How MyNetDiary gives you the most accurate tracking to estimate your calorie-burning efforts through MET (metabolic equivalents)
- 2 Minutes Read
Brenda Braslow, MS, RDN, LDN, CDCES - Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and Certified Diabetes Care and Education Specialist (CDCES)
If you're curious about how exercise and physical activity calories are estimated, learn how MyNetDiary uses metabolic equivalent (MET) formulas. Plus, get tips for accurate tracking and maximizing your calorie burning.
What is a metabolic equivalent (MET)?
MyNetDiary's built-in exercise calculator relies on the best science available for helping you estimate calories burned during exercise. Developed at Stanford University, the Adult Compendium of Physical Activities is a standardized way to assign intensity units to physical activity. More specifically, the units featured in the compendium are metabolic equivalents or MET.
MET is the energy ratio expended with a particular activity compared to the resting metabolic rate. One MET is defined as one kcal/kg/hour and is roughly equivalent to the energy cost of sitting quietly. The MET unit applies to various body weights of adults to estimate calories burned with different activities. For example, a 2.5 MET activity (i.e., Hatha yoga) requires two-and-a-half times the metabolic energy of sitting quietly.
Examples of different exercise intensity levels in metabolic equivalents (MET):
| Exercise intensity level | Exercise |
| Light (requires less than 3 MET) | Mild stretching 2.3 Operating snowblower, walking 2.5 Billiards 2.5 Playing catch football or baseball 2.5 Wall or lawn darts 2.5 Slow-pace walking 2.8 |
| Moderate (3-6 MET) |
Walking 4.0 mph, a very brisk pace 5.0 Resistance training (squats) 5.0 Low-impact aerobics 5.0 Golf, walking, pulling clubs 5.3 Water aerobics 5.5 Shoveling snow by hand 6.0 |
| Vigorous (greater than 6 MET) |
Walking uphill with ski poles 6.8 Stationary bicycling 7.0 Racquetball 7.0 Tennis 7.3 Bench step class 8.5 Jumping rope, moderate pace 11.8 |
Of course, MET calculations are estimates and are not 100% accurate. To get the most precise number, you would need to go into a science lab that measures your oxygen consumption during a specific exercise. And, yes, some factors will impact exact calorie expenditure in the exercise intensity scale, such as age, body temperature, your fitness level, and even sleep. Therefore, we can only rely on the best science-based calculations to estimate calories burned with specific exercises.
Common questions about tracking exercise with MyNetDiary
Should I add exercise calories to my calorie budget?
To maximize weight loss, most people turn off the toggle to add exercise calories to the calorie budget in Settings. Also, the simplest way to avoid overestimating your Daily Food Calorie Budget is to set your Activity Level to "sedentary" in the Plan section. The sedentary level accounts for ordinary, everyday activities. You can find additional information on activity levels in the Planning weight and calories article.
What if I can't find the exact exercise to record in the tracker?
If you cannot find the exact exercise to record, please look for the closest activity for tracking purposes.
How can I track activity most accurately?
To avoid overestimating calories burned, only count your exercise's active time. For example, if you take a 60-minute class, record the minutes you perform both cardio and resistance exercises.
Fitness devices offer the best solution for tracking interval workouts because they calculate calories expended based on measured heart rate. MyNetDiary syncs with such fitness trackers as Fitbit, Garmin Connect, and Withings. Also, devices featuring Apple Health or Google Fit sync data directly into the MyNetDiary app, so you do not have to enter the information manually.
How do you use the MyNetDiary Step Bonus feature?
Step Bonus is a feature available with Premium MyNetDiary membership. This feature allows you to capture extra calories burned for walking a lot more steps than what your Activity Level already includes. Turn on Step Bonus in Settings under Apps, Devices, and Services section. Step Bonus is a great way for nurses, mail carriers, and others to capture extra calories burned from steps above their Activity Level from being on their feet most of the day. You can learn more about Step Bonus here.
How can I bump up exercise intensity to burn more calories?
If you'd like to maximize your fitness and calorie burn, take a look at the Compendium of Physical Activities tables for ways to increase your metabolic equivalent (MET). For example, you could increase your walking pace from 2.0 mph (MET 2.8) to 3.5 mph (MET 4.3). Or you could increase leisure bicycling from 5.5 mph (MET 3.5) to 9.4 mph (MET 5.8). This will not only burn extra calories but can also help condition your body and respiratory system. Always check with your health care provider to get approval for more strenuous workouts.
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Exercise->Tips Exercise->Tracking
Dec 17, 2021
