Calorie Burn Calculator

MET (Metabolic Equivalent of Task) represents the energy cost of an activity. 1 MET equals your resting metabolic rate. An activity with 5 METs burns 5x the calories of resting. Higher MET = more intense = more calories burned per minute.

Moving a heavier body requires more energy. A 90kg person burns about 30% more calories than a 70kg person doing the same activity. This is why the calculator asks for your weight—it significantly impacts the results.

Fitness improves efficiency, so you actually burn slightly fewer calories doing the same activity. However, improved fitness allows you to work harder and longer, potentially burning more overall. The net effect depends on how you train.

Roughly 7,700 calories equals 1kg of body fat. To lose 0.5kg per week, you need a daily deficit of ~550 calories through diet, exercise, or both. Sustainable fat loss typically ranges from 0.25-0.5kg per week.

It depends on your goals. For weight loss, eating back all exercise calories can stall progress. If using a TDEE that includes activity, you don't need to add more. If tracking exercise separately, eating back 50-75% is reasonable (calorie tracking often overestimates).

Yes, but the difference is often overstated. Muscle burns about 6 calories/kg/day at rest vs 2 for fat. Adding 5kg of muscle increases resting metabolism by ~20 calories/day. The bigger benefit is that muscle enables more intense exercise.

NEAT (Non-Exercise Activity Thermogenesis) includes all movement that isn't formal exercise: walking, fidgeting, standing, housework. NEAT can account for 15-50% of daily calorie burn and varies hugely between people. Increasing NEAT is often easier than adding gym time.