How many calories do I burn during exercise?

The number of calories burned during exercise depends on your weight, the type of activity, intensity, and duration. Higher intensity activities and heavier body weight result in more calories burned. For example, a 150-pound person burns approximately 100 calories per mile walking and 150 calories per mile running.

What is MET and how is it used to calculate calories burned?

MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) is a measure of exercise intensity. One MET equals the energy expended at rest. Activities are assigned MET values based on intensity. Calories burned = MET × weight (kg) × duration (hours). Higher MET values indicate more intense activities.

Which burns more calories: walking or running?

Running burns more calories per minute than walking because it's more intense. However, walking burns more calories per mile because it takes longer. For weight loss, both are effective, but running provides a higher calorie burn in less time.

How accurate are calorie burn calculators?

Calorie burn calculators provide estimates based on average MET values and body weight. Actual calories burned can vary by 10-20% depending on individual factors like fitness level, muscle mass, efficiency of movement, and environmental conditions. Use these as guidelines rather than exact measurements.

Do I burn calories after exercise stops?

Yes, you continue to burn calories at an elevated rate after exercise due to Excess Post-Exercise Oxygen Consumption (EPOC), also known as the 'afterburn effect.' High-intensity exercise creates a longer-lasting EPOC effect, meaning you burn more calories after your workout ends.

Calories Burned Calculator — Exercise Calorie Burn Calculator | Kalory

Calories Burned by Duration Calculator

Activity

Duration

Body Weight (lbs)

Calorie Burned by Distance Calculator

Use this calculator to estimate the calories to be burned by walking, running, or bicycling for a distance.

Activity

Speed/Pace

Distance

Body Weight (lbs)

Understanding Calories Burned

The number of calories that the body burns during regular daily activities or exercise is dependent on various factors, so it is not an exact science. The results of this calculator (and any other) are based on standardized data that references an "average" person, so it is only an estimate.

Generally, the number of calories consumed, less calories burned through activities and basal metabolic rate (calories consumed - calories burned - BMR) will determine whether a person maintains, loses, or gains weight; theoretically, if the number is 0, the person will maintain their weight; if the number is negative, they will lose weight; if the number is positive, they will gain weight.

For more information on the number of calories a person should consume each day for weight maintenance, weight loss, or weight gain, refer to the Calorie calculator. For more information about basal metabolic rate, refer to our BMR calculator.

Factors Affecting Calories Burned

Body Mass and Duration

A person's body mass affects how many calories they burn, even at rest. A person who is larger due to more muscle, fat, or height burns more calories. This is also true during exercise since the body has to do more work to provide energy to a larger person than it would to a smaller person. Duration of exercise is another factor that affects calories burned. The longer a person performs an exercise, the more calories they will burn.

Exercise Intensity

Exercise intensity is another key factor that affects the number of calories burned. The more intense the exercise, the greater the number of calories burned. Exercise intensity is measured using MET (metabolic equivalent of a task).

The MET is the ratio of the rate at which a person expends energy (relative to their body mass) while performing a given physical task compared to a reference. By convention, the reference is based on the energy expended by an "average" person while they are sitting quietly, which is roughly equivalent to 3.5 mL of oxygen per kilogram per minute. A MET value of 1 represents the energy expended by an average person at rest. Thus, an activity that has a MET value of 2 requires twice as much energy as an average person expends at rest.

Other Factors

Other factors include age (affects resting energy expenditure), body composition (muscle requires more energy than fat), temperature (people burn more calories in warmer environments), fitness level (affects exercise intensity), diet (affects metabolism), and sleep (can affect calories burned).

Calculating Calories Burned

This calculator estimates calories burned using the following equation:

Calories = Time × MET × Body Weight / 200

Where time is in the unit of minutes and body weight is in the unit of kilograms.

Many studies have been conducted to determine the number of calories expended while conducting certain activities. Our calculator uses data from these studies to determine the MET for certain activities, along with the equation above, to estimate calories burned given the duration an activity is performed and body mass.

Accuracy of the Calculation

The accuracy of this calculation is significantly affected by MET. By convention, 1 MET is roughly equivalent to expending 1 Calorie per kilogram of body weight per hour. This convention was derived based on a single specific subject: a healthy 40-year-old male who weighed 70 kilograms. A person's resting metabolic rate (RMR) is highly dependent on a number of factors such as lean body mass, age, health status, and more. Thus, calculations for an individual whose RMR varies significantly from that of the subject used as a reference will be less accurate.