Fit and Well Logo

Our Policies About Us Contact Us

Home > Tools & Resources > Walking energy Calculator

Calculate the energy you burn Walking

Walking Energy Expenditure

By | Updated .

checked symbolFact Checked

Fact Checked

×

All the content published in our website is fact checked to validate its accuracy.
Visit our guidelines web page to learn more about our strict processes regarding how we review our content's sources: reliable and reputable journals, media websites, universities, colleges, organizations, and professionals.
Our articles are based on scientific evidence, and the references are included in its footnotes, which are clickable links to sound scientific papers.

First published: 13.Oct.2024

Overview

Walking is an easy way to increase your levels of physical activity.
It is inexpensive, you can do it anywhere, and it has a positive impact on your overall health.

It will improve your bone density, it can help you shed excess weight, and it is "joint-friendly."
Walking at a brisk pace is a moderate-intensity physical activity and contributes towards the minimum 150 minutes per week of moderate exercise recommended by the American Heart Association.

This webpage includes a calculator to help you work out how many calories you burn considering your weight, the distance covered, the gradient and the time spent walking. It is based on the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) formula.

In this Article (Index)

Energy used in Walking, a calculator

Introduction

Walking Program

woman walks along a beach in the sun, text quotes: WALKING IS MAN’s BEST MEDICINE - HYPPOCRATES
Walking has many health benefits

First Steps

Read this before you start any walking program

Before participating in any diet or exercise program or using any diet or fitness products or services that may be described on, or through Fit-and-Well.com, we strongly recommend that you consult with a physician or other healthcare provider.
Our Fitness and Wellness Content should not be used instead of professional advice given by qualified medical professionals such as your doctor or registered dietitian, or other Professional Care Provider.
Our Fitness and Wellness Content should only be used under qualified medical guidance. If you know or suspect that you may be pregnant, have an eating disorder, have diabetes, or have any other physical, psychological, emotional, or medical condition, seek the immediate advice of your doctor or before using our Fitness or Wellness Content.
Should you experience any discomfort or pain during an activity suggested in our Fitness or Wellness Content: such as a diet or an exercise routine, you must immediately cease the activity and seek the assistance of a physician or other applicable Professional Care Provider.

Our Walking Calculator Formula &Background

How does the calculator work?

With our calculator, you can find out how many calories you burn while walking.

We use the formula devised by the American College of Sports Medicine. (1)

In case you are curious, this is the formula:

  • VO2 (ml/kg min) = 0.1 x S (m/min) + 1.8 S * G % (m/min) + 3.5

Where VO2 is the oxygen consumed per kg of body weight per minute, S is the Speed, and G is the grade.

The oxygen demand is then converted into Kcal or kilocalories minute considering that 1 liter of Oxygen is roughly equivalent to 5 Kcal.
This value is in Kcal ⁄ kg min, so it is a measure of Power per kg of body mass.

Finally the figure is converted into energy and personalized considering the body weight of the person that walks. The value is in Kcal.

The Walking Calorie Burn Calculator

Please fill all the required fields, thank you.

Calculate the energy you expend walking our logo

Calculator
Calories Burned Walking

Select your units:

Enter your weight

× Missing input: fill in the missing Weight value in pounds (e.g. 187)

Enter your walking speed

× Missing input: fill in the missing speed in mph (e.g. 2.5)

Gradient

× Missing input : fill in the missing gradient as a (e.g. 5) if 5%, if flat ground type a zero: 0

Walking Time

× Missing input : fill in the missing time in minutes (e.g. 30)

Enter your weight

× Missing input: fill in the missing Weight value in kilos (e.g. 85)

Enter your walking speed

× Missing input : fill in the missing speed in km ⁄ h (e.g. 5)

Gradient

× Missing input : fill in the missing gradient as a (e.g. 5) if 5%, if flat ground type a zero: 0

Walking Time

× Missing input : fill in the missing time in minutes (e.g. 30)

Notes on our "Walking" Calculator

Energy values are given in Kilocalories, and abbreviated Cal., also called Calories (both with capital "C").

This calculator is for walking speeds ranging from 1.9 to 3.7 miles per hour (3-6 km ⁄ h). Speeds above 3.7 mph or 6 km ⁄h are considered as "running" and this calculator isn't valid.

The calculations are based on a caloric equivalnce of 1 liter of Oxygen inhaled equal to 5 Cal.

Medical Disclaimer page for full details on the scope of the information provided on our website.

Use the Walking Energy Burned calculator to lose weight

The calculator shows how much energy your body consumes while walking.

If you burn 250 Cal. each time you walk, and do it daily, in one week you will hav burned 1,750 Cal. Since burning 3,500 Cal. will eliminate one pund of fat. It will take you 2 weeks to do so with that burn-rate.

The Rule of 1 pound of fat equals 3,500 Calories

The truth behind the rule of the thumb is that it is not very accurate. Below we will explain why.

Wishnofsky's Rule

The famous rule that states that "3,500 calories are equivalent to one pound of fat" comes from a report published by Max Wishnofsky in 1958.

Wishnosfky asked "What is the caloric equivalent of one pound of body weight gained or lost?" and his conclusion was what we find mentioned in thousands of websites: 3,500 Kcal equals one pound of fat (Thomas, 2014) (2).

What exactly does this mean?

Wishnofsky's Rule implies that if you: Increase your energy output (by burning more calories), you can calculate how much weight you will lose by dividing these estra calories burned by 3,500. The result will be your daily weight loss in pounds of fat:

Let's see a simple example using an imaginary subject called Jane.

Jane burns 1,400 Calories per week, so according to Wishnofsky's Rule she will lose: 1,400 ⁄ 3500 lb of fat = 0.4 lb of fat per week

Closing Comments

The Calculating tool is approximate and depends on many factors, yet it is a reasonable rule of thumb to calculate the energy you will burn while walking.

Knowing the energy you consume is important if you want to lose weight. Combined with a physical activity program and a healthy and balanced diet it can help you lose weight.

References and Further Reading

(1) Glass, S. & Dwyer, G. (2012). ACSM's Metabolic Calculations Handbook

(2) Diana M. Thomas, et al., (2014). Time to Correctly Predict the Amount of Weight Loss with Dieting.J Acad Nutr Diet. 2014 Jun; 114(6): 857-861. 2014 Mar 31. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2014.02.003

About this Article

Calculate the energy you expend while you walk, A. Whittall

©2024 Fit-and-Well.com, 13 Oct. 2024. Update scheduled for 13 Oct. 2027. https://www.fit-and-well.com/resources/walking-energy-calculator.html

Tags: exercise, walking, weight loss

More Articles: Read on

orange juice, whole grain bread with seeds, blueberry, dry tomatoes and guacamole on a white rectangular dish

Breakfast and Weight Loss

Eat or skip breakfast? What is better for your weight loss plan? Those who eat breakfast tend to be slimmer than those who don't have it. Fast or feast?

More...

woman arms open wide in field of sunflowers

Energy & Vitality

Energy is physical, Vitality is psychological. Where does our body get its energy from? How can we become more vital and energetic?

More...

linkt to webpage. Text says: warm up exercises

Warm-Up Exercises

Warming up before doing exercise helps prevent injury to muscles, joints, and tendons. This is a list of warm-up exercises that you can complete in a 6-minute routine.

More...

Health Advice and Advertisements Disclaimer

The material appearing on Fit-and-Well.com is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

We do not endorse products or services that are advertised on the web site. Advertisers and advertisements that appear on this website are served by a third party advertising company.

Share

Our Social Media

visit our Facebook click to send us an e-mail visit our blog follow us on Instagram

Policies

Terms & Conditions

Privacy Policy

Affiliate Disclosure

Advertisement Policy

Don't Sell my Personal Information

Cookie Policy

Publishing Ethics

Editorial Guidelines

Medical Disclaimer

About

About Us

Contact Us

Accessibility

Site Map

Patagonia Wellness
Liniers 440, B1602 Florida, Buenos Aires, Argentina

E-mail: info@fit-and-well.com

Copyright © 2018 - 2024 Patagonia Wellness. All rights reserved.

Fit and Well: Health, Fitness, Diet & Food information website
Our website is a reliable source of up-to-date, scientifically proven information on health, fitness, wellbeing, diet, food, and nutrition.
Our mission: Educate and inspire with reflective evidence-based reasoning. Information and News that you can trust.

Last updated V.1