Fitness
How To Calculate Calories Burned Walking
Calorie burn from walking is a product of weight, duration and how hard you are walking, and the weight term is what most people leave out of the rough estimates they have seen.
Quick Answer
calories = 0.0175 x MET x weight in kg x minutes
- E
- Energy burned, in kilocalories
- M
- MET value of the walking pace
- W
- Body weight, in kilograms
- t
- Duration, in minutes
Take the MET value for your walking speed, multiply by body weight in kilograms and by minutes, then multiply by 0.0175. A 165 pound person walking at 3 mph for 45 minutes burns about 206 calories.
What Is Calories Burned Walking?
Calories burned walking is 0.0175 times the MET value of your pace, times body weight in kilograms, times the number of minutes. A 165 pound person walking at 3 mph for 45 minutes burns about 206 calories, and almost all of the variation in that figure comes from weight and speed.
A MET is a multiple of resting energy use, where sitting still is one MET. Walking slowly is around 2.8, a moderate walk around 3.5, a brisk walk around 4.3 and a very brisk walk around 5. The numbers are population averages, not personal measurements, but they are stable enough to be useful.
The constant 0.0175 comes from the conversion of one MET into kilocalories per kilogram per minute. It is not a magic number so much as a unit conversion, which is why the same constant appears in every version of the formula regardless of the activity.
Body weight appears in the formula because carrying more mass costs more energy to move. Two people walking the same route at the same pace do not burn the same number, and the heavier one burns more. Ignoring weight is what makes watch and app estimates feel inconsistent.
Duration matters linearly. Doubling the time doubles the calorie burn at the same pace and weight, which is why consistent daily walking accumulates faster than occasional long sessions.
Speed matters less than people expect within the ordinary walking range. Going from a 3 mph stroll to a brisk 3.5 mph raises the MET from 3.5 to 4.3, a gain of roughly a fifth. Covering more distance in the same time is more effective than walking the same distance faster.
Incline and terrain raise the MET substantially, and they are the reason treadmill sessions with a grade burn more than flat outdoor walks at the same speed. Carrying a load does the same thing, since a pack is extra mass the same way body weight is.
Fitness level changes efficiency slightly, because a trained person uses marginally less energy for the same work. The effect is small compared with weight and pace, so it is a rounding error in a practical estimate rather than something to model.
The result is an estimate of total energy for the session, not net calories or fat burned. The body burns energy at rest anyway, and the useful comparison for weight change is the additional energy above sitting, which is a smaller number.
Reported calorie figures on nutrition labels use kilocalories even though they are labelled calories. The unit is consistent between the formula and the label, so the comparison is fair, but the naming causes a standing confusion.
Finally, these estimates have real uncertainty. Heart rate monitors measure your response rather than an average, and the formula gives a reasonable central figure. For planning a deficit, a conservative number is more useful than an optimistic one.
Formula
E = 0.0175 x MET x W x t
Energy in kilocalories for a session. W must be kilograms; convert pounds by dividing by 2.20462.
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | Energy burned | kilocalories | Total energy for the session, in kilocalories. |
| M | MET value | ratio | Multiple of resting metabolism for the pace. |
| W | Body weight | kilograms | Body mass in kilograms, not pounds. |
| t | Duration | minutes | Length of the session, in minutes. |
per hour = 0.0175 x MET x W x 60
The same session energy divided by distance covered, which makes pace comparisons easier.
| Symbol | Meaning | Unit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| E | Energy burned | kilocalories | Total energy for the session. |
| d | Distance | miles | Distance covered, in miles. |
| E_hour | Per hour | kilocalories | Calories burned at that pace for a full hour. |
How To Calculate Calories Burned Walking
- 1
Convert body weight to kilograms
Divide pounds by 2.20462, so 165 pounds is about 74.8 kilograms. Using pounds directly inflates the answer by more than a factor of two.
- 2
Pick the MET value for the pace
About 2.8 for a slow stroll, 3.5 for a moderate walk, 4.3 for brisk and 5 for very brisk. If in doubt, take the slower figure.
- 3
Multiply MET by weight
3.5 times 74.8 kilograms is 261.9, which is the energy per minute before the unit conversion constant is applied.
- 4
Multiply by minutes and by 0.0175
261.9 times 45 minutes times 0.0175 is about 206 calories for the session. This is total energy, not extra energy above rest.
- 5
Divide by distance if you want a per mile figure
Multiply by sixty for the hourly rate, which is 275.0474 for the same pace and body weight.
Examples
Example 1: 165 pounds walking at 3 mph for 45 minutes
- Body weight
- 165
- Minutes
- 45
- Pace
- 3.5
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Weight in kilograms | 165 / 2.20462 | 74.8428 |
| Calories per hour | 0.0175 x 3.5 x 74.8428 x 60 | 275.0473 |
| Calories burned | 0.0175 x 3.5 x 74.8428 x 45 | 206.2855 |
Result: A 165 pound person burns 206.2855 calories walking at 3 mph for 45 minutes, which is 275.0473 per hour.
Example 2: The same walk at a brisk 4 mph pace
- Body weight
- 165
- Minutes
- 45
- Pace
- 5
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Weight in kilograms | 165 / 2.20462 | 74.8428 |
| Calories per hour | 0.0175 x 5 x 74.8428 x 60 | 392.9247 |
| Calories burned | 0.0175 x 5 x 74.8428 x 45 | 294.6935 |
Result: Bumping the pace to a very brisk walk lifts the burn to 294.6935 calories over the same 45 minutes.
Example 3: A longer 90-minute walk at a moderate pace
- Body weight
- 165
- Minutes
- 90
- Pace
- 3.5
| Step | Calculation | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Weight in kilograms | 165 / 2.20462 | 74.84283 |
| Miles covered | 3.5 x 90 / 60 | 5.25 |
| Calories per hour | 0.0175 x 3.5 x 74.84283 x 60 | 275.0474 |
| Calories burned | 0.0175 x 3.5 x 74.84283 x 90 | 412.5711 |
Result: Ninety minutes at a moderate pace burns 412.5711 calories, exactly one and a half times the 45 minute session.
Calculator
Calories burned
206.2856
- Calories per hour
- 275.0474
- Distance covered
- 2.625
- MET value
- 3.5
Values update as you type. This calculator covers the single scenario its formula assumes — see Common Mistakes for what it leaves out.
Prefer a full-width tool? Open the Calories Burned Walking calculator page.
Common Mistakes
Using body weight in pounds
The formula needs kilograms. Plugging in pounds inflates the result by more than double, which is why watch and app numbers sometimes look wildly high.
Comparing total energy with net energy
The formula gives the whole session including what you would have burned sitting. The extra above rest is a smaller and more honest number for planning.
Assuming calories equal fat burned
Energy comes from carbohydrate and fat together, and the split depends on intensity and duration. Calorie count is energy, not grams of fat.
Ignoring incline and terrain
Hills, stairs and a treadmill grade all raise the MET. A flat road figure applied to a hilly route understates the burn.
Treating the estimate as exact
It is a population average. Heart rate measured against weight and pace is more personal, but the formula is a reasonable central figure.
Boosting speed while cutting distance
Calories per mile rise with pace, but total energy is what changes the energy balance. A shorter faster session is not automatically better.
Forgetting that fitness changes efficiency a little
A trained mover uses marginally less energy for the same work. The effect is small, but it explains why identical estimates drift for regular walkers.
FAQ
How do I calculate calories burned walking?
Multiply 0.0175 by the MET value for your pace, by your weight in kilograms and by the minutes. A 165 pound person at 3 mph for 45 minutes gets about 206 calories.
How many calories does walking a mile burn?
It depends on pace and body weight. For a 165 pound person at a moderate pace it is roughly 79 calories per mile, and more at a brisker pace.
Why do I need my weight in kilograms?
Because the constant 0.0175 is defined per kilogram of body mass. Convert pounds by dividing by 2.20462 before using the formula.
Is walking 45 minutes a day enough to lose weight?
It burns roughly 206 calories for a 165 pound person, which contributes to a deficit. Weight change comes from the total daily balance rather than one session.
Does walking faster burn more calories?
Yes, but less than people expect within ordinary walking speeds. Going from 3 to 3.5 mph raises the MET from 3.5 to 4.3, roughly a fifth more.
Should I use total or net calories?
Total is the session figure. Net subtracts what you would have burned at rest, which is the more useful comparison when planning a calorie deficit.
References
- [1]Wikipedia, Metabolic equivalent of task — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent_of_task
- [2]Wikipedia, Walking — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walking
- [3]Wikipedia, Calorie — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calorie
- [4]Wikipedia, Energy expenditure — https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Energy_expenditure