Activity Based Calorie Burn Calculator

About this Calculator

This activity based calorie burn calculator (also known as an "activity based caloric expenditure calculator") provides an estimate of the amount of calories that you burn while performing any selected activity from our database of over 600 activities.

The calculator is based on MET (Metabolic Equivalent) data for physical activities from "The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide" by B. E. Ainsworth. Each individual activity within this calculator has a MET value associated with it. A MET value represents the ratio of energy (i.e. calories) required to perform a particular activity relative to your BMR, where BMR is the amount of energy required to simply sit or lie quietly (while not digesting any food). The MET values are not displayed to you when you use the calculator, but they are entered into a formula that estimates your calorie burn by multiplying the MET value for your chosen activity by the duration time of your activity and by your calculated BMR. Estimation of BMR is based on the widely used and accepted Harris-Benedict equations. The formulas used by this calculator are shown below.

Calculator Formulas

• Calorie Burn = (BMR / 24) x MET x T

where

For males: BMR = (13.75 x WKG) + (5 x HC) - (6.76 x age) + 66
For females: BMR = (9.56 x WKG) + (1.85 x HC) - (4.68 x age) + 655

and

BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate (over 24 hours)
MET = Metabolic Equivalent (for selected activity)
T = Activity duration time (in hours)
HC = Height (in centimetres)
WKG = Weight (in kilograms)

References

Ainsworth BE. (2002, January) The Compendium of Physical Activities Tracking Guide. Prevention Research Center, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina. Retrieved May 5, 2010, from the World Wide Web.

Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Leon AS, Jacobs DR Jr, Montoye HJ, Sallis JF, Paffenbarger RS Jr. Compendium of physical activities: Classification of energy costs of human physical activities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 1993; 25:71-80.

Ainsworth BE, Haskell WL, Whitt MC, Irwin ML, Swartz AM, Strath SJ, O'Brien WL, Bassett DR Jr, Schmitz KH, Emplaincourt PO, Jacobs DR Jr, Leon AS. Compendium of Physical Activities - An update of activity codes and MET intensities. Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, 2000;32 (Suppl):S498-S516.