Standing vs Walking: Energy Balance Example

Updated 7.24.2014; reformatted 8.22.2015
So I went on vacation to visit family and put on a few pounds. I've returned home and resumed my "maintenance" habits. I'm documenting how my weight is changing in response. I stepped on the scale this morning (actually it was 7/23) and my weight is down another pound.

A Hard truth

For those keeping score (only me, I realize) that's the third pound "lost" since coming home. So I should be a pound away from where I was before vacation. And so I am. BUT the hard truth is that I've been slowing adding weight since the spring, so that I was about 5 lbs from my lowest weight. My weight has been fairly steady there for the past two months before the trip. The four pounds from the vacation were on top of that.

Oh noes... could this be the endocrine-chaos that some long term maintainers claim makes maintenance so difficult? NO. It's the result of my moving less. Since spring I've not been using my treadmill desk due to various circumstances. I do still stand while I work, in fact, I'm standing now as I type. But I'm not walking and typing.

Standing vs Walking

Obviously, plodding along while working expends more energy than standing. Thus I'm moving less, but eating the same amount and my weight increased. The energy balance applied.

According to these results, standing expends 0.37 kcal (calories) per kilogram of fat free mass per hour. Walking at 1 mph expends 0.68 kcal per kg per hour, or almost twice as much. Walking at 2 mph (my typical speed while using the treadmill desk) expends 1.02 kcal/kg/h, or almost three times as much as standing. Note that these are per fat free mass, not total body weight.

The jogging that I've been doing three times a week clearly has not made of the difference between walking while working all day and standing while working. My weight prior to the vacation had stabilized at the slightly higher level, I wasn't still adding weight.

So the obvious answer is to go back to using the treadmill desk. And I've started to do that. But here's another hard truth: I think I'm more productive standing than walking. I can read effectively while walking, but I've found that actual content creation is easier if I'm not also moving.

It pains me to have to write and admit that, because I am such a fan of the treadmill desk, but there it is. Part of the issue might be the noise level. My treadmill desk is homemade, and built on a 15+ year old treadmill that is not quiet while operating. This means I can't use the phone while walking, but it also means that it's never quiet in the office while I'm trying to think. A year or so ago I also got a hearing aid, and the constant noise of the treadmill shortened the life of the batteries for the aid as well. Of course, perhaps having the aid is part of the problem since now the noise seems louder to me.

Of course, noise wouldn't be an issue if I had a LifeSpan Treadmill Desk, which was designed for use in an office environment and so is much quieter.

In any event, for the time being I have once again altered my work habits. I do still use the treadmill desk, particularly if I'm doing a lot of reading. But for the bulk of the my day, I've gone back to the standing desk. The treadmill is in my basement, which affords no natural lighting, in contrast, the standing standing desk can be positioned right by the window. I prefer working by natural light whenever I can, and I also enjoy the quieter work space as well. I remain a huge believer in the treadmill desk concept.

The Bottom Line

The small amount of weight that I added back once I stopped walking while working isn't a huge problem. I still weigh less than I did in high school, and less than I ever thought I'd weigh again when I was at my heaviest. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy being at the lower weight. But I don't really want to eat any less, though I have been trying to eat more fruits and vegetables. So the only other options are to drink a bit less adult beverage (which is a good idea anyway) and move a bit more.

The jogging is part of that, and so far my knees and feet are fine with it. It could be that this will be my new size, and that's the end of it. After the vacation, I'm definitely a bit more aware of what I'm eating (though not counting or weighing.) I'll see what happens once the vacation adjustment is over.

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