Fewer calories used while watching TV than doing nothing at all?

By GauguinFan October 3, 2008 - 2:45pm

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I have read several times that we use up fewer calories while watching television than by doing nothing at all - like lying down and watching the ceiling!

Is this true? I know watching television is certainly a sedentary activity but it does stimulate the brain, especially if watching something educational - right? Or is this theory true?

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Diane Porter

Alysia, that's amazing. In both cases we're sitting still; in one case our arm is moving slightly (or our hands, in the case of a laptop) but that wouldn't account for 30 extra calories burned. It must be brain work! (I'm going to see if I can get my brain cells to ramp up and help more with my weight-loss efforts!)

Here are some more interesting counts of calories burned per hour (assuming a body weight of 160 pounds)

Walking at 2 mph -- 183
Walking at 3.5 mph -- 277
Bowling -- 219
Bicycling (leisure) -- 292
Hiking -- 438
Dancing -- 264
Lawn mowing -- 288
Laundry -- 100
Driving -- 90
Housecleaning -- 576

Looks like my house is going to be cleaner, and fast!

October 9, 2008 - 8:55am

alysiak

While calculating BMR (basal metabolic rate) and your calorie burn is a bit complicated, there are a few tools to help guesstimate.

Here's an easy calorie counter

and here's a straightforward explanation of how to calculate BMR and calorie burn.

USA Today published a chart of calories burned during exercise and typical daily activities. The chart shows that a 154lb person burns 70 calories watching TV, but 100 calories writing. It looks like the greater brain activity required for writing expends more energy than watching TV.

October 3, 2008 - 6:36pm