Free tool
Calories burned calculator
Pick an activity and a duration to see roughly what it costs you. Based on MET values from the Compendium of Physical Activities, scaled to your bodyweight.
Read this before you eat it back
The most common mistake in calorie tracking is eating back exercise calories. These numbers are estimates, they usually run high, and they include the calories you would have burned anyway just being alive during that hour.
If your calorie target came from a TDEE calculation, your usual exercise is already counted in the activity multiplier. Adding it again double-counts.
Use this to compare activities and to understand roughly what a session is worth — not as a budget to spend.
Perspective
Exercise is a poor way to create a deficit.
An hour of brisk walking for a 70 kg person is around 350 calories. That is roughly two samosas, or three rotis with ghee, or a large sweetened coffee. It is far easier not to eat 350 calories than to burn them.
That is not an argument against exercising — it is excellent for health, mood and keeping muscle while you diet. It is an argument for not relying on it to do the arithmetic.
| Activity | MET | 30 min at 70 kg |
|---|---|---|
| Yoga | 3.0 | ~110 kcal |
| Walking, normal | 3.5 | ~130 kcal |
| Cricket | 4.8 | ~175 kcal |
| Weight training | 5.0 | ~185 kcal |
| Walking, brisk | 5.0 | ~185 kcal |
| Cycling, moderate | 7.5 | ~275 kcal |
| Swimming | 8.0 | ~295 kcal |
| Running (9.5 km/h) | 9.8 | ~360 kcal |
| HIIT | 10.0 | ~370 kcal |
Frequently asked questions
Should I eat back the calories I burn?
Generally no, especially if your target came from a TDEE calculation that already includes your usual training. If you do a genuinely unusual session, eating back about half is a reasonable compromise.
Why is this lower than my watch says?
Most wearables report gross calories, including what you would have burned at rest anyway, and many overestimate besides. MET-based figures tend to be more conservative, which is the safer direction for weight loss.
Does BetterCal track exercise?
It reads steps and active calories from Apple Health and Health Connect and shows them on the home screen, so you can see the variation. It does not add them to your food budget.
Does building muscle raise my burn?
Yes, but modestly — roughly 13 kcal per kg of muscle per day at rest. The larger benefit is that training preserves muscle while you lose fat, which keeps your maintenance calories higher.
Next step
The intake side is where it is won.
BetterCal logs a full day in one sentence. Free to start on iPhone and Android.
