Calories Burned Calculator

A calories-burned calculator estimates the energy cost of physical activity using the MET method — the gold-standard approach in exercise science. Each activity has a published MET value (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) representing how much harder it works your body compared to sitting still. Multiply MET by your body weight in kg and duration in hours and you get a calorie estimate grounded in real lab measurements.

The values used here come from the Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference compiled by Ainsworth and colleagues that catalogs hundreds of activities across intensity levels. The method ignores skill efficiency, fitness level, and the small contribution of EPOC (afterburn), so consider the result a solid baseline rather than a perfect measurement. For most adults exercising at steady moderate intensity, accuracy lands within roughly ±10–15%.

A 70 kg person runs at 6 mph for 30 minutes:

• MET for running 6 mph: 9.8
• Duration in hours: 30 ÷ 60 = 0.5
• Calories burned: 9.8 × 70 × 0.5 = 343 kcal
• Per-minute rate: 343 ÷ 30 ≈ 11.4 kcal/min

If the same person did a 45-minute brisk walk (5.0 MET) instead, they'd burn 5.0 × 70 × 0.75 = 263 kcal — less per minute but a more sustainable workout. To burn ~3,500 kcal (the calorie content of one pound of fat), this person would need roughly 5 hours of running or 13 hours of brisk walking.

• Planning a calorie deficit — see how much exercise contributes to your daily calorie balance.
• Comparing workouts — quickly check whether 30 min of cycling or 45 min of yoga burns more.
• Sanity-checking a fitness tracker — if your watch claims 800 kcal for a 30-min walk, the calculator's number is likely closer to truth.
• Setting realistic expectations — see how many minutes you actually need to offset a 250-kcal cookie.
• Designing a routine — pick activity + duration combinations that hit a target calorie burn.

• Overestimating intensity. Your "vigorous cycling" may actually be moderate; honest pace assessment matters more than the formula.
• Counting strength-training EPOC twice. If you add a 10% afterburn bonus, don't also pad the original MET value.
• Eating back all exercise calories. Trackers and formulas tend to overestimate; if you're trying to lose weight, eat back at most 50–70% of the calculated burn.
• Using MET for very short or very intense bouts. A 30-second sprint is not 13.8 MET sustained — formulas assume relatively steady output.
• Ignoring weight as a variable. Recalculate as your body weight changes; a 10 kg loss reduces calorie burn at the same pace by ~14%.