When reputable nutritionists are asked how to lose weight and keep it off, they fall back on a simple formula -- reduce calorie intake and burn more calories.

But how do you know which activities will help you burn off those edible indulgences fastest?

The Calorie Control Council offers guidelines about how much energy you burn doing everything from jogging to taking care of household chores

Determining how many calories you burn is not an exact science, however. The numbers in our slideshow -- which are based on 30 minutes of exercise for someone weighing 150 pounds -- should only be used as an estimate of calorie expenditure.

Generally, heavier people will burn more calories in the same amount of time. And the council says that exercising harder and faster increases calories only slightly; to burn more calories, it is better to exercise for a longer time, the group says.

Slideshow: How Many Calories Does That Burn?