How to use the walking calories calculator
- Enter your body weight and choose pounds or kilograms.
- Enter the minutes you walked and your speed in miles per hour or kilometers per hour.
- Read the gross calories in the headline and the above resting (net) figure beneath it.
- If you know the MET value for your walk, open More options, enter it and the speed table is skipped. Then Copy, Print or export the CSV.
Formula
gross calories = MET x weight in kg x hours
net calories = (MET - 1) x weight in kg x hours
MET at your speed = straight-line steps between the example speeds below
A MET is a multiple of resting energy use, and 1 MET is the resting rate. The example MET values run from 2.8 at 2.0 mph up to 8.3 at 5.0 mph. Calories here means kilocalories.
160 pounds for 45 minutes at 3.5 mph
160 pounds is 72.57 kg and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours. At 3.5 mph the example table gives a MET of 4.3, so gross calories are 4.3 x 72.57 x 0.75 = 234.05, shown as 234.
Above resting, (4.3 - 1) x 72.57 x 0.75 = 179.62, shown as 180. The walk covers 2.63 miles, which is about 89 gross calories per mile.
Gross and net calories
Gross calories include what your body would have used anyway during those minutes. Net calories take out the resting amount and show only the extra effort. Fitness apps differ on which they report, so the page shows both and labels them.
If you are comparing with an app or watch, check which figure it shows before deciding the numbers disagree.
Where the MET values come from
MET values in published activity compendiums were measured in groups of people walking at fixed speeds. The values in the table on the page are editable examples in the same style, joined by straight lines so any speed in the range gets a value. They are not official figures and they are not tuned to you.
Hills, loads, pushing a stroller and uneven ground all raise the real effort, and a short stride lowers it. For a walk that is unusual, type your own MET. For a fuller picture of daily energy use, see the TDEE and BMR calculator, and the steps to miles converter turns a step count into a distance.
Assumptions and limits
- The speed table covers 2 to 5 mph (3.2 to 8.0 km/h). Speeds outside it are refused unless you enter your own MET.
- MET values are group averages shown as editable examples. Your own burn can differ by 20% or more.
- Time must be more than zero and no more than 24 hours.
- This is general information and not medical or nutrition advice. Nothing is stored or uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
How many calories does a 45 minute walk burn?
It depends on your weight and pace. For a 160 pound person walking 3.5 mph, the example table gives about 234 gross calories, or about 180 above resting. Enter your own weight and speed above for your figure.
What is a MET?
A MET is a multiple of the energy you use at rest. Walking at a brisk pace might be about four times resting use, written 4 METs. Calories are the MET times body weight in kilograms times hours.
Why does the page ask for speed in a range?
The example MET table is only listed for speeds from 2 to 5 miles per hour. Outside that range a straight-line guess would be unreliable, so the page asks you to enter a MET value you trust.
Are the calories above resting the better number?
Neither is better. Net calories show the extra effort, while gross calories include what you would have used anyway. Use the same one each time when you compare walks.