Calculating your calories burned is straightforward once you know the Calories Burned formula and what each input means. This guide explains the method in plain language, walks through a manual calculation, and gives worked examples you can follow — then you can do it instantly with the Calories Burned Calculator.
What is Calories Burned?
The Calories Burned calculation tells you your calories burned from a few simple inputs. The figure you are solving for here is the calories burned.
The Calories Burned formula
The core formula is:
Calories burned = Activity intensity (MET) × 3.5 × Body weight ÷ 200 × DurationHere is what each input means:
- Body weight — a value measured in kg. Example: 70 kg.
- Duration — a value measured in minutes. Example: 30 minutes.
- Activity intensity (MET) — one of: Walking, 5 km/h (3.5 MET), Cycling, light (6 MET), Running, 8 km/h (8 MET), Swimming (9.5 MET), Skipping rope (12 MET). Example: Running, 8 km/h (8 MET).
How to calculate it step by step
- Write down the body weight (for example, 70 kg).
- Write down the duration (for example, 30 minutes).
- Choose the activity intensity (met) (for example, Running, 8 km/h (8 MET)).
- Apply the formula above to get your calories burned.
- Double-check the result with the Calories Burned Calculator.
Worked examples
Example 1
| Input / Output | Value |
|---|---|
| Body weight | 70 kg |
| Duration | 30 minutes |
| Activity intensity (MET) | Running, 8 km/h (8 MET) |
| Calories burned | 294 |
| Calories per minute | 9.8 |
With body weight of 70 kg, duration of 30 minutes and activity intensity (met) of Running, 8 km/h (8 MET), the calories burned works out to 294.
Example 2
With body weight of 140 kg, duration of 30 minutes and activity intensity (met) of Running, 8 km/h (8 MET), the calories burned works out to 588.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Calories burned | 588 |
| Calories per minute | 19.6 |
Example 3
With body weight of 35 kg, duration of 30 minutes and activity intensity (met) of Running, 8 km/h (8 MET), the calories burned works out to 147.
| Result | Value |
|---|---|
| Calories burned | 147 |
| Calories per minute | 4.9 |
Tips for an accurate result
- Keep your units consistent — mixing, say, months with years or grams with kilograms is the most common source of error.
- Round only at the very end. Rounding inputs early can shift the final answer noticeably.
- Re-run the numbers whenever an input changes, rather than estimating from an old result.
- These figures are general estimates, not medical advice — check with a qualified professional before acting on them.
Prefer not to do the maths by hand? — the Calories Burned Calculator does it instantly, for free, with the formula and a worked example built in.
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