Steps to Calories
What ten thousand steps actually burns. It is less than people expect.
Reading your result
Fill in every field and the steps will be spelled out here.
How it is calculated
Ten thousand steps is roughly 400 kcal. Set against a bowl of rice at 300 or a packet of instant noodles at 500, walking is a poor instrument for undoing a meal. Its real returns show up in blood pressure, glucose control and mood.
Heavier bodies burn more over the same distance, because the work is moving mass. One consequence is that the same ten thousand steps burns slightly less as weight comes down.
Stride is inferred from height — about 41.5% of it on average, rising as pace increases. Where a watch disagrees with this figure, stride estimation is almost always the reason.
Frequently asked questions
Will 10,000 steps a day take weight off?
Slowly on its own. At roughly 400 kcal a day and 7,700 kcal to a kilogram of fat, that is close to three weeks per kilogram with everything else held constant. Paired with diet it earns its keep.
Why does my watch disagree?
Different stride estimation. Watches correct with GPS or accelerometer data; this uses height. Consistency of method matters more than the absolute number.
Does walking faster burn more?
Not much for the same distance — burn tracks distance and body mass. Walking faster does cover more ground in the same time, which is where the extra comes from.
A statistical estimate that varies with metabolism, terrain, pace and footwear. Not a basis for medical decisions.