Calories Burned Calculator

How this calories burned calculator works

First, each activity has a MET value, short for metabolic equivalent of task, from the Compendium of Physical Activities, the research catalog maintained for exercise science; the 2011 update is summarized on PubMed. In other words, one MET is your resting energy cost, so an activity at 4.3 METs burns about 4.3 times your resting rate. In fact, the same activity can carry a different MET value at a different pace. However, MET values are averages for each activity, so your own pace and effort can shift the real number. Second, the values assume a steady pace, because speeding up or slowing down changes the cost per minute.

For example, walking at 3 mph and 4 mph sit at 3.3 and 5.0 METs, so a small pace change shifts the burn. Meanwhile, running at 6 mph reaches 9.8 METs, which is why a short run can match a long walk. In other words, one MET already includes the energy you would burn by simply sitting still, so the number counts movement on top of rest. As a result, the burn for a given time grows with your weight, so two people doing the same walk can land on different numbers. For example, at 4.3 METs a 70 kg person burns about 5.3 calories per minute, which the tool rounds for display.

The calories burned calculator formula

Specifically, the formula multiplies the MET value by 3.5 and your weight in kilograms, divides by 200, and multiplies by minutes. As a result, the same 30 minute walk costs a 60 kg person noticeably less than a 100 kg person, and why duration and body weight matter more than small differences between similar activities. In addition, the same formula applies to every activity on the list, so you can compare a walk and a run on the same basis. In fact, the formula does not need your age or sex, which keeps it simple but also limits its precision. Overall, the three levers are the activity's MET value, your weight, and the minutes you spend. As a result, a heavier person burns more than a lighter person for the exact same workout. Therefore, doubling your minutes doubles the estimate.

How to use your calories burned calculator number

• First, for fat loss, treat the estimate as a ceiling, not a budget to eat back in full
• Second, for training planning, compare activities honestly, intensity and time you can repeat beat the highest burn you do once
• Finally, for steps and walking goals, convert your daily walk into a weekly total, that is the number that quietly moves weight over months

What this calories burned calculator cannot tell you

Finally, if your watch or treadmill shows a very different figure, do not panic: devices use their own formulas and often include the calories you would have burned anyway at rest. In short, consistency matters more than precision, so track with one method and judge by your trend. Overall, the trend over a month tells you far more than any single session. Therefore, use this calculator to plan, then let the scale and your energy tell you whether the plan is working. In the end, the number that matters is the one you track the same way every week. Meanwhile, a food log shows the other half of the picture, because burn only matters next to what you eat. However, small daily walks add up, since an extra 30 minutes a day becomes over three hours a week.