Calories Burned Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate how many calories you burn during an activity based on your weight and duration.
Calculated instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers.
Lynn Marie Morski, MD, JD
Lynn-Marie Morski, MD, JD, is a board-certified sports medicine physician who trained at the Mayo Clinic and completed a fellowship at the University of Arizona.
Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How Calories Burned Is Calculated
Whereas your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) describes an entire day, this calculator answers a narrower question: how many calories did you burn in a specific activity session? It translates a single activity into the same currency as your daily calorie budget, using a research-backed intensity value.
What This Calculator Measures
This estimates gross energy expenditure for one activity and duration, not a full day. Pair it with the TDEE Calculator if you want your total daily number instead.
Step 1: Look Up the Activity’s MET Value
Each activity has a MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research-backed reference of energy costs for hundreds of activities, from walking and running paces to cycling, swimming, weightlifting, and yoga¹. One MET is roughly the energy you burn sitting quietly.
Because metabolic rate changes with age, we pull this value from one of three age-specific datasets: the Youth Compendium³ (ages 6–18), the 2024 Adult Compendium¹ (ages 19–59), or the 2024 Older Adult Compendium² (ages 60+).
Step 2: Apply the MET Formula
We combine the activity's MET value with your body weight, age, and session duration. The exact formula depends on your age band:
Ages 6–18: Calories burned = METy value × BMR (kcal/min) × duration (minutes), where BMR is calculated from your age and sex using the Schofield equation³
Ages 19–59: Calories burned = MET value × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × duration (minutes)
Ages 60+: Calories burned = MET60+ value × 2.7 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × duration (minutes), using the lower resting metabolic rate baseline established for older adults²
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Enter your age first. This determines which formula and activity dataset the calculator uses. If you're between 6 and 18, you'll also be asked for your sex assigned at birth, since the youth formula relies on it to estimate your basal metabolic rate. Then select your activity, enter the duration and your body weight, and the calculator runs the appropriate formula above directly. Weight is converted to kilograms automatically if you're using imperial units.
Understanding What the Number Represents
This is your gross energy expenditure for the session - meaning the total calories burned. It also includes the one MET you would have burned at rest during that same period. If you want to know only the extra calories burned during your activity, you must subtract 1 MET from the activity's total value.
A Note on Accuracy
MET values are population averages from controlled conditions, so actual calorie burn varies with fitness level, movement efficiency, terrain, and body composition. They may underestimate energy costs for heavier people and overestimate them for lighter people. This is especially relevant to the Youth Compendium, where about half of the values are measured, and half are statistically estimated³, and the Older Adult Compendium, which includes fewer directly measured activities than the Adult Compendium².
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a MET value?
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. One MET is roughly the energy you burn sitting quietly. An activity with a MET of 6 means you burn about 6 times as much energy doing it as you would at rest.
Does this include the calories I would have burned anyway?
Yes. This is your gross energy expenditure for the session, not just the extra amount above resting metabolism. It is not meant to represent extra calories you can consume in addition to your baseline recommended intake.
Can I use this to decide how much extra to eat?
We'd recommend against it. Treating exercise as calories to earn back in food can create an unhelpful cycle. This calculator is meant to help you understand your activity level, not as a basis for food trade-offs.
Which ages are supported?
This calculator supports ages 6 and older. It uses the Youth Compendium for ages 6–18, the 2024 Adult Compendium for ages 19–59, and the 2024 Older Adult Compendium for ages 60+. Ages 6–18 also require sex because the youth formula uses it to estimate basal metabolic rate; ages 19+ use body weight alone.
Sources
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A Third Update of the Energy Costs of Human Activities, Herrmann et al., 2024
Older Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: Energy Costs of Human Activities in Adults Aged 60 and Older, Willis et al., 2024
A Youth Compendium of Physical Activities: Activity Codes and Metabolic Intensities, Butte et al., 2018
Compendium of Physical Activities, the official website hosting the 2024 Adult and Older Adult Compendium data tables.
Calories Burned Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate how many calories you burn during an activity based on your weight and duration.
Calculated instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers.
Lynn Marie Morski, MD, JD
Lynn-Marie Morski, MD, JD, is a board-certified sports medicine physician who trained at the Mayo Clinic and completed a fellowship at the University of Arizona.
Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How Calories Burned Is Calculated
Whereas your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) describes an entire day, this calculator answers a narrower question: how many calories did you burn in a specific activity session? It translates a single activity into the same currency as your daily calorie budget, using a research-backed intensity value.
What This Calculator Measures
This estimates gross energy expenditure for one activity and duration, not a full day. Pair it with the TDEE Calculator if you want your total daily number instead.
Step 1: Look Up the Activity’s MET Value
Each activity has a MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research-backed reference of energy costs for hundreds of activities, from walking and running paces to cycling, swimming, weightlifting, and yoga¹. One MET is roughly the energy you burn sitting quietly.
Because metabolic rate changes with age, we pull this value from one of three age-specific datasets: the Youth Compendium³ (ages 6–18), the 2024 Adult Compendium¹ (ages 19–59), or the 2024 Older Adult Compendium² (ages 60+).
Step 2: Apply the MET Formula
We combine the activity's MET value with your body weight, age, and session duration. The exact formula depends on your age band:
Ages 6–18: Calories burned = METy value × BMR (kcal/min) × duration (minutes), where BMR is calculated from your age and sex using the Schofield equation³
Ages 19–59: Calories burned = MET value × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × duration (minutes)
Ages 60+: Calories burned = MET60+ value × 2.7 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × duration (minutes), using the lower resting metabolic rate baseline established for older adults²
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Enter your age first. This determines which formula and activity dataset the calculator uses. If you're between 6 and 18, you'll also be asked for your sex assigned at birth, since the youth formula relies on it to estimate your basal metabolic rate. Then select your activity, enter the duration and your body weight, and the calculator runs the appropriate formula above directly. Weight is converted to kilograms automatically if you're using imperial units.
Understanding What the Number Represents
This is your gross energy expenditure for the session - meaning the total calories burned. It also includes the one MET you would have burned at rest during that same period. If you want to know only the extra calories burned during your activity, you must subtract 1 MET from the activity's total value.
A Note on Accuracy
MET values are population averages from controlled conditions, so actual calorie burn varies with fitness level, movement efficiency, terrain, and body composition. They may underestimate energy costs for heavier people and overestimate them for lighter people. This is especially relevant to the Youth Compendium, where about half of the values are measured, and half are statistically estimated³, and the Older Adult Compendium, which includes fewer directly measured activities than the Adult Compendium².
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a MET value?
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. One MET is roughly the energy you burn sitting quietly. An activity with a MET of 6 means you burn about 6 times as much energy doing it as you would at rest.
Does this include the calories I would have burned anyway?
Yes. This is your gross energy expenditure for the session, not just the extra amount above resting metabolism. It is not meant to represent extra calories you can consume in addition to your baseline recommended intake.
Can I use this to decide how much extra to eat?
We'd recommend against it. Treating exercise as calories to earn back in food can create an unhelpful cycle. This calculator is meant to help you understand your activity level, not as a basis for food trade-offs.
Which ages are supported?
This calculator supports ages 6 and older. It uses the Youth Compendium for ages 6–18, the 2024 Adult Compendium for ages 19–59, and the 2024 Older Adult Compendium for ages 60+. Ages 6–18 also require sex because the youth formula uses it to estimate basal metabolic rate; ages 19+ use body weight alone.
Sources
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A Third Update of the Energy Costs of Human Activities, Herrmann et al., 2024
Older Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: Energy Costs of Human Activities in Adults Aged 60 and Older, Willis et al., 2024
A Youth Compendium of Physical Activities: Activity Codes and Metabolic Intensities, Butte et al., 2018
Compendium of Physical Activities, the official website hosting the 2024 Adult and Older Adult Compendium data tables.
Calories Burned Calculator
Use this calculator to estimate how many calories you burn during an activity based on your weight and duration.
Calculated instantly in your browser — nothing is sent to or stored on our servers.
Lynn Marie Morski, MD, JD
Lynn-Marie Morski, MD, JD, is a board-certified sports medicine physician who trained at the Mayo Clinic and completed a fellowship at the University of Arizona.
Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How Calories Burned Is Calculated
Whereas your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) describes an entire day, this calculator answers a narrower question: how many calories did you burn in a specific activity session? It translates a single activity into the same currency as your daily calorie budget, using a research-backed intensity value.
What This Calculator Measures
This estimates gross energy expenditure for one activity and duration, not a full day. Pair it with the TDEE Calculator if you want your total daily number instead.
Step 1: Look Up the Activity’s MET Value
Each activity has a MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) value from the Compendium of Physical Activities, a research-backed reference of energy costs for hundreds of activities, from walking and running paces to cycling, swimming, weightlifting, and yoga¹. One MET is roughly the energy you burn sitting quietly.
Because metabolic rate changes with age, we pull this value from one of three age-specific datasets: the Youth Compendium³ (ages 6–18), the 2024 Adult Compendium¹ (ages 19–59), or the 2024 Older Adult Compendium² (ages 60+).
Step 2: Apply the MET Formula
We combine the activity's MET value with your body weight, age, and session duration. The exact formula depends on your age band:
Ages 6–18: Calories burned = METy value × BMR (kcal/min) × duration (minutes), where BMR is calculated from your age and sex using the Schofield equation³
Ages 19–59: Calories burned = MET value × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × duration (minutes)
Ages 60+: Calories burned = MET60+ value × 2.7 × weight (kg) ÷ 200 × duration (minutes), using the lower resting metabolic rate baseline established for older adults²
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Enter your age first. This determines which formula and activity dataset the calculator uses. If you're between 6 and 18, you'll also be asked for your sex assigned at birth, since the youth formula relies on it to estimate your basal metabolic rate. Then select your activity, enter the duration and your body weight, and the calculator runs the appropriate formula above directly. Weight is converted to kilograms automatically if you're using imperial units.
Understanding What the Number Represents
This is your gross energy expenditure for the session - meaning the total calories burned. It also includes the one MET you would have burned at rest during that same period. If you want to know only the extra calories burned during your activity, you must subtract 1 MET from the activity's total value.
A Note on Accuracy
MET values are population averages from controlled conditions, so actual calorie burn varies with fitness level, movement efficiency, terrain, and body composition. They may underestimate energy costs for heavier people and overestimate them for lighter people. This is especially relevant to the Youth Compendium, where about half of the values are measured, and half are statistically estimated³, and the Older Adult Compendium, which includes fewer directly measured activities than the Adult Compendium².
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a MET value?
MET stands for Metabolic Equivalent of Task. One MET is roughly the energy you burn sitting quietly. An activity with a MET of 6 means you burn about 6 times as much energy doing it as you would at rest.
Does this include the calories I would have burned anyway?
Yes. This is your gross energy expenditure for the session, not just the extra amount above resting metabolism. It is not meant to represent extra calories you can consume in addition to your baseline recommended intake.
Can I use this to decide how much extra to eat?
We'd recommend against it. Treating exercise as calories to earn back in food can create an unhelpful cycle. This calculator is meant to help you understand your activity level, not as a basis for food trade-offs.
Which ages are supported?
This calculator supports ages 6 and older. It uses the Youth Compendium for ages 6–18, the 2024 Adult Compendium for ages 19–59, and the 2024 Older Adult Compendium for ages 60+. Ages 6–18 also require sex because the youth formula uses it to estimate basal metabolic rate; ages 19+ use body weight alone.
Sources
2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: A Third Update of the Energy Costs of Human Activities, Herrmann et al., 2024
Older Adult Compendium of Physical Activities: Energy Costs of Human Activities in Adults Aged 60 and Older, Willis et al., 2024
A Youth Compendium of Physical Activities: Activity Codes and Metabolic Intensities, Butte et al., 2018
Compendium of Physical Activities, the official website hosting the 2024 Adult and Older Adult Compendium data tables.