Do you count carrying babies all day as calories burned?

FineFitFatty

I'd call it parenthood, and you don't get any extra points for it.

And you're clearly not a parent

FineFitFatty

OP, you should not be set at sedentary. You should be set at lightly active and eat back exercise calories. Or you can just deduct a deficit from your TDEE (which already accounts for exercise calories when calculated properly) and eat a steady amount day to day.

Thank you... this answered my question!!

welly5

I agree with the people saying change it to lightly active. I chose sedentary because I literally sit at my desk from the moment I start working until I go home. I try to get up and stretch every once in a while but other than that.. sitting. allllll day long (harder than it sounds!)

Being on your feet, carrying things, generally moving is being lightly active.

BinaryPulsar

OP, you should not be set at sedentary. You should be set at lightly active and eat back exercise calories. Or you can just deduct a deficit from your TDEE (which already accounts for exercise calories when calculated properly) and eat a steady amount day to day.

Thank you... this answered my question!!

You're Welcome!

1ConcreteGirl

I have never actually carried a baby, but my understanding is that they sit in your stomach and absorb all calories consumed, like a basketball-shaped tapeworm.

melindasuefritz

ye s its under w alking carrying infant or 15 pound load

FineFitFatty

I have my activity level set at sedentary and eat at my TDEE based on that, figuring that daily activities + exercise create quite a deficit. What I didn't think about until recently is how active my life actually is - constantly holding, carrying a baby and toddler, chasing the toddler around, lifting the huge stroller and car seat in and out of car, and of course bouncing baby to sleep multiple times a day. I am basically only sitting down at night when they are sleeping, or when I'm giving a bottle or driving. That has to add up to a lot of calories burnt right? Would you set your activity level to lightly active instead?

Well to a point. Realize that if a lot of calories were burned, then new moms/moms to toddlers wouldn't be a big population here.

Ha! True!

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_SusieQ_

I'd call it parenthood, and you don't get any extra points for it.

And you're clearly not a parent

Actually, yes he is. So clearly assumptions aren't your forte.

Gwen_B

I only count exercise as exercise!! Everything else is just extra!!

jennifershoo

I want to eat below my TDEE to lose fat, correct? \

Yes, eat below your TDEE to lose weight.

Because I only workout three times a week, I incorporate that into my deficit. At moderately active, my TDEE is 2250... say that is the case, my deficit is only a daily average of 500 cals. That's a pound a week.

Thats not how weight loss works. You don't eat 3500 deficit and lose a pound or 7000 deficit and lose 2 pounds. Its not that simple and shouldn't be calculated in such a manner. If it did function like that than you wouldnt have 300 pound individuals eating at a ~600 calorie deficit and losing 3 pounds a week.
Beyond that your math is just off. You're TDEE isnt 1750 cuz you're not sedentary. It means Total Daily Energy Expenditure.


Rather than argue I'll just make a suggestion and be done with this. Eat at 2250 for 2 weeks and eat back your exercise calories on workout days. If you dont see weight loss than drop 50 calories a week until its coming off at a healthy satisfying rate. All this time continue to at back your exercise calories. Its that simple.

If your ultimate plan is to crash diet for the summer than go ahead. I cant stop you and you wont be alone. In that case I'd suggest the ultimate handbook to rapid fatloss, but, it can most definitely have its ugly repercussions.

Dude, up to now I was agreeing with our posts but now You're losing me. Of course, if you eat 500 cals NET daily under your TDEE, you're supposed to lose a pound a week. That's how it works.

mackemom

yes, get the Bodymedia armband...it syncs with this site, tells you what you are actually burning everyday...you are probably burning a lot

robin52077

you are ACTIVE, not even lightly...

set it at active, choose "lose 1 pound a week", and eat it all plus extra for purposeful exercise above and beyond normal life activities.

once you are within "healthy range" and looking for vanity pounds only, change it to half a pound per week and eat more.

Oishii

While I love my fitbit, it doesn't take into account what you're carrying at all, so may still under-estimate your burn.

RunnerElizabeth

Carrying babies around is exhausting, but it isn't excercise. I don't even count walks with my daughter in the stroller, even if we go for 5 miles plus. Of course I don't believe in owning a car, so walking to me is the equivalent of getting in my car. It's transportation not exercise.

I do run and sometimes I run with my daughter in the stroller. I just count it as running at whatever speed I'm running, so an 8 mile run with my daughter I'd log as 90 mins running at 5.2mph so I'd actually log it as fewer calories than i would if I went for an 8 mile run solo run because I would run that at a pace of 6 to 6.7 mph.

So why am I so careful about this stuff? Because after I went back to work after my daughter was born, I thought I was active because I was constantly on my feet (single mom, no car), but between 2010 and 2012, I gained 10 lbs (hadn't lost all the baby weight before that either) so I started running, counting calories and purposely underestimating my calorie burn and now I'm just a tiny bit above my goal weight.

The point is if you want to change your activity level to lightly active for a little while, you could always try it out, keep notes about your progress and see if it's working out for you. Change back if you're not progressing.

FineFitFatty

I'd call it parenthood, and you don't get any extra points for it.

And you're clearly not a parent

Actually, yes he is. So clearly assumptions aren't your forte.

Well then my faulty assumptions are that if you're defending that statement, then you are definitely not a parent. Caring for young ones 12 hours a day, is most definitely, labor intensive. Especially once they are moving. And especially if you're out of the house a lot. There are a lot of variables, but it requires more activity than any other typical job.

bgudwien

I have my activity level set at sedentary and eat at my TDEE based on that, figuring that daily activities + exercise create quite a deficit. What I didn't think about until recently is how active my life actually is - constantly holding, carrying a baby and toddler, chasing the toddler around, lifting the huge stroller and car seat in and out of car, and of course bouncing baby to sleep multiple times a day. I am basically only sitting down at night when they are sleeping, or when I'm giving a bottle or driving. That has to add up to a lot of calories burnt right? Would you set your activity level to lightly active instead?

I would definitely consider that lightly active! I have two boys myself, and am constantly moving.

FineFitFatty

So why am I so careful about this stuff? Because after I went back to work after my daughter was born, I thought I was active because I was constantly on my feet (single mom, no car), but between 2010 and 2012, I gained 10 lbs (hadn't lost all the baby weight before that either) so I started running, counting calories and purposely underestimating my calorie burn and now I'm just a tiny bit above my goal weight.

This part is exactly what I was worried about and why I just set my activity level at sedentary to be sure, sure, sure that I was in a deficit and not underestimating calories.... especially considering part of my workout is lifting.

Lone_Wolf70

i just want ppl on my FL seeing this title show up on my feed.

Oishii

While I love my fitbit, it doesn't take into account what you're carrying at all, so may still under-estimate your burn.

BinaryPulsar

So why am I so careful about this stuff? Because after I went back to work after my daughter was born, I thought I was active because I was constantly on my feet (single mom, no car), but between 2010 and 2012, I gained 10 lbs (hadn't lost all the baby weight before that either) so I started running, counting calories and purposely underestimating my calorie burn and now I'm just a tiny bit above my goal weight.

This part is exactly what I was worried about and why I just set my activity level at sedentary to be sure, sure, sure that I was in a deficit and not underestimating calories.... especially considering part of my workout is lifting.

Just remember that different people do have different TDEE's. I am 5'2" and very small. I was eating 2500 to 3000 calories a day after having my babies and was back to not only my pre-pregnancy weight, but also fitness level 7 months postpartum and did not look like I had ever had any children (and I was extremely fit before my babies, as a professional dancer). I was very active (sounds like you are as well).

J3nnyV

Double post

J3nnyV

My opinion is a bit different...I was sedentary when I worked full time in an office. I have mine set to moderately active now that I'm a busy mom of a two year old and a six month old (I wear him for hours every day). I still count exercise points on top of all that if I take the kids out for a long walk and am wearing/pushing them.

This sounds exactly like my life (I wear my 4 month old a lot too). Do you have workouts on top of your daily dealings and walks or do you just count your lifestyle without workouts as moderately active?

What has been working for me is to log any exercise that I do independently of my kids (like a DVD) and all of the big walks, hikes, or Baby & Me aquafit that I do. I eat back those calories. I don't log the regular, around-the-house or grocery-shopping wearing because i figure those calories burned are the ones that are built into my activity setting, but I have wondered whether I'm underestimating my calories burned sometimes because my baby is already over 25 lbs and wearing him around sure feels like I am living a very "active" lifestyle.

I'm 5'10" and 36 years old. I currently eat 1700 + 500 (breastfeeding) + activity calories. I'm losing an average of 1.1 lbs a week. I'm about 21 lbs under my pre-pregnancy weight at six months post partum. I think this alone shows how active being a mama to two little ones can be.

I'm glad you posted this question, because I've been wondering the same thing. As tempting as it may be to buy a device that can measure this for us, I've been giving it the "trial and error" approach, with a leaning towards trying to eat as many calories as i can and still lose weight, and am happy with my results so far. Add me if you'd like - it would be good to have another mama friend in the same boat!