Calories Burned Calculator
Use this calorie calculator to estimate how many calories are burned for over 380 different exercises.
How many calories do I burn per day?
The amount of calories you burn daily depends upon your weight, height, gender, and activity level.
This is called TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) and can be estimated here.
Even with no exercise, you still naturally burn a set number of calories daily.
How can I calculate how many calories I burn?
Combining your height, weight, gender, and length of exercise. This is applied against specific activities based on the number of METS.
METS (Metabolic Equivalents) are where researchers have calculated the metabolic load for an activity.
For example, running has more METS than walking.
How to combine this with counting macros
If you use our macro calculator, a general estimation of exercise activity is required. This is light, moderate, or very active.
Use your results above to assess your general activity level when counting macros.
Example
A 30-year-old woman, 150 pounds in weight, height 5 foot 5 inches.
If she exercised 30 minutes a day, walking the dog, she would burn an extra 88 calories daily. This would be considered ‘Light’ on the macronutrient calculator.
Increasing to 45 minutes on a rowing machine (with vigorous effort) would change to 368 calories per day (Moderate setting on the macro calculator).
We typically overestimate our exercise level.
Unless we have a physical job or intentionally engage in exercise – most of us fall into the sedentary category.
How many calories do 30 minutes of walking burn?
At a walking speed of 2.8-3.2 mph (average), an average woman will burn about 108 calories.
An average man will burn 136 calories.
How many calories do 30 minutes of running burn?
At a running speed of 6 mph (9.6 km/h or 10 minutes/mile pace), an average woman will burn about 302 calories.
An average man will burn 380 calories.
Which exercise burns the most calories?
Running, then swimming.
Per minute, running is the most energy-intensive exercise (the faster, the more calories).
Swimming and rowing are also calorie intensive (with the butterfly being the highest calorie burn).
Calories burned from exercise FAQs
Are fitness trackers accurate for calories burned?
Fitness trackers are a great motivator to move more. However, they measure a limited set of metrics and tend to overestimate calorie burn.
When tracking steps, they are further off-target. Simple steps around the home or office are different from purposeful steps.
Running, walking fast, and climbing stairs or hills burn more energy. Trackers don’t differentiate the two well, even with a built-in heart rate monitor.
One investigation found trackers overestimated a person’s calorie burn by 27-93 %, depending on the device.
The most accurate way to measure calorie burn is to measure heart rate and oxygen uptake during an activity, which is how the Metabolic Equivalents used for this calculator were established.
How many calories do 10,000 steps burn?
Typically around 400 calories.
This depends on your walking speed and your personal details.
What is a MET?
One MET can be defined as 1 kcal per kg of body weight per hour and is roughly equivalent to the energy cost of sitting quietly.
This can also be measured in oxygen uptake, where one MET is the equivalent of 3.5 ml per kg of body weight per minute.
Do you burn carbs during exercise?
Yes, in a way, you do.
Your body has a process for using energy.
- First, it burns stored ATP.
- Secondly, it taps into stored glycogen which is primarily made from carbs.
- Thirdly, it converts blood glucose into energy.
- Lastly, when all the available sugar (carbs) is used, it converts fatty acids into energy.
Does this calorie calculator have HIIT training?
HIIT (high-intensity interval training) varies depending on the activity, so you won’t find the exact words in the table.
If you do HIIT with weights, search “circuit training.” If you do HIIT with your body weight, search “calisthenics.”
How many calories should I burn per day?
A good target for most people is 200-400 calories daily through movement about six days per week.
This ensures you’re giving your muscles and skeleton the movement necessary for good health.
Research has shown that sitting too much lowers life expectancy, so get moving 😃.
Should I use exercise to create a daily calorie deficit for weight loss?
While exercise consumes more energy, it shouldn’t be used to create a deficit. Your calorie deficit should be made independent of exercise.
Base it on your sedentary TDEE, then add your exercise burn into the equation.
This is because you can’t guarantee that you will exercise daily. So on those days, you could be overeating.
Nutrition is 85-90% of the weight loss process, and exercise is the rest.
I help people drop unwanted pounds without sacrificing their favorite meals or battling hunger.
Get nutrition assessment or explore 1-on-1 coaching.
Sources
- Jetté, M., Sidney, K., & Blümchen, G. (1990). Metabolic equivalents (METS) in exercise testing, exercise prescription, and evaluation of functional capacity. Clinical cardiology, 13(8), 555-565.
- Ainsworth, B. E., Haskell, W. L., Herrmann, S. D., Meckes, N., Bassett Jr, D. R., Tudor-Locke, C., ... & Leon, A. S. (2011). 2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: a second update of codes and MET values. Medicine & science in sports & exercise, 43(8), 1575-1581. (link)
- Compendium of Physical Activities (link)
- Patel, A. V., Bernstein, L., Deka, A., Feigelson, H. S., Campbell, P. T., Gapstur, S. M., ... & Thun, M. J. (2010). Leisure time spent sitting in relation to total mortality in a prospective cohort of US adults. American journal of epidemiology, 172(4), 419-429.
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