Hobbies burn calories, too!

jeleclekat
jeleclekat Posts: 124 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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
«1

Replies

  • Awkward30
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    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
    zaph0d Posts: 1,172 Member
    Careful, don't kid yourself. Those calories are basically factored into your daily activity level. I wouldn't count them separately.
  • jeleclekat
    jeleclekat Posts: 124 Member
    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
    amnsetie Posts: 666 Member
    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
    DaphneAtx Posts: 153
    Wear a heart rate monitor when cross stitching and see how many calories it says you burn.
  • EricInArlington
    EricInArlington Posts: 557 Member
    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
    Awkward30 Posts: 1,927 Member
    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
    hughtwalker Posts: 2,213 Member
    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
    LottieLou13 Posts: 574 Member
    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
    invisibubble Posts: 662 Member
    MFP doesn't subtract the amount of calories you burn just by living from its' activities.
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    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
    fiberartist219 Posts: 1,865 Member
    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
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    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
    Angela611 Posts: 1 Member
    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
    MaggiMoonwytch Posts: 12 Member
    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
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    edited June 2017
    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
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    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
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    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
    coreyreichle Posts: 1,039 Member
    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...

Categories