Exercise calorie calculator
Calories burned in a workout are calculated with MET values and almost always come out lower than expected. Part of that energy is already in your daily needs: your body would have burned it at rest anyway.
The formula: MET × 3.5 × body weight in kilograms ÷ 200 = kilocalories per minute. For running at a moderate pace (about 8 MET) at 70 kg, that is about 9.8 kcal per minute, or roughly 290 kcal in half an hour.
Of those 290, about 37 kcal would have been burned sitting still. What the workout adds on top is about 250 kcal, and that is its real contribution.
How it works
- Find the MET value for your activity.
- Apply the formula to your weight and the duration.
- Subtract resting expenditure if you want the net contribution of the workout.
Why fitness trackers overestimate
They estimate calories from heart rate, and heart rate depends on more than effort: heat, caffeine, stress and poor sleep all raise it without any extra work. For steady cardio the estimate is closer to the truth; for strength training it is usually too high.
The practical upshot: do not “eat back” a workout by what your tracker says. Estimate it with the formula and round down.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I calculate calories burned during exercise?
- Use MET × 3.5 × weight in kilograms ÷ 200, which gives calories per minute. Running at 70 kg comes to about 290 kcal in half an hour.
- Why does my fitness tracker show more?
- It estimates calories from heart rate, and heart rate goes up with heat, caffeine, stress and poor sleep. For strength training the estimate is usually too high.
- Should I eat back the calories I burned?
- Better not: part of that expenditure is already in your daily needs, and the estimate is almost always on the high side. It is the most common way to eat away a whole deficit without noticing.
Further reading
- How many calories a workout burns: running, cycling, swimming, gym
- Fitness trackers and calorie burn: why they estimate
- TDEE calculator
More calculators: Post-workout protein calculator, Raw vs cooked weight calculator, Sugar calculator: how much a day, Alcohol calorie calculator.
This calculator gives an estimate for general information. It is not medical advice, a diagnosis, or a prescription for treatment or a diet, and it does not replace a consultation with your doctor. If you have a health condition, are pregnant, take medication, or follow a diet prescribed to you, decisions about food belong with your doctor.