Calories Burned Calculator
Estimate the energy used during exercise from activity, weight and time.
A general estimate using standard MET values — not medical advice. Actual energy use varies with intensity, fitness and body composition.
How the estimate is made
Each activity has a MET value — a measure of its intensity compared with resting. Combining the MET with your body weight and how long you exercised gives an estimate of the energy used.
kcal per minute = MET × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200
Because the figure scales with both weight and time, a heavier person or a longer session burns more. MET values are averages drawn from research, so they capture typical effort rather than your exact output on the day.
Running (MET 9.8) for 30 minutes at 70 kg burns roughly 360 kcal: 9.8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 is about 12 kcal a minute. Lighter activities and lower body weights burn proportionally less.
Using the number sensibly
Calorie-burn estimates are motivating and useful for comparing activities, but they are approximate. Fitness trackers and gym machines use similar formulas and can disagree by a fair margin, so it is wise not to treat any single figure as exact.
Good to keep in mind
- Intensity matters. The same activity done harder burns more than the average MET suggests.
- Fitness shifts it. Fitter bodies often become more efficient, changing the real figure over time.
- It's a guide, not a ledger. Movement is good for you well beyond the calories it burns.
This is general information, not medical advice.