Calculate how many calories you burn during exercise and everyday activities. Uses MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) values and your body weight for accurate per-activity calorie estimates.
| Activity | MET | Cal/hr (155 lbs) |
|---|---|---|
| Walking 3.5 mph | 4.0 | ~281 |
| Running 6 mph | 8.0 | ~563 |
| Cycling moderate | 8.0 | ~563 |
| Swimming | 7.0 | ~493 |
| Weight training | 3.5–5.0 | ~246–352 |
Estimates use MET values — multiples of resting metabolic rate. An activity rated at 8 METs uses roughly eight times the energy of sitting still.
Body weight is in the formula because moving a heavier body costs more energy for the same activity.
| Activity | METs |
|---|---|
| Walking, slow | 2.5–3 |
| Walking, brisk | 4–5 |
| Cycling, moderate | 6–8 |
| Running, 6 mph | ~10 |
| Swimming, moderate | 6–8 |
| Resistance training | 3–6 |
Two issues inflate the apparent benefit of exercise.
First, most figures report gross calories, including the energy you would have burned anyway at rest. The additional burn attributable to the exercise is the gross figure minus resting expenditure over the same period — often 10–20% lower.
Second, fitness trackers and gym machines are frequently optimistic, sometimes substantially so, particularly for activities they cannot measure well.
An hour of moderate exercise might burn 300–500 calories — roughly one modest meal. Intake changes are generally a more efficient route to a deficit than trying to out-train diet.
That is not an argument against exercise, which has substantial benefits for cardiovascular health, strength, mood and muscle retention during weight loss. It is an argument against relying on it alone for calorie balance.
General information, not medical advice.