Burning Calories at Work?

goldnanoparticle
goldnanoparticle Posts: 37 Member
edited September 29 in Fitness and Exercise
Hi everyone!

I've been told by various websites that you can lose 1.5 calories per minute by standing alone. I work at a coffee shop (predominately drive thru) where I am not only standing but scurrying around from here to there gathering food and drinks. Counting about half the time I spend walking, the other half I spend standing still.

When calculated, my five and a half hour shift today burned almost 1040 calories, leaving me in negative calories, even though I have eaten my fill today. It just does not make sense that I could lose that many calories during my shift (I would not be overweight if I could lose those calories so easily).

Does this high number of calories burned sound correct? If anyone has any insight, please let me know!

Replies

  • ericadesiree
    ericadesiree Posts: 27
    I don't have an answer but I was wondering the same exact thing!! I work at dunkin donuts and running around there all day has to burn quite a bit!!
  • jazzy1129
    jazzy1129 Posts: 39 Member
    The only way to accurately determine how many calories you are burning is a heart rate monitor. Wear it while you are at work and see what it says.
  • RebelliousRibbons
    RebelliousRibbons Posts: 391 Member
    I'd never count calories burned at work. After all, with all you did there before, you'd never lost weight. XD
  • feathergirlie
    feathergirlie Posts: 6
    Those are part of the calories that MFP calculates into calories burned "During Normal Daily Activity." Those do NOT count as exercise calories and should not be used as such. Those calories are counted in according to what setting you used for Activity Level (Sedentary, Lightly Active, Active, or Very Active)
  • michelledehority
    michelledehority Posts: 13
    i think that is already taken into consideration when you first start this and have to put how active you are at work.. so working is not really considered an exercise for calories to eat back in a day :(
  • quietlywinning
    quietlywinning Posts: 889 Member
    You already should have those calories figured into your lifestyle setting, so giving yourself "credit" for burning them again would be counting them twice.
  • tmarie2715
    tmarie2715 Posts: 1,111 Member
    The only way to accurately determine how many calories you are burning is a heart rate monitor. Wear it while you are at work and see what it says.

    What she says. I think you need to be breaking a sweat, which I highly doubt happens at a coffee stand.

    Also, baristas unite! ;P
  • ladyshills
    ladyshills Posts: 58
    Totally depends on your metabolism... A heart rate monitor is the only way to know for sure.
  • rwd5046
    rwd5046 Posts: 302
    Try wearing a HRM (Heart Rate Monitor) during your work shift. See how many calories you burn. I use a Polar FT4, not at work but to answer you questions try it and see. Let me know, I'm curious.
  • shanice_22
    shanice_22 Posts: 202 Member
    I've always wondered this myself as I work in a cinema an unless you are on box office, you are constantly standing up and moving around.

    Don't have a HRM though so will never know... I don't record calories burned from work though.
  • goldnanoparticle
    goldnanoparticle Posts: 37 Member
    Cool beans! That makes more sense. Thanks everyone!
  • kim_mc
    kim_mc Posts: 321 Member
    Those calories you are burning are just your day to day calories that you burn just living and when you enter in your activity level on MFP, it takes that into account. Those aren't calories that you count as 'exercise' calories. So if you have on your goals that you are lightly active, for example, the website figures that into your total daily calorie allowance. You would only enter in more calories burned if you actually worked out or did something above and beyond your daily living activities.:smile:
  • skoch8
    skoch8 Posts: 5
    I worked as a supervisor at a grocery store and was running around all day so I finally started using a pedometer just to see how much I was actually moving. Sometimes I would walk anywhere between 7,000 to 10,000 steps in 8 hours! That's how many steps you're suppose to get IN AN ENTIRE DAY! I definitely wouldn't count back the calories but it never hurts to be more active!
  • jabstar
    jabstar Posts: 1 Member
    I am a hairstylist... and i work my butt of and often break a sweat... i usually work 9 or 10 hour days but i only count about half of that in my daily "excersize" .... so i think doing 15 haircuts in a day is pretty good excersize.
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