Calories Burned Calculator

Estimate the calories you burn during exercise from your weight, the activity, and how long you did it — using MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities.

Your Result

333kcal

You burned about 333 kcal — based on a MET of 9.8 for 30 minutes of activity.

MET values are population averages, so this is an estimate. Actual burn varies with your fitness, body composition, and how hard you work.

Moderate — estimate, individual variation applies

What This Means

Understanding calories burned

This tool estimates how many calories you use during a bout of exercise. It multiplies three things: how hard the activity is (its MET value), your body weight, and how long you do it. All three matter — a heavier person, a harder activity, and a longer session all burn more.

The result covers the exercise itself. It doesn't include the calories you'd have burned just living during that time, and it isn't the same as your total daily burn — for that, use the TDEE calculator, which already accounts for your overall activity level.

Because MET values are averages, read the number as a reasonable estimate rather than a precise measurement. It's most useful for comparing activities and durations, and for tracking effort over time.

Calories burned during exercise is only part of the picture. Your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) already bundles in your general activity — don't count a workout twice.

Methodology

How this calculator works

Formula. kcal = MET × weight(kg) × duration(hours). We convert your weight to kilograms and your duration to hours, then multiply by the activity's MET value.

MET values. These come from the 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities (Ainsworth et al.), the standard reference that assigns an energy cost to hundreds of activities. We use a curated subset of common activities with their published MET values.

Confidence. We label this moderate confidence: the formula is standard, but MET values are population averages and your personal burn varies with fitness and intensity, so the result is an estimate.

Scientific References

Sources

  1. Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Herrmann SD, et al. — "2011 Compendium of Physical Activities," Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 2011.

Questions

Frequently asked questions

A MET (metabolic equivalent) is the energy cost of an activity compared with sitting at rest. A 4-MET activity burns roughly four times the calories of resting for the same time.
Heavier bodies use more energy to do the same movement, so calories burned scale with body weight as well as with the activity and how long you do it.
MET values are averages across many people, so this is a ballpark. Your real burn depends on your fitness, body composition, and how hard you actually work — treat it as a guide, not a precise count.

Related

Disclaimer: This calculator is for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always consult a healthcare provider for guidance specific to you.