Estimate your calorie expenditure based on activity MET value, body weight, and duration.
Kilograms (kg)
Pounds (lbs)
Minutes
Hours
Understanding Calorie Burn and the MET Formula
Estimating the number of calories burned during physical activity is a key aspect of managing weight, improving fitness, and understanding your body's energy expenditure. The MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) system provides a standardized way to measure the intensity of various physical activities.
What is MET?
MET is a unit that represents the ratio of your working metabolic rate relative to your resting metabolic rate. One MET is defined as the energy expenditure of sitting quietly. For example:
1 MET: Resting, reading a book.
3.5 METs: Leisurely walking (approx. 2 mph).
7 METs: Jogging (approx. 5 mph).
10+ METs: Running vigorously, competitive sports.
Higher MET values indicate more intense activities that burn more calories per unit of time.
The Calorie Burn Formula
The most common formula to estimate calories burned using MET values is as follows:
Calories Burned per Minute = (MET value × Body Weight in kg × 3.5) / 200
This formula estimates the oxygen consumption and then translates it into calorie expenditure.
To get the total calories burned for a specific activity, you multiply the calories burned per minute by the total duration of the activity in minutes.
How This Calculator Works
This calculator takes your body weight, the MET value of your chosen activity, and the duration you performed the activity.
Weight Conversion: If you input your weight in pounds (lbs), it's first converted to kilograms (kg) using the conversion factor 1 lb = 0.453592 kg.
Duration Conversion: If you input the duration in hours, it's converted to minutes using 1 hour = 60 minutes.
Calculation: The core MET formula is applied:
Calories Burned = (MET × Weight_kg × Duration_minutes × 3.5) / 200
Use Cases
Weight Management: Understand how much energy you're expending to balance your calorie intake.
Fitness Tracking: Monitor your progress and compare the calorie burn of different workouts.
Health Planning: Set realistic fitness goals based on activity intensity and duration.
Important Considerations:
This calculator provides an *estimate*. Actual calorie burn can vary based on individual metabolism, fitness level, environmental conditions, and exercise efficiency. For precise measurements, consider using a heart rate monitor or a fitness tracker.
function calculateCaloriesBurned() {
var weightInput = document.getElementById("weight");
var weightUnitSelect = document.getElementById("weightUnit");
var metValueInput = document.getElementById("metValue");
var durationInput = document.getElementById("duration");
var durationUnitSelect = document.getElementById("durationUnit");
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
var weight = parseFloat(weightInput.value);
var weightUnit = weightUnitSelect.value;
var metValue = parseFloat(metValueInput.value);
var duration = parseFloat(durationInput.value);
var durationUnit = durationUnitSelect.value;
// Clear previous result
resultDiv.innerHTML = "";
// Input validation
if (isNaN(weight) || weight <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid body weight.";
return;
}
if (isNaN(metValue) || metValue <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid MET value for your activity.";
return;
}
if (isNaN(duration) || duration <= 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid duration for your activity.";
return;
}
var weightInKg = weight;
if (weightUnit === "lbs") {
weightInKg = weight * 0.453592;
}
var durationInMinutes = duration;
if (durationUnit === "hours") {
durationInMinutes = duration * 60;
}
// MET formula: Calories Burned per Minute = (MET × Weight in kg × 3.5) / 200
// Total Calories Burned = Calories Burned per Minute × Duration in minutes
var caloriesBurned = (metValue * weightInKg * 3.5 / 200) * durationInMinutes;
// Display the result
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Estimated Calories Burned: " + caloriesBurned.toFixed(2) + " kcal";
}