Burned Calculator
Calories per workout from activity, weight, and minutes using MET values.
What it does
Exercise energy comes from a physiology table, not from wrist sensors. Each activity carries a MET score: multiples of resting burn. Sitting is 1, brisk walking is about 3.5, and steady running reaches 10 and beyond. Multiply by body weight and time for the session total.
The tool above covers twelve everyday activities. Pick one, enter weight and minutes, and read the session calories with the hourly rate and a five session week.
MET tables describe averages from lab volunteers, so individuals vary. Fit people move efficiently and burn a little less, beginners bounce and burn a little more, and hills, heat, and load add on top. Treat answers as planning numbers within perhaps fifteen percent.
For weight loss, food math still rules. An hour of walking erases one pastry, which is why plates beat treadmills for the deficit while training keeps muscle and mood.
How to use
- Switch the unit system first: metric for kilograms, imperial for pounds.
- Pick the closest activity and honest effort level.
- Enter current body weight in kg.
- Enter moving minutes, pausing the count for long rests.
- Use the weekly line for program totals, not single hero sessions.
Formula
- MET
- Metabolic equivalent: burn multiple of complete rest for that activity.
- weight in kg
- Current body weight. More mass moved means more energy.
- hours
- Moving time in hours. Thirty minutes is 0.5.
The Compendium of Physical Activities standardizes MET values from published studies, which is why the same numbers appear across serious calculators. Afterburn (EPOC) adds a small bonus after hard sessions that this formula leaves out.
Worked example
Example: 70 kg adult walks 30 minutes at 3 mph
Activity walking 3.5 MET, weight 70 kg, time 30 minutes.
- Hours: 30 / 60 = 0.5.
- Session: 3.5 x 70 x 0.5 = 122.5, shown as 123 kcal.
- Hourly pace: 3.5 x 70 = 245 kcal per hour.
- Five sessions: 122.5 x 5 = 612.5, shown as 613 kcal a week.
Reference table
| Activity | MET | Calories |
|---|---|---|
| Yoga | 3 | 105 |
| Walking 3 mph | 3.5 | 123 |
| Gardening | 4 | 140 |
| Swimming laps | 6 | 210 |
| Cycling moderate | 8 | 280 |
| Running 6 mph | 10 | 350 |
Limits
- Lab averages, not personal measurement. Expect about 15% individual spread.
- Flat steady effort assumed. Hills, intervals, and heat raise real burn.
- Ignores afterburn, which adds a little after hard sessions.
- Strength sessions estimate poorly. Sets, rests, and load vary too much.
Common mistakes
- Trusting watch calories as exact. Optical estimates run high.
- Counting gross instead of net. Sitting would have burned some anyway.
- Eating back the full estimate plus a bonus.
- Comparing across weights without scaling. Per kg is the fair unit.
- Logging commute strolls as training sessions.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
80 kg adult cycles (8 MET) for 45 minutes. Calories?
8 x 80 x 0.75 = 480 kcal.
Same person runs (10 MET) for 20 minutes?
10 x 80 x (20/60) = 266.7, about 267 kcal.
Questions
What is a MET?
One metabolic equivalent: the energy of sitting quietly. Activities score as multiples of it.
Why do heavier people burn more?
Moving more mass costs more energy. Two people at the same pace burn in proportion to weight.
Should I eat back exercise calories?
Partly at most. Estimates run high, so eating back half keeps the deficit honest.
Does muscle burn more at rest?
A little. A kilo of muscle burns roughly three times a kilo of fat daily, but totals stay small.
Which burns most per hour?
Fast running, uphill cycling, and vigorous sports top the table near 10 to 15 MET.
How accurate are fitness watches?
Directionally right, often 10 to 30% high on calories. Heart rate training zones read better than calorie totals.