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Treat Calorie Offset Calculator

See how many minutes of walking, jogging, cycling or swimming it takes to burn off a treat you enjoyed.

Treat calories

Body weight

Activity to offset with

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How it works

kcal/min = MET × 3.5 × weight(kg) ÷ 200 · minutes = treat calories ÷ kcal per minute

The standard way to estimate exercise energy use is the MET equation: calories per minute equal the activity’s MET value times 3.5 times your weight in kilograms, divided by 200. Dividing a treat’s calories by that per-minute burn shows how long you would have to move to offset it. The usual lesson is humbling — a small indulgence can take a surprisingly long workout to erase, which is why managing intake matters as much as exercise.

Worked example

A 300 kcal treat for a 170 lb (77 kg) person jogging (7 MET): kcal/min = 7 × 3.5 × 77 ÷ 200 ≈ 9.4, so 300 ÷ 9.4 ≈ 32 minutes of jogging to burn it off.

Frequently asked questions

Should I really try to "earn" or "burn off" every treat?

Not literally — an occasional treat fits fine within a sensible overall intake, and rigid earn-it thinking can fuel an unhealthy relationship with food. Use this as a reality check on exercise’s calorie cost, not a rule.

Why does the same treat take different times for different people?

Heavier people burn more calories per minute at the same activity, so they offset a treat faster. The MET formula scales the burn to your body weight.

Are these calorie burns exact?

They are estimates. Real burn varies with fitness, terrain, intensity and efficiency, and MET values are population averages. Treat the minutes as a ballpark, not a precise figure.

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This is a general educational estimate, not medical or dietary advice. Weight, body composition and energy needs respond differently for everyone — for a plan tailored to you, talk to a doctor or registered dietitian.