Calories Burned Walking Calculator

Walking is one of those forms of exercise that is easy to underestimate. It doesn’t necessarily leave you dripping with sweat or feeling as though you’ve done a workout, but it all counts.

If you want to know roughly how many calories you’ve burned on a walk, my calories burned walking calculator can give you an estimate based on your own walk rather than relying on a generic figure.

I particularly like walking because you don’t have to think of it as “exercise”. A walk around the park, wandering around on holiday, walking the dog or choosing to walk somewhere instead of driving all gets you moving.

Calories burnt walking calculator

The result from this calculator is an estimate rather than an exact measurement. Two people walking exactly the same distance won’t necessarily use exactly the same amount of energy.

Your body weight, pace, terrain, incline and even things such as fitness level can influence the amount of energy you use.

How do I use the walking calorie calculator?

Enter the information requested by the calculator about yourself and your walk.

Try to be as accurate as you reasonably can, but don’t worry about getting everything absolutely perfect. The answer is always going to be an estimate anyway.

The calculator is designed to give you a useful idea of your walking calorie burn rather than pretend it can tell you precisely what happened inside your body.

If you’re interested in the typical figures for different walking speeds, distances and body weights, I’ve also put together a guide to how many calories walking burns.

How are calories burned walking calculated?

Estimating calorie expenditure during exercise usually involves looking at the intensity of the activity alongside factors such as body weight and duration.

One commonly used way of describing exercise intensity is a MET, or Metabolic Equivalent of Task.

A gentle walk has a lower MET value than brisk walking, while walking quickly uphill requires more energy again.

That’s why simply saying “walking burns X calories an hour” isn’t particularly helpful.

The answer depends on who is walking and how they are walking.

Does your weight affect how many calories you burn walking?

Generally, yes.

Moving a larger body requires more energy, so a heavier person will usually burn more calories than a lighter person completing the same walk at the same speed.

This is one reason generic calorie figures can be misleading.

If an article says:

Walking for an hour burns 250 calories.

my immediate question is: for whom?

Someone weighing 9 stone and someone weighing 20 stone aren’t necessarily going to get the same result from exactly the same walk.

That’s why using your own information gives you a more useful estimate.

Does walking faster burn more calories?

Usually, walking faster increases the amount of energy you use because your body has to work harder.

But don’t feel that every walk needs to become a power-walking competition.

A slower walk still counts.

If you are new to exercise, returning after a break, living in a larger body or simply don’t feel particularly fit at the moment, start at a pace that feels comfortable.

You can gradually increase your pace or distance if you want to.

Does walking uphill burn more calories?

Walking uphill generally requires more effort than walking on a flat surface, so you’ll usually use more energy.

Anyone who has innocently turned a corner on a walk and discovered an enormous hill probably didn’t need a calculator to tell them that!

Terrain matters too.

Walking along a smooth pavement isn’t quite the same as walking across sand, muddy fields or uneven countryside.

This is another reason calorie-burn figures can only ever be estimates.

Does walking on a treadmill burn the same calories?

Treadmill walking can use a similar amount of energy to walking outdoors, but there are differences.

Outside you may encounter hills, wind, uneven ground and frequent changes of pace. A treadmill gives you much more control over speed and incline.

Increasing the treadmill incline can significantly change how demanding the walk feels.

The important thing is that both count as movement. Choose whichever you’re more likely to actually do.

How accurate are walking calorie calculators?

No online walking calorie calculator can tell you your exact calorie expenditure.

Even fitness watches and exercise machines are estimating.

The figures are best used as a guide.

Personally, I wouldn’t get too hung up on whether a walk burned 247 calories or 263 calories. There are simply too many variables for that level of precision to mean very much.

The useful information is the bigger picture.

A short gentle walk will generally use less energy than a long brisk walk. Hills usually require more effort than flat ground. Your body weight makes a difference.

That’s enough information for most of us.

Should I eat back the calories I’ve burned walking?

I’d be cautious about automatically adding estimated exercise calories onto what you eat.

Exercise calorie estimates can be inaccurate, sometimes considerably so.

If you are following a particular weight-loss programme or have been given individual dietary advice, follow the guidance appropriate to you rather than treating the calculator result as an exact number of additional calories you need to eat.

There are also plenty of reasons to walk that have nothing to do with compensating for food.

Walking isn’t only about burning calories

I know this is literally a calorie calculator, but I still think this is important.

It’s very easy when you’re trying to lose weight to start viewing every bit of movement in terms of what it “burned”.

I’ve certainly had periods in my life when numbers became far too important.

Walking can also simply get you outside, clear your head, improve your fitness, help you explore somewhere new, or give you half an hour away from everything else.

The calorie burn is only one small part of it.

Want to know how many calories different walks burn?

If you don’t want to use a calculator every time, I’ve also created a much more detailed guide to how many calories walking burns.

It includes example calorie estimates for different body weights, walking speeds and lengths of time, as well as answers to questions about 10,000 steps, walking a mile and walking for weight loss.

If you found this helpful please share!