This calories burned calculator estimates the energy you use during exercise from three inputs: your weight, the activity, and how long you did it. It uses MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) values from the Compendium of Physical Activities, the same research database used in exercise science studies and by most fitness trackers.
One MET equals the energy you burn sitting quietly — about 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. Brisk walking is 4.3 METs, meaning it burns roughly 4.3 times your resting rate. Enter your numbers, press Calculate, and compare all ten activities side by side in the results table.
The MET Formula Behind the Calculator
The calculator uses the standard exercise-physiology formula:
Calories = MET × 3.5 × weight in kg ÷ 200 × minutes
The 3.5 represents resting oxygen consumption (3.5 ml of oxygen per kg per minute), and dividing by 200 converts oxygen use into kilocalories. MET values used here:
- Walking 3.5 mph: 4.3 METs
- Running 6 mph: 9.8 METs
- Running 8 mph: 11.8 METs
- Cycling (moderate): 8.0 METs
- Swimming (leisure): 5.8 METs
- Weightlifting: 3.5 METs
- Yoga: 2.5 METs
- HIIT / circuits: 8.0 METs
- Basketball: 6.5 METs
- Hiking: 6.0 METs
Because weight is in the formula, a 200 lb person burns about 33% more calories than a 150 lb person doing the identical workout.
How to Use These Numbers for Weight Loss
A pound of body fat stores roughly 3,500 kcal, so exercise-driven fat loss is a numbers game played over weeks, not days.
- 30 minutes of brisk walking burns about 170 kcal for a 165 lb person — done daily, that is roughly 1,200 kcal per week, or about a pound of fat every three weeks.
- Running at 6 mph roughly doubles the burn of brisk walking per minute; running at 8 mph nearly triples it.
- Strength training burns modestly during the session (3.5 METs) but preserves muscle, which keeps your resting metabolism higher while dieting.
- Do not "eat back" the full number your tracker reports — device estimates commonly run 15–30% high, so eating back half is a safer rule.
Example: 165 lb Person, 30-Minute Run
Take a 165 lb (74.8 kg) person running at 6 mph, a 9.8 MET activity, for 30 minutes.
Calories = 9.8 × 3.5 × 74.8 ÷ 200 × 30 ≈ 385 kcal
That is a burn rate of about 770 kcal per hour, or 12.8 kcal per minute. The same person walking briskly for those 30 minutes would burn about 169 kcal, while a 30-minute HIIT session would burn around 314 kcal. Over a week, three such runs add up to roughly 1,155 kcal — about a third of a pound of fat, before accounting for any dietary changes.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many calories does walking burn?
Brisk walking at 3.5 mph (4.3 METs) burns about 340 kcal per hour for a 165 lb person, or roughly 170 kcal in 30 minutes. Heavier people burn proportionally more: at 200 lbs the same walk burns about 410 kcal per hour. Hills, pace, and a loaded backpack all raise the number.
What is a MET value?
A MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) measures exercise intensity relative to rest. Sitting quietly is 1 MET; an 8 MET activity like moderate cycling burns eight times your resting energy. MET values come from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research database covering more than 800 activities.
Does running burn more calories than walking the same distance?
Yes, modestly. Running one mile burns roughly 20–30% more calories than walking it, because running is mechanically less efficient — you launch your body airborne with every stride. Per minute the gap is much larger: running at 6 mph burns more than double what walking at 3.5 mph does.
How accurate are calories burned calculators?
MET-based estimates are typically within 10–20% for steady-state activities like walking, running, and cycling. They are less precise for variable-intensity exercise like HIIT or basketball, and they include your resting burn, so the calories attributable purely to exercise are slightly lower than the total shown.
How many calories should I burn a day to lose weight?
A safe target is a total deficit of 500 kcal per day, which yields about one pound of fat loss per week. Most people split it — for example, burning 250 kcal through 30–45 minutes of exercise and trimming 250 kcal from food — since large exercise-only deficits are hard to sustain.