Calories Burned Calculator

What formula does the calories burned calculator use?

Calories = MET × body weight (kg) × duration (hours). Minutes are divided by 60 first. The result is gross energy for the activity, meaning it includes the energy you would have used at rest during those minutes anyway, and it is rounded to whole kilocalories.

Where do the MET values come from?

They are fixed values stored in the tool, one per activity, such as 8.3 for running at 8 km/h, 3.5 for walking at 5 km/h and 3.0 for yoga. Each activity has a single value, so pace, incline, terrain, technique and fitness level are not modelled. If an activity code were ever unrecognised, the tool would fall back to MET 5.0.

Is the number gross calories or calories above resting?

Gross. A MET of 1 is roughly 1 kcal per kg per hour at rest, so a 30-minute run for a 70 kg person includes about 35 kcal that resting would have used anyway. If you are subtracting exercise from a TDEE-based budget, keep in mind that part of the figure is already in your maintenance calories.

What do the fat-loss rows assume?

They use 7,700 kcal per kg of body fat. "Sessions to burn 500 g fat" is 3,850 kcal divided by the session’s calories, rounded up, and "fat loss per week if done daily" is seven sessions’ calories divided by 7,700. These are arithmetic illustrations that ignore compensation in appetite or other activity, so actual weight change is usually less tidy.

Why is my watch or gym machine showing a different figure?

Devices combine heart rate, speed, age and sometimes sex, and may report net rather than gross calories. This calculator uses only weight, time and a single MET per activity, so differences of tens of percent are normal. Neither is a direct measurement of energy use.

What input values are accepted?

Body weight in kilograms and duration in minutes, both of which must be above 0. If either is zero (which is also what a cleared box becomes) or negative, the calculator shows an error instead of substituting a default. Convert pounds to kilograms by dividing by 2.2046.

Does this account for age, sex or body composition?

No. Two people with the same body weight get the same answer, whatever their age, sex or muscle mass. It is a general estimate for planning and comparing activities, and it is not medical or dietetic advice.