Plot No. 48 · Health & Fitness
Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate the calories you burn during exercise using the MET method. The calculator multiplies an activity's MET value by your body weight in kilograms and the duration in hours, so calories burned equals MET times weight in kg times hours of activity.
This is an estimate based on average MET values, not medical advice. Your real burn depends on intensity, fitness and body composition.
The link saves your inputs so you can bookmark or share this exact result.
How calories burned are worked out
This calculator uses the MET method, the standard way exercise science estimates energy use. Calories burned equal the activity's MET value times your body weight in kilograms times the time in hours. A MET, or metabolic equivalent of task, compares an activity with sitting still, which is rated at 1 MET, so an 8 MET activity burns roughly eight times the resting energy for the same duration.
Each activity in the list carries a fixed average MET: walking is 3.5, running 9.8, cycling 7.5, swimming 8.0, weight training 5.0, yoga 2.5, rowing 7.0 and hiking 6.0. Heavier people burn more for the same activity because there is more mass to move, which is why body weight sits directly in the formula. The calculator also shows a per-minute burn rate so you can compare activities at a glance.
How to use the calories burned calculator
- Pick your activity from the dropdown; the MET value for each one is shown beside its name.
- Enter your body weight in kilograms.
- Enter how many minutes you spent on the activity and read the calories burned and burn rate.
Worked examples
A 30-minute run
Inputs: Running (9.8 MET), 75 kg body weight, 30 minutes
Result: About 368 kcal, from 9.8 times 75 times 0.5 hours. That works out to roughly 12 kcal per minute.
A gentle hour of yoga
Inputs: Yoga (2.5 MET), 70 kg body weight, 60 minutes
Result: About 175 kcal, from 2.5 times 70 times 1 hour, or roughly 2.9 kcal per minute, far less than the same hour spent running.
Limitations and common mistakes
Edge cases and limitations
- MET values are population averages, so a hard, fast effort and an easy stroll at the same activity get the same number; intensity is not captured.
- The figure includes the energy you would have burned at rest anyway, so the extra calories from the workout alone are slightly lower.
- Results are an estimate, not medical advice, and can differ from a heart-rate based fitness tracker.
Common mistakes
- Entering body weight in pounds instead of kilograms, which inflates the result by more than double.
- Treating the number as exact and eating it all back; a margin of 10 to 20 percent is normal.
Frequently asked questions
How are calories burned calculated?
This calculator uses the MET method: calories equal the activity's MET value times your body weight in kilograms times the time in hours. For example, running has a MET of about 9.8, so a 75 kg person running for 30 minutes burns 9.8 times 75 times 0.5, which is about 368 calories.
What is a MET?
A MET, or metabolic equivalent of task, measures how hard an activity is compared with sitting still. Sitting quietly is 1 MET. An activity rated at 8 METs burns roughly eight times the energy of resting for the same amount of time.
Why does my fitness watch show a different number?
Watches estimate from heart rate and personal data, while the MET method uses average values for each activity. Intensity, fitness level, terrain and efficiency all shift the real figure, so treat any single number as a ballpark rather than an exact count.
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