Time to Burn a Food’s Calories
A MET is how many times harder than sitting still an activity is: walking about 3, jogging 7, running 10. Weight and MET give calories a minute; divide the food by it.
Your numbers
Minutes to burn
58min
Calories
8.6kcal
Hours
0.97h
Formula
Minutes to burn = Food calories ÷ (MET × 3.5 × Weight (kg) ÷ 200)
The “you would have to run an hour” figure also shows how much easier it is to eat less. Exercise for the other reasons, not the arithmetic.
What to enter
| Input | Default | Accepted range |
|---|---|---|
| Food calories (kcal)The calories in what you ate; take it from a label or an app. | 500 | 0 and up |
| Weight (kg) (kg)The second weight you are comparing against. | 70 | 1 and up |
| METHow many times harder than sitting still; walking is about 3. | 7 | 1 ~ 20 |
Step by step
Quick reference table
Results when only Food calories (kcal) changes and everything else stays put.
| Food calories (kcal) | Minutes to burn (min) | Calories (kcal) | Hours (h) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | 29 | 8.6 | 0.49 |
| 375 | 44 | 8.6 | 0.73 |
| 500 | 58 | 8.6 | 0.97 |
| 750 | 87 | 8.6 | 1.46 |
| 1,000 | 117 | 8.6 | 1.94 |
What each result means
| Result | At default values |
|---|---|
| Minutes to burn (min)How long it takes to burn that off with exercise. | 58 |
| Calories (kcal)Energy, in kilocalories. | 8.6 |
| Hours (h)A duration counted in hours. | 0.97 |
Common mistakes
The “you would have to run an hour” figure also shows how much easier it is to eat less. Exercise for the other reasons, not the arithmetic.
Glossary
- Food calories
- The calories in what you ate; take it from a label or an app.
- Weight (kg)
- The second weight you are comparing against.
- MET
- How many times harder than sitting still; walking is about 3.
- Minutes to burn
- How long it takes to burn that off with exercise.
- Calories
- Energy, in kilocalories.
- Hours
- A duration counted in hours.
Frequently asked questions
Q. How is Time to Burn a Food’s Calories calculated?
Minutes to burn = Food calories ÷ (MET × 3.5 × Weight (kg) ÷ 200) — A MET is how many times harder than sitting still an activity is: walking about 3, jogging 7, running 10. Weight and MET give calories a minute; divide the food by it.
Q. Can you walk through an example?
With Food calories 500kcal, Weight (kg) 70kg, MET 7, the answer is Minutes to burn 58min.
Q. What do I need to enter?
Enter Food calories, Weight (kg), MET. The result recalculates as you type, and an empty box counts as zero.
Q. How much does the answer move if I change a number?
Changing only Food calories (kcal) moves the answer to Food calories (kcal) 250 → Minutes to burn (min) 29 and Food calories (kcal) 1,000 → Minutes to burn (min) 117. The table below lays out five steps.
Q. How are the numbers rounded?
Money is shown to the nearest whole unit, percentages to one decimal place and everything else to two. What you see is rounded; the calculation itself carries the unrounded value forward.
Q. Anything to watch out for?
The “you would have to run an hour” figure also shows how much easier it is to eat less. Exercise for the other reasons, not the arithmetic.
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These calculators help you understand health figures; they do not replace diagnosis or prescription. See a clinician if you have symptoms.