Hobbies burn calories, too!

jeleclekat

Don't forget your favorite hobby burns calories, too. We seldom think of it, I do a lot of cross stitching, 3-5 hours a day. Sewing doesn't sound like much but at burning 183 calories an hour, it adds up quickly. You can search online or go to this site to find yours.
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/Activity_Calorie_Calculator.asp

amnsetie

You might find that is already calculated in.
Be careful about eating back calories from needlepoint.

If you are running around cutting material etc you may burn more, also cleaning house involves some of the larger muscle groups so it may be ok to count some cleaning, but only if you set your activity as sedentary.

Awkward30

I don't mean this condescendingly, but you probably shouldn't eat back those calories. You have to remember that you would also burn calories doing nothing, and the amount MFP wants you to eat includes that

zaph0d

Careful, don't kid yourself. Those calories are basically factored into your daily activity level. I wouldn't count them separately.

jeleclekat

All may be right, I lead a very sedentary lifestyle (disabled) where I sit all day. The cross stitch is the only activity I do. I know MFP Ffigures caloric needs based on activity level.. It would seem then that active people who work out, and have a higher caloric value wouldn't add theirs in as it would already be figured in..?

And I do do notice in the food diary, that MFP figures it in as bonus calories. To me, if it was already figured in, why would they add it again, the same as someone doing cardio or strength? Movemnet is movement.

amnsetie

I guess depending on your disability the sewing could be more strenuous for you than for some people. For instance if you are fighting pain or muscular problems.
Personally I don't trust that site I think it includes your base metabolic rate which is also included in mfp. You could double up
And I couldn't find it in the exercise list on mfp
If you do walking even around the house you could count that. and seated exercise.
House cleaning I agree with, it can take a lot of energy.
I agree the movement is movement and get cained on line for including cleaning.
I have heard fidgeting can burn up to 300 cals a day but that does include pacing and stretching.
be good to yourself and don't log too much for it.
the sewing is good for your mind so do it and enjoy.
the extra calories it may burn are better treated as a bonus.

DaphneAtx

Wear a heart rate monitor when cross stitching and see how many calories it says you burn.

EricInArlington

Don't forget your favorite hobby burns calories, too. We seldom think of it, I do a lot of cross stitching, 3-5 hours a day. Sewing doesn't sound like much but at burning 183 calories an hour, it adds up quickly. You can search online or go to this site to find yours.
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/Activity_Calorie_Calculator.asp

183CalPH wow! I would have guessed somewhere around 0.0-0.1

Awkward30

Wear a heart rate monitor when cross stitching and see how many calories it says you burn.

Heart rate monitors only work for actual working out. I wore one all day and it was like a thousand calories higher than my bodybugg, which is made to be used all day.

Also, if I go to the gym and burn 600 calories, and would have burned 60 calories, I'm overestimating by 10%. If I log 3 hours of an activity that burns 90 cals per hour, I'm logging 270 but only burning 90 calories more than I would have sitting on my butt.

hughtwalker

Well, if you can have cross-stitch then I'm definitely having singing (standing up and sitting down repeatedly at the whim of the person waving his [or her] arms as if trying to attract my attention).

LottieLou13

I crochet for up to 8 hours a day and over the course of a year I slowly gained around 6lbs. Maybe if the hobby was something like gardening or something like that then maaaaaybe....it would burn slightly higher calories than sedentry. But fibre arts...no.

invisibubble

MFP doesn't subtract the amount of calories you burn just by living from its' activities.

beattie1

Well, if you can have cross-stitch then I'm definitely having singing (standing up and sitting down repeatedly at the whim of the person waving his [or her] arms as if trying to attract my attention).

I have choir rehearsals or performance as one of my activities. I looked up the calories for standing on here -
http://caloriecount.about.com/activities-miscellaneous-ac9
and count it as 136 calories per hour. I don't eat them all back as I think the calorie counts on that website include the calories you would have used just by existing, and they're already accounted for on MFP.

On the other website, calories burned sitting doing light arts and crafts comes to 102 per hour assuming a body weight of 150lbs http://caloriecount.about.com/calories-burned-sitting-arts-crafts-a190
I looked up the calories burned lying quietly & doing nothing & they're 68 per hour assuming a body weight of 150lbs, so your cross stitch is probably adding about 190-68 = 122 calories per hour, give or take.

fiberartist219

Wouldn't it be 102-68=34 extra calories per hour?

Who knows... but I wouldn't count sewing as a workout and then eat back the calories. It doesn't do anything to make my muscles stronger or help my respiratory system like cardio or strength training would.

I love sewing, but I don't consider it to have a lot of physical activity. It is mentally stimulating and a lot of fun, but it's not exercise.

I really feel like you should do as much as you can physically. Even if you are in a wheelchair, if you have mobility in your arms, see how often you can lift dumbbells with your arms or push your wheelchair around or something. Disability does not have to mean that you can't exercise.

beattie1

Wouldn't it be 102-68=34 extra calories per hour?

Who knows... but I wouldn't count sewing as a workout and then eat back the calories. It doesn't do anything to make my muscles stronger or help my respiratory system like cardio or strength training would.

I love sewing, but I don't consider it to have a lot of physical activity. It is mentally stimulating and a lot of fun, but it's not exercise.

I really feel like you should do as much as you can physically. Even if you are in a wheelchair, if you have mobility in your arms, see how often you can lift dumbbells with your arms or push your wheelchair around or something. Disability does not have to mean that you can't exercise.

Sorry, you're absolutely right! Where did I get 190 from? Duh!

Angela611

Moving is moving, I sew a few hours out of everyday and if you were a sewer you would know that it isn't all seated, cutting out patterns, ironing, and the actual running of the sewing machine are all physical activity that use major muscle groups. The lady asked a question and everyone knocked the question down. Sewing is my hobby and you better believe I burn every bit of those calories, but just so you all know I never eat over my original number of calories.

MaggiMoonwytch

Sedentary hobbies such as knitting, crochet and cross stitch burn roughly an extra 30 calories an hour over your BMR according to my online research.

rainbowbow

fiberartist219 wrote: »

Wouldn't it be 102-68=34 extra calories per hour?

Who knows... but I wouldn't count sewing as a workout and then eat back the calories. It doesn't do anything to make my muscles stronger or help my respiratory system like cardio or strength training would.

I love sewing, but I don't consider it to have a lot of physical activity. It is mentally stimulating and a lot of fun, but it's not exercise.

I really feel like you should do as much as you can physically. Even if you are in a wheelchair, if you have mobility in your arms, see how often you can lift dumbbells with your arms or push your wheelchair around or something. Disability does not have to mean that you can't exercise.

Yes. That's exactly what i was going to say. So don't eat back those calories OP.

singingflutelady

rainbowbow wrote: »

fiberartist219 wrote: »

Wouldn't it be 102-68=34 extra calories per hour?

Who knows... but I wouldn't count sewing as a workout and then eat back the calories. It doesn't do anything to make my muscles stronger or help my respiratory system like cardio or strength training would.

I love sewing, but I don't consider it to have a lot of physical activity. It is mentally stimulating and a lot of fun, but it's not exercise.

I really feel like you should do as much as you can physically. Even if you are in a wheelchair, if you have mobility in your arms, see how often you can lift dumbbells with your arms or push your wheelchair around or something. Disability does not have to mean that you can't exercise.

Yes. That's exactly what i was going to say. So don't eat back those calories OP.

Zombie thread

rainbowbow

singingflutelady wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

fiberartist219 wrote: »

Wouldn't it be 102-68=34 extra calories per hour?

Who knows... but I wouldn't count sewing as a workout and then eat back the calories. It doesn't do anything to make my muscles stronger or help my respiratory system like cardio or strength training would.

I love sewing, but I don't consider it to have a lot of physical activity. It is mentally stimulating and a lot of fun, but it's not exercise.

I really feel like you should do as much as you can physically. Even if you are in a wheelchair, if you have mobility in your arms, see how often you can lift dumbbells with your arms or push your wheelchair around or something. Disability does not have to mean that you can't exercise.

Yes. That's exactly what i was going to say. So don't eat back those calories OP.

Zombie thread

UGH! I totally didn't see that.

coreyreichle

jeleclekat wrote: »

Don't forget your favorite hobby burns calories, too. We seldom think of it, I do a lot of cross stitching, 3-5 hours a day. Sewing doesn't sound like much but at burning 183 calories an hour, it adds up quickly. You can search online or go to this site to find yours.
http://www.my-calorie-counter.com/Activity_Calorie_Calculator.asp

Um, I really doubt sitting on your derriere burns 183 cals/hr above and beyond your BMR...

RamboKitty87

I love to read so much so I involve that hobby that can involve sitting around into reading when I use my exercise bike, that way I am working out and I am reading and I can exercise longer than I would be able to if I was not reading hehe

rainbowbow

RamboKitty87 wrote: »

I love to read so much so I involve that hobby that can involve sitting around into reading when I use my exercise bike, that way I am working out and I am reading and I can exercise longer than I would be able to if I was not reading hehe

I do this with audiobooks. Almost all cardio and household chores are done to audiobooks. I'm currently reading: The third book in the court of thornes and roses series and Wild: from lost to found on the Appalachian trail.

annacole94

I also listen to audio books a lot, while walking at lunch and while biking. It's definitely more attractive for me to exercise if I've got a good book on the go. My library has three different app options to borrow audio books for free.

Francl27

Lol why bump this? now everyone's going to think that sewing burns calories.

qpmomma1

Francl27 wrote: »

Lol why bump this? now everyone's going to think that sewing burns calories.

How do people even find these old threads?? lol

Need2Exerc1se

LottieLou13 wrote: »

I crochet for up to 8 hours a day and over the course of a year I slowly gained around 6lbs. Maybe if the hobby was something like gardening or something like that then maaaaaybe....it would burn slightly higher calories than sedentry. But fibre arts...no.

Gardening can burn a lot of calories, but it does depend on the type of gardening activity. Pulling up weeds is not going to burn a whole lot, though certainly more than being sedentary. But digging with a hoe or shovel, tilling, building or putting in new beds, lugging fertilizer or dirt, etc. can burn as much as many gym workouts.

Dnarules

rainbowbow wrote: »

RamboKitty87 wrote: »

I love to read so much so I involve that hobby that can involve sitting around into reading when I use my exercise bike, that way I am working out and I am reading and I can exercise longer than I would be able to if I was not reading hehe

I do this with audiobooks. Almost all cardio and household chores are done to audiobooks. I'm currently reading: The third book in the court of thornes and roses series and Wild: from lost to found on the Appalachian trail.

Isn't it the Pacific Coast Trail. Not that it matters , but I have read that book twice.

beaglady

Be careful about counting the activity as 'extra' if you have your activity level set to Sedentary. I'm an office worker with a fitbit, and a few weeks ago, I enabled negative calories here on MFP. I discovered that, even with walking at least a mile on the treadmill every day at lunchtime, MFP is still subtracting calories during my workday, due to inactivity.

rainbowbow

Dnarules wrote: »

rainbowbow wrote: »

RamboKitty87 wrote: »

I love to read so much so I involve that hobby that can involve sitting around into reading when I use my exercise bike, that way I am working out and I am reading and I can exercise longer than I would be able to if I was not reading hehe

I do this with audiobooks. Almost all cardio and household chores are done to audiobooks. I'm currently reading: The third book in the court of thornes and roses series and Wild: from lost to found on the Appalachian trail.

Isn't it the Pacific Coast Trail. Not that it matters , but I have read that book twice.

Yes! I just started it and couldn't remember. Only the "from lost to found" part. LOL

I'm hoping I enjoy it.

hesn92

How do these old posts keep getting pushed to the top? Who is going out looking for old posts?? Lol