Calories Burned Calculator

Choose an activity, enter your body weight and how long you did it to estimate calories burned, using standard MET (metabolic equivalent) values.

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Pick an activity and press Calculate calories.

The MET calorie formula

A MET (metabolic equivalent of task) measures an activity's intensity relative to sitting still, which is 1 MET. Calories burned per minute are:

kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200

Multiply by the number of minutes for the total. The 3.5 is resting oxygen use (ml/kg/min), and dividing by 200 converts oxygen to kilocalories. Heavier people burn more for the same activity because moving more mass costs more energy.

Worked example

Running 6 mph (9.8 MET) at 160 lb (72.6 kg) for 30 minutes:

Per minute: 9.8 × 3.5 × 72.6 ÷ 200 ≈ 12.45 kcal.
Total: 12.45 × 30 ≈ 373 calories.
Lighter (130 lb): ≈ 303 calories for the same run.

Why estimates vary

MET values are population averages from the Compendium of Physical Activities. Your real burn depends on fitness, efficiency, terrain, temperature and effort, so treat the number as a ballpark — useful for comparing activities, not for precise calorie accounting. Fitness trackers using heart rate can be more personalized but are also imperfect.

Tip: to put the burn in context with your daily needs, check your maintenance calories with the TDEE calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How are calories burned calculated?

From an activity's MET value, your weight and time: kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200, times the minutes. Running at 9.8 MET for 30 min at 160 lb burns about 373 calories.

What is a MET?

A metabolic equivalent of task. One MET is the energy of sitting at rest; an activity rated 8 METs uses about eight times that. Higher MET means more intense and more calories per minute.

Why does weight matter?

Moving more body mass costs more energy, so a heavier person burns more calories doing the same activity for the same time. That's why the formula multiplies by weight in kilograms.

How accurate is the estimate?

It's a reasonable ballpark from average MET values, but real burn varies with fitness, terrain, temperature and effort. Use it to compare activities rather than for exact calorie counting.

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Mustafa Bilgic · Editor, Calcool
MET values follow the Compendium of Physical Activities, a standard reference for activity energy costs. Estimates are approximate and not a substitute for medical or fitness advice.

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