Estimate calories burned reading from your body weight and reading time, for quiet, aloud or standing reading, with calories per hour included.

Starts at 60 minutes (1 hour). Change it to your reading time.

MET values from the Adult Compendium of Physical Activities.

Optional settings

Reading Calories Formula

The calculator uses a simple body-weight, time, and activity-factor formula:

C = BW × T × F

For body weight entered in pounds, use F = 0.0103 for quiet seated reading (1.3 MET), 0.0119 for reading aloud (1.5 MET), and 0.0143 for reading while standing (1.8 MET). For body weight entered in kilograms, use F = 0.0228, 0.0263, and 0.0315 for those same reading styles.

  • C = calories burned
  • BW = body weight
  • T = reading time in minutes
  • F = reading factor

Reading Calories by Body Weight

The table below shows quiet seated reading calories for common body weights.

Body weight 30 minutes 60 minutes
120 lb 37 calories 74 calories
150 lb 46 calories 93 calories
180 lb 56 calories 111 calories
220 lb 68 calories 136 calories

How to Calculate Calories Burned While Reading

  1. Enter your body weight.
  2. Enter your total reading time in minutes.
  3. Use the standard reading factor for your reading style.
  4. Multiply body weight by time and the factor to get calories burned.

Example Problem:

Body weight = 150 lb

Reading time = 60 minutes

Quiet seated reading factor = 0.0103

C = 150 × 60 × 0.0103 = 92.7

What Raises Reading Calories?

  • Body weight: Higher body weight increases calorie burn at the same reading time.
  • Time: Longer reading sessions increase total calories linearly.
  • Posture: Standing while reading burns more than sitting quietly.
  • Speaking: Reading aloud adds more work than silent reading.