Calories Burned Calculator
Calories used by 28 activities from MET values, weight and minutes, with a day log.
About this tool
Choose an activity, enter minutes and body weight, and see gross calories burned, the extra over resting, and the hourly rate. Add activities to a running total for the day. The 28 activities cover walking, running, cycling, swimming, rowing, gym training, classes, sports and housework.
How the MET method works
A MET, or metabolic equivalent, is the energy of sitting quietly — about 1 kcal per kilogram of body weight per hour. Every activity in the Compendium of Physical Activities, the reference researchers use, has a MET value: brisk walking at 4 mph is about 5, running at 6 mph about 9.8, vigorous cycling 10. Calories burned = MET × weight in kg × hours, so a 70 kg person running for 30 minutes at 9.8 MET uses about 343 kcal. That figure is gross — it includes the roughly 1 MET you would have burned anyway — so the tool also shows the net extra, which is the honest number to compare against food. Real burn varies by 20% or more with fitness, efficiency, terrain and temperature, and fitness trackers commonly overestimate, so use the figures for comparison and planning rather than precise accounting. General information, not medical advice. The calorie calculator gives your daily total (How daily calorie needs are calculated — BMR, activity multipliers and what a deficit means), the heart rate zones calculator sets intensity (Heart rate zones explained: how they're calculated and what each one trains), the pace calculator handles running splits, and the steps calculator converts walking.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does running burn?
About 1 kcal per kg per km: a 70 kg person running 5 km burns roughly 350 kcal. At 6 mph for 30 minutes the MET method gives about 343 kcal gross.
What is the difference between gross and net calories?
Gross includes the energy you would have used at rest anyway; net is only the extra the activity added. Net is the fairer number to set against food.
Are these more accurate than my fitness watch?
Both are estimates. MET values are population averages; watches add heart rate but often overestimate. Use either for trends, not exact totals.
Is my log saved?
No. The day's list lives in this tab only and is not stored or sent.