What Is the Calories Burned Calculator?
This calculator estimates how many calories (kilocalories) you burn during physical activity. It uses the widely accepted MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) method, which relates the energy cost of an activity to your body weight and how long you exercise. One MET is roughly the energy you use sitting quietly, so an activity rated at 7 METs burns about seven times that resting rate.
How to Use It
Pick the activity intensity from the dropdown (each option lists its MET value), enter your body weight in kilograms, and the duration of the activity in minutes. The calculator returns the total calories burned plus a breakdown of calories per minute and per hour, so you can compare workouts of different lengths.
The Formula Explained
The standard equation is
$$\text{Calories} = \frac{\text{METs} \times 3.5 \times \text{weight(kg)}}{200} \times \text{duration(min)}$$The constant 3.5 ml O₂/kg/min is the oxygen uptake of one MET, and dividing by 200 converts oxygen consumption into kilocalories (since roughly 5 kcal are released per litre of oxygen used). Multiplying by your weight and the number of minutes scales the result to your body and workout length.
Worked Example
Suppose you jog (7 METs) for 30 minutes weighing 70 kg.
$$\text{Calories} = 7 \times 3.5 \times 70 \div 200 \times 30 = 24.5 \times 0.35 \times 30 = 257.25 \text{ kcal}$$That works out to about \(8.58\) kcal per minute or \(514.5\) kcal per hour.
FAQ
Are these numbers exact? No — MET-based estimates are population averages. Actual burn varies with fitness, age, body composition, and effort, so treat the result as a useful approximation.
Should I subtract my resting calories? The MET method already includes resting metabolism. For "net" calories above rest, subtract roughly 1 MET worth of energy.
How do I convert pounds to kilograms? Divide your weight in pounds by 2.205 (e.g. \(154 \text{ lb} \div 2.205 \approx 70 \text{ kg}\)).
