How to Calculate Calories Burned
Exercise calorie burn depends on your body weight, the intensity of the activity (measured by MET), and duration. Higher body weight and intensity = more calories burned per minute.
MET Formula
Calories burned = MET × weight (kg) × time (hours)
(MET × 3.5 × weight) / 200 = kcal/minute
Example: 70 kg person cycling moderately (MET=8) for 30 min:
= 8 × 70 × 0.5 = 280 kcalCommon MET Values
Sleeping: 0.9
Walking (3mph): 3.5
Cycling (12mph): 8.0
Running (6mph): 10.0
Swimming: 6.0
HIIT workout: 8.0-12.0
Weight training: 3.5-6.0Weight Loss Deficit
1 lb fat ≈ 3,500 kcal
1 kg fat ≈ 7,700 kcal
To lose 0.5 kg/week:
Need 7,700/7 ≈ 1,100 kcal/day deficit
(combination of eating less + exercise)Practical Strategy
- Track 3-4 days of food and exercise to find your baseline
- Aim for a 500-750 kcal/day deficit (safe, sustainable)
- More accurate: TDEE calculator minus 15-20%
- Muscle preservation: keep protein at 1.6-2.2 g/kg body weight
Calculate calories burned: Free Calorie Burn Calculator
Calories Burned Quick-Reference Table (60 minutes, 70 kg person)
| Activity | MET | Cal/hour (70 kg) |
|---|---|---|
| Sleeping | 0.9 | 63 |
| Sitting (desk work) | 1.5 | 105 |
| Walking (5 km/h) | 3.5 | 245 |
| Cycling (moderate, 19 km/h) | 8.0 | 560 |
| Running (9.6 km/h) | 10.0 | 700 |
| Swimming laps (vigorous) | 9.8 | 686 |
| Weight training (vigorous) | 6.0 | 420 |
| HIIT | 8.0–12.0 | 560–840 |
How Calorie Burn Calculations Work
The MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) method estimates energy expenditure: Calories/hour = MET × body weight (kg) × 1. MET represents multiples of resting metabolic rate — a MET of 3.5 means an activity burns 3.5× as many calories as sitting quietly. Body weight matters because heavier people burn more calories for the same activity (more mass to move).
Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) = BMR × activity multiplier (1.2 for sedentary to 1.9 for very active). A 70 kg male with BMR ≈ 1,750 kcal/day doing moderate exercise burns roughly 2,625 kcal/day. Creating a 500 kcal/day deficit (diet + exercise) produces approximately 0.5 kg of fat loss per week (since 1 kg of body fat ≈ 7,700 kcal).
Common Mistakes
- Trusting gym machine readouts: Treadmill and elliptical calorie counters are notoriously inaccurate — often overestimating by 15–30%. They typically don't account for fitness level, body composition, or proper heart rate.
- Ignoring EPOC: Excess Post-exercise Oxygen Consumption (the "afterburn") adds calories burned after intense exercise. Vigorous HIIT can elevate metabolism for 12–24 hours post-workout, adding 50–200 kcal beyond what the exercise itself burned.
- Eating back all exercise calories: Exercise increases appetite and apps often overestimate burn. Many people inadvertently replace all calories burned through exercise, negating the deficit. A conservative approach is to eat back only 50–75% of estimated exercise calories.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, but the difference is smaller than often claimed. Each kilogram of muscle burns roughly 13 kcal/day at rest vs. ~4.5 kcal/day for fat — a difference of about 8.5 kcal/kg/day. Gaining 5 kg of muscle adds only ~42 kcal/day to resting metabolism. The main metabolic benefit of resistance training is preserving muscle mass during a calorie deficit, preventing the metabolic adaptation that makes long-term weight loss harder.
A lighter body requires less energy to move. As you lose weight, your BMR decreases, exercise burns fewer calories per session, and the thermic effect of food decreases. The body also adapts by reducing non-exercise activity thermogenesis (NEAT — fidgeting, posture, spontaneous movement). This is metabolic adaptation, the main reason weight loss slows over time without adjusting the calorie deficit.
Both contribute. Cardio burns more calories during the session; resistance training builds muscle that raises baseline metabolism. Research shows the combination is superior to either alone for fat loss while preserving muscle. For body composition (look and function, not just scale weight), resistance training is essential — pure cardio with aggressive deficits leads to muscle loss alongside fat loss.