Calories Burned by Activity (METs)
Estimate calories burned from METs without wrestling with exercise spreadsheets
MET-based calorie burn, logs and safety FAQ
What does this calories burned calculator actually do?
This page turns a MET value, your weight and session length into an approximate calories burned estimate. You pick the activity and duration, and the calculator uses standard MET math to estimate calories per minute and total calories for that block of training.
Where do the MET numbers come from?
METs (metabolic equivalents) are commonly taken from the Compendium of Physical Activities and similar research sources. They describe how much harder an activity is than resting: for example, 3 METs is roughly three times resting energy use, 8 METs is about eight times resting, and so on.
How accurate are MET-based calorie estimates?
MET estimates are useful for rough planning and comparisons, not exact calorie tracking. Real energy use will vary with your fitness level, movement technique, environment, equipment, sleep, and health conditions. Think in ranges (“around 300–350 kcal”) rather than single perfect numbers.
Why might this differ from my watch or fitness tracker?
Different tools use different formulas and assumptions. Some watches include heart rate, GPS speed and personal calibration, while this calculator uses a simpler population-average MET approach. Both can be off; use them together as context rather than trying to make them match exactly.
What is the weekly log for?
The log lets you add individual sessions into a simple weekly summary so you can see total minutes, MET-minutes and calories in one place. You can copy the summary text into your training diary, sheets or email without exporting a special file.
Who should be especially careful with calorie burn estimates?
If you live with heart or lung disease, diabetes on medication, eating disorders, RED-S, pregnancy or recent surgery, you should only interpret calorie burn and exercise loads with your healthcare team. In those situations, treat this tool as general education only, not a decision-maker.
Can I use this to “earn” or “cancel out” food?
It is usually healthier to treat calorie burn numbers as training and recovery context, not as a score to “deserve” meals. If you notice exercise and food becoming tightly transactional or guilt-based, it is a strong sign to pause and speak with your care team or mental health support.
How to use this calories burned by activity calculator
This calculator is built to give you a plain-language estimate of calories burned using MET values. Instead of juggling tables or trying to reverse-engineer your tracker, you plug in weight, activity and duration, then get a simple summary you can paste into your log.
1. Pick units and enter your current weight
Start by choosing US or metric units, then add your body weight. For most people, a recent morning weight is fine. The calculator converts everything to kilograms in the background because MET formulas use weight in kg for energy calculations.
2. Choose the activity and MET value source
The activity menu includes common movements with typical MET ranges, such as walking at different speeds, strength training, cycling, swimming, yoga and running. If your sport or pace is not listed, use the custom option and add a MET value from a coach, paper or Compendium-style table instead of making one up from scratch.
3. Add the time you actually spent doing it
In the duration box, add how many minutes you spent at roughly that intensity. You can log warm-ups, main sets and cool-downs as separate entries if their intensity is very different. The tool then works out calories per minute and multiplies by your session length.
4. Read the calories, MET-minutes and quick notes
After you hit Estimate calories burned, the summary shows an approximate total in kilocalories, an average calories-per-minute figure and the MET-minutes for the session. You also see a short note explaining what that workload means in plain language, which can help you compare sessions from week to week.
5. Use the weekly log as a simple training overview
If you want to build a small weekly overview, use the Add to weekly log button after each calculation. The log lists each session along with total minutes, MET-minutes and calories, plus a combined total. You can copy this text block into your spreadsheet, app or message thread in a couple of clicks.
If you ever notice that tracking calories or load is making training feel obsessive, perfectionistic or stressful, it is completely valid to step back from the numbers and lean on support from a coach or clinician instead of tightening your logging even further.
How the MET-based calorie math and weekly log work
The calculator uses the standard relationship between METs, oxygen use and energy to keep the math transparent. You can check the numbers yourself with a basic calculator if you like.
1. From METs to calories per minute
By convention, 1 MET is roughly equal to 1 kcal per kg of body weight per hour. That leads to a simple planning formula:
Calories per minute ≈ MET × 3.5 × body weight (kg) ÷ 200
The constants come from how oxygen use is converted into energy. The calculator applies this formula using the MET you choose, your weight converted into kilograms and then multiplies by your session minutes.
2. Estimating total session calories
Once calories per minute are known, the total for the session is:
Total calories ≈ calories per minute × duration (minutes)
Everything is rounded to keep the numbers readable. Because real-world energy use bounces around from minute to minute, the result should be treated as a ballpark value rather than a lab-grade measurement.
3. MET-minutes and weekly load
MET-minutes are calculated as:
MET-minutes = MET × duration (minutes)
They give you a simple way to compare workloads across different activities. A week with 600–1000 MET-minutes of moderate-to-vigorous activity is often used as a healthy movement range in guidelines, but your ideal level depends on goals, recovery and medical advice.
4. Weekly log totals and interpretation
Each time you add a session to the log, the calculator updates your total minutes, MET-minutes and calories for the week. These totals can highlight whether you are climbing, holding or dropping your training load. If you notice sudden jumps in weekly MET-minutes or calories, it can be a cue to add extra recovery or check in with a coach before pushing harder again.
As with any energy estimate, it is safer to think in terms of trends across weeks rather than obsessing over a single day. Use this as a lightweight planning and reflection tool, then let your body’s signals and professional guidance have the final say.
References and further reading on METs and calorie burn
These resources discuss METs, activity intensity and energy expenditure in more detail:
- Compendium of Physical Activities — Quantifying Physical Activity — outlines MET values and definitions for hundreds of common daily and sport activities.
- CDC — How to measure physical activity intensity — explains how METs relate to light, moderate and vigorous activity levels.
- Healthline — What are METs, and how are they calculated? — walks through the common formula for turning MET values into calorie estimates.
Use these as background reading, then combine this calculator with your own logs, devices and professional advice when planning training and recovery.