Calories Burned Calculator (MET Method)
Calculates calories burned from the activity's MET value, body weight and duration, plus weekly calories and MET-minutes.
Things to keep in mind:
- MET values describe an average adult; fitness, age, body composition and conditions change the actual expenditure.
- If you have cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure or a chronic condition, consult your doctor before starting a new exercise programme.
- This tool is not medical advice; results are estimates.
Calculator
Result
Enter the values and press Calculate to see the result here.
About this tool
MET (metabolic equivalent of task) expresses how many times more energy an activity uses than rest. 1 MET is the energy used while sitting quietly and corresponds to about 3.5 ml of oxygen per kilogram per minute. Published activity tables (e.g. the Compendium of Physical Activities) list the average MET value of each activity. This tool estimates calories burned from the MET value, your weight and the exercise duration.
Formulas
- Calories per minute = MET × 3.5 × weight (kg) ÷ 200
- Session calories = calories per minute × duration (minutes)
- Weekly calories = session calories × sessions per week
- MET-minutes = MET × duration; weekly MET-minutes = MET × duration × sessions
Example
Running at 8 MET, 70 kg, 30 minutes, 3 times a week:
- Per minute: 8 × 3.5 × 70 ÷ 200 = 9.8 kcal
- Session: 9.8 × 30 = 294 kcal, weekly 882 kcal
- Weekly MET-minutes: 8 × 30 × 3 = 720
How to read the result
The World Health Organization recommends at least 150–300 minutes of moderate or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity per week for adults, which corresponds to roughly 600 MET-minutes per week. The tool shows whether you reach this threshold as 1 (yes) / 0 (no). As a rough guide, below 3 MET is light, 3–5.9 MET moderate and 6 MET or more vigorous; brisk walking is usually moderate and running vigorous. Actual calories can vary by ±20% or more with fitness, age and technique.
How to use
- Enter the MET value of your activity (from activity tables; e.g. brisk walking ~4, running ~8).
- Enter your weight and the session duration in minutes.
- Optionally enter how many times per week you do it to get weekly totals.
- Compare your weekly MET-minutes with the WHO target of about 600.
Notes
The formula assumes 1 MET = 3.5 ml O₂/kg/min and about 5 kcal per litre of oxygen (kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × kg ÷ 200). Calories per minute are rounded half-up to 2 decimals, other results to whole numbers. The result is total expenditure and includes resting metabolism.
Sources
References
- [1]2011 Compendium of Physical Activities: A Second Update of Codes and MET ValuesAinsworth BE et al., Med Sci Sports Exerc, 2011
- [2]
Frequently asked questions
MET is the ratio of an activity's energy expenditure to resting expenditure. 1 MET equals sitting at rest, 4 MET an activity that uses four times as much energy. Values come from published activity tables.
For example, brisk walking at 4 MET burns 4 × 3.5 × 75 ÷ 200 = 5.25 kcal per minute for a 75 kg person, about 158 kcal in 30 minutes. Higher speed and incline raise the MET value.
The WHO recommends at least 150–300 minutes of moderate or 75–150 minutes of vigorous activity per week for adults, plus muscle-strengthening on two days. 600 weekly MET-minutes roughly matches the lower end of this recommendation.
Smartwatches use their own algorithms with heart rate, accelerometer and personal data. The MET method gives an average value; a 10–30% difference between the two is normal.
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