Enter your body weight and time spent sitting to calculate your calories burned sitting. A 150-pound person burns about 93 calories per hour sitting quietly.
Sitting Calories Burned Formula
The basic calculator uses a standard quiet-sitting pace. The advanced calculator lets you adjust the sitting style.
\text{Basic: Calories Burned} \approx \text{Body Weight}_{lb} \times \text{Minutes Sitting} \times 0.0103\text{Advanced: Calories Burned} \approx \text{Body Weight}_{lb} \times \text{Minutes Sitting} \times \text{Sitting Factor}Variable Definitions
- Body Weightlb = your body weight in pounds.
- Minutes Sitting = your total seated time in minutes.
- Sitting Factor = the rate used for your sitting style.
Sitting Factors
| Sitting Style | Factor | 150 lb for 30 min | 150 lb for 1 hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Very still or resting | 0.0079 | 36 calories | 71 calories |
| Sitting quietly | 0.0103 | 46 calories | 93 calories |
| Light seated activity | 0.0119 | 54 calories | 107 calories |
How to Use the Calculator
- Choose Basic or Advanced.
- Enter your body weight in pounds.
- Enter your sitting time in minutes.
- If you use Advanced, choose the sitting style that fits best.
- Click Calculate.
Calories Burned Sitting by Body Weight
The table below uses the standard quiet-sitting pace from the basic calculator.
| Body Weight | 30 Minutes | 1 Hour | 2 Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 120 lb | 37 calories | 74 calories | 149 calories |
| 150 lb | 46 calories | 93 calories | 186 calories |
| 180 lb | 56 calories | 111 calories | 223 calories |
| 200 lb | 62 calories | 124 calories | 248 calories |
Example
If you weigh 160 lb and sit quietly for 90 minutes:
\text{Calories Burned} \approx 160 \times 90 \times 0.0103 = 148.6That comes out to about 149 calories.
What Counts as Each Sitting Style?
- Very still or resting: passive sitting, waiting, or very little movement.
- Sitting quietly: reading, meetings, watching TV, or typical desk sitting.
- Light seated activity: typing, writing, gaming, or other seated tasks with more hand and upper-body movement.
Common Questions
- Should I enter minutes or hours?
- Enter your total sitting time in minutes. For 1 hour, enter 60.
- What does the basic calculator assume?
- It uses a standard quiet-sitting pace.
- Does a longer sitting session burn more calories?
- Yes. If body weight stays the same, doubling the time roughly doubles the calories burned.
