Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate calories burned for 40+ exercises and activities using research-based MET values, your weight, and workout duration.
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About the Calories Burned Calculator
This calculator estimates how many calories you burn during exercise and everyday activities, from a brisk walk to a HIIT session, using your body weight, the activity, and how long you did it. Instead of guessing, you get a realistic number you can use to plan workouts, balance your eating, or simply understand where your energy goes.
I always tell people that knowing roughly what an activity costs in calories is empowering, not because you need to earn every bite, but because it makes the link between movement and energy concrete. Once you see that an hour of walking is worth a few hundred calories, daily activity starts to feel a lot more worthwhile.
How the calculation works (METs)
The calculator uses MET values, short for Metabolic Equivalent of Task, which is the standard scientists use to rate the intensity of activities. One MET is roughly the energy you use sitting quietly. An activity rated at 5 METs uses about five times that. The energy formula is the one published by the American College of Sports Medicine: calories per minute equal METs multiplied by 3.5, multiplied by your weight in kilograms, divided by 200. Multiply by your minutes and you have your total.
Why weight and duration matter most
Two things drive your burn more than anything else: how much you weigh and how long you move. A heavier body uses more energy to do the same task, which is why the same jog burns more for a larger person. Duration is the multiplier you control most easily, since simply moving for longer reliably raises the total. Intensity matters too, but consistency over time usually beats the occasional all-out effort.
Treat the number as a smart estimate
MET-based figures are population averages, so your personal burn can run a little higher or lower depending on fitness, body composition, efficiency and even temperature. I would not eat back calories one for one based on any calculator, including this one. Use it instead to compare activities, set sensible targets, and watch your own trends week to week, which is where it is genuinely reliable.
Sources & method
This calculator uses established, peer-reviewed formulas and reference ranges from recognized health and nutrition authorities. Results are estimates for general education, not a medical diagnosis. For decisions about your health, consult a qualified clinician. Reviewed by Macro & Meals Editorial Team, Content editor.
Frequently Asked Questions
This tool uses MET values (the energy cost of an activity relative to rest) with the American College of Sports Medicine formula: calories per minute equal METs times 3.5 times your weight in kilograms divided by 200. It then multiplies by your duration. This is the same method used in exercise physiology, so it is a solid, research-based estimate.
Because heavier bodies need more energy to perform the same movement. Carrying more mass means your muscles do more work to walk, run or lift, so calorie burn rises with weight for any given activity and time. That is why the calculator asks for your weight rather than using a one-size figure.
It is a good approximation but not exact. MET values are averages, and real burn varies with your fitness, body composition, movement efficiency and conditions. Use the number to compare activities and track trends rather than as a precise budget to eat back calorie for calorie.
MET-based estimates reflect the total energy cost of the activity, which already includes your resting burn during that time. If you want only the extra calories above rest, subtract roughly one MET's worth, but for everyday planning the total figure shown is the practical one to use.
