Calories burned doing this?

Karmynzahringer · February 2012

I know this is a long shot, but I am a wedding photographer and I spend a lot of time working on my bum in front of the computer. I used to wait tables and be on my feet walking for 8 hours a day, and part of my weight gain happened after I switched professions. I photographed a wedding yesterday for 8 hours, and only sat for about 5 minutes of that time (driving to reception) and the rest of the time am walking around, crouching down, getting on my knees to get a low angle shot, bending every which direction to get the right angle etc. I carry around about 5-10lbs of equipment all day, which is not a lot, but at the end of the day, my neck, back and feet are killing me! I went over by a little on my calories yesterday (ate way too many almonds because they were easy to bring a long and I was starving smelling the buffet!) and tried logging this as 8 hours of slow walking and it gave me over 1400 calories, I adjusted it to 4 hours, since part of the time I am standing in one spot, but wondering if you think I actually could have burned 700+ calories from doing the above? Perhaps I should not have logged it, but I can not STAND for my calories to go over and I had already done 30 day shred before going to work, and my back hurt so bad after that I could not fathom any more exercise for the day!!

scottb81 · February 2012

700 calories in 8 hours sounds reasonable.

MessageMando · September 2012

That doesn't sound exactly right. My suggestion for what its worth. I would temporarily update your diet/fitness profile to being Active. Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman). Then I would add about about 8 lbs to your body weight to allow for the equipment you carry around. Then I would see how many calories it suggests you eat based upon your weight loss/maintenance goals and go with that. By the way. My wife is a wedding photographer so I know what you're going through. Best of luck.

cordianet · September 2012

Maybe consider a fitbit? It will calculate this sort of thing for you.

nsmith6325 · September 2012

Check out a device like Fitbit (www.fitbit.com) and consider something like that to assist with this.

rwinsphoto · February 2013

For those of you who have not done a professional photo shoot, you have no idea how much physical and mental activity is expended. As mentioned: you are climbing, swatting unsupported, twisting, etc. But you are also expending a lot of energy thinking, organizing, communicating, worrying, etc.

During a professional shoot with creative directors, clients, models, and the like, I'll lose 1 to 3 lbs of my 150 lbs. I've documented this over 6 years. It is the best cardio workout! When you are lying on the ground and pulling your head up while twisting and shooting with 5 to 10 lbs of pro lenses, you've got a good crunch going on.

You say you are standing and not moving but in reality you are doing exercises standing in one spot (swatting, twisting, lifting, reaching, etc).

For an active photographer like a wedding photographer, 700 calories is low!

dgrjacobs · May 2013

So glad to find this on here! Just got done with an 8 hour wedding & am rewarding myself with beer

) That said, I am wondering if I can have just this one or if I earned an extra (perhaps 2... It was a crazy wedding!!). Thanks for posting this & I think you (I) probably burned at least 700 cals in 8 hours. My headache would say it was maybe double that -- haha! Glad I'm not the only one who finds photography to be a workout!

Also, in case anyone checks this again, I'm going to log it as 6 hours of walking. There was some "down time" where I was standing or sitting (very small amt of time), but I hate standing still, so mostly I'm moving.

Sycoholic · May 2013

I have easy days at work and hard days at work.... such is being in the Army. I don't log my calories burned at work because when I set up MFP for my daily caloric intake I set my activity level as the more strenuous one. To log anything I do that's not actual working out would be cheating myself. I'd rather try to hit a goal that's hard to hit, be over a few hundred and lose weight, than pad my workout calories and wonder why I'm not losing weight.

millzy64 · May 2013

I'm a photographer also and was just trying to figure this out. I shot a wedding on Saturday and was wondering the same thing. I found this description on the fitday website. This is about as close a description (minus carrying the weight of the camera all day) that I could find but it seemed pretty reasonable. According to my age, height and weight, I was burning 109 calories an hour.

http://www.fitday.com/webfit/burned/calories_burned_Standing_light_bartending_store_clerk_assembling_filing_xeroxing_put_up_Christmas_tree_.html

almc170 · May 2013

If this is something you do on a regular basis, you might consider changing your activity level setting instead of trying to add it as exercised.

socioseguro · May 2013

I suggest you try a Heart Rate Monitor (HRM) for your physical activities.

I use mine for my daily workout and also while I am gardening. Yesterday, I burned 109 calories while gardening 1 hour. All that pulling weeds, pruning bushes and lifting mulch pays off.

Hope it helps

melissam353 · June 2014

I just did exactly the same last night-- 8hr wedding, 10lbs of equipment (2 cameras) no sitting all day but plenty of squatting/crouching/standing/running up hills at a golf course...

I logged my equipment as a strength train- 10lbs, 100sets, 10reps (that's for 1,000 photos taken). I am also confused about the calories burned so I googled "8hrs standing calories burned". I found it was about 912 calories which I logged as cardio. That is an underestimate because of all the 'other movements' and all the walking, but it at least got me to where I could forgive myself for the 2 large glasses of lemonade I gulped down at the reception. Good luck with your weddings and your fitness!!

Calories burned doing this?

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