Calories Burned Calculator

Estimate how many calories you burn during any activity. This calculator uses (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) to estimate calorie expenditure based on the activity, your body weight, and how long you exercise.

Activity

Duration

min

Weight

This calculator provides estimates for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. Always consult a healthcare professional before making changes to your diet or exercise routine.

What Are MET Values?

stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. It is a standardized way of expressing the energy cost of physical activities. One MET equals the amount of oxygen your body uses while sitting quietly — roughly 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram of body weight per minute. An activity rated at 6 METs, for example, burns about six times the energy you would use at rest.

MET values come from laboratory research where scientists measure oxygen consumption during hundreds of different activities. The Compendium of Physical Activities, maintained by Arizona State University, catalogues MET values for everything from sleeping (0.9 METs) to competitive sprinting (23 METs). These values make it possible to compare vastly different exercises on the same scale.

How Are Calories Burned Calculated?

The standard formula multiplies the MET value of an activity by your body weight and the duration of the exercise:

Calories burned = MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours)

For instance, a 75 kg person jogging at 7 METs for 45 minutes would burn approximately 7 × 75 × 0.75 = 394 calories. This is an estimate — actual calorie burn can vary by 15–20% depending on individual factors.

Why Calorie Burn Varies Between People

Two people doing the same workout will rarely burn the exact same number of calories. Several factors influence the difference:

Body weight: Heavier individuals burn more total calories performing the same activity because moving a larger body requires more energy.
Fitness level: As you become fitter, your body performs the same exercise more efficiently, which actually reduces calorie burn for a given activity over time.
Body composition: People with more muscle mass tend to burn slightly more calories at the same weight.
Exercise form and intensity: Subtle differences in technique, pace, and effort affect energy expenditure.

Most Efficient Exercises for Calorie Burn

High-MET activities burn the most calories per minute. Some of the most efficient options include running (8–12 METs), cycling at vigorous effort (10–12 METs), rowing (7–12 METs), jump rope (10–12 METs), and swimming laps at a hard pace (8–10 METs). However, the best exercise is one you actually enjoy and can do consistently.

Why You Shouldn't Eat Back All Exercise Calories

A common mistake during a is eating back every calorie a tracker says you burned. Wearable devices and MET-based formulas tend to overestimate calorie burn by 20–40%. If you rely on those numbers and add food accordingly, you may erase your deficit entirely. A safer approach is to eat back no more than half of your estimated exercise calories, or simply set your with an appropriate activity multiplier and leave exercise calories alone.

NEAT: The Hidden Calorie Burner

Non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT) refers to all the calories you burn through daily movement that is not formal exercise — walking to the store, fidgeting, cleaning the house, standing at your desk, and taking the stairs. For most people, NEAT accounts for a much larger share of daily calorie burn than workouts do. Increasing your general movement throughout the day can add 200–500 extra calories burned without stepping foot in a gym.