Calories burnt doing household chores

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Replies

  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Well this got weird.

    It started weird.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
    Well this got weird.

    Such a rarity on MFP
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    When I first started using my Fitbit I was surprised at how few steps I took doing general housework around the house. I figure that any calories burned from using my arms or carrying stuff is just a bonus. The only thing that really gets logged is cutting the grass. I average about 10,000 steps from doing that.
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    When I first started using my Fitbit I was surprised at how few steps I took doing general housework around the house. I figure that any calories burned from using my arms or carrying stuff is just a bonus. The only thing that really gets logged is cutting the grass. I average about 10,000 steps from doing that.

    Yikes, how big is your yard?
  • Monklady123
    Monklady123 Posts: 512 Member
    I never log housework, not even if I've walked up and down multiple times from the laundry room. I figure that *if* I've burned off any significant calories I'll have that as a little "cushion" against times I might go over my daily calories. But actually I don't think it's very significant, not compared to my time on the elliptical or treadmill.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    Per this article
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    So I get about 5k steps doing my weekly cleaning...2-3 hours. Laundry, scrubbing, bathroom etc...I don't log it.

    I feel if your house is dirty enough to break a sweat cleaning it you don't deserve to eat back the calories from cleaning it...that is your punishment.

    And to be frank if I see someone logging cleaning on my FL...they are removed. I want serious people on my FL...those who are honest with themselves about their true goals and if you are logging cleaning...that's not you.

    IMO

    OMG. I am amazed that you really think it's your business what people on your FL log as exercise. Now I see why some people keep their diaries private! WOW.

    The point is people who do that kind of thing are probably not going to make it ...and if you surround yourself with successful approaches from people who are succeeding you remain motivated and focused to achieve your goals


    She's not saying it's her business, she's saying she doesn't want their modus operandi to affect her

    I've lost 35 pounds so far, but I guess I'm not "successful" enough.

    Huh?

    But you said
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    Contrary to most, I DO log all of my activity, because I have my activity level set as sedentary. I also track my steps, and this motivates me to get up and move around as much as possible at my desk job.

    BMR is if you stayed in bed all day.......Sedentary is higher than that.

    Steps for different activity levels:

    http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/

    I don't usually walk around much when I'm at work. I am at a desk most of the the day. On my days off I get significantly more activity/movement, due to cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. I don't log all of that, but I do log my steps. This motivates me to get in more steps, by talking a walk on my lunch break, getting up every 30 min or so to walk around the building, etc. It works for me, so who's to say I'm wrong?

    Which means you are losing because you're moving more and logging it appropriately not because you're double dipping

    I have a fitbit so all my steps are logged too...if I don't get enough it comes off my calories ...more it get more

    But you were telling me I shouldn't log those steps, because they are already included in my daily activity...
    I don't have a Fitbit. My phone counts my steps (when I remember to carry it), and then I add them manually to MFP.
    Maybe the way I said it was confusing, but I log those steps on both the days I work and the days I am off.

    No

    I said logging cleaning was not appropriate as it's included in basic activity level and the inference being to log it would be double dipping

    I then made the point that even to hit a sedentary level would require 2000 steps to make it clear that it's already included

    I log all my steps through my fitbit, with negative adjustments enabled ....you log yours ...and if you're losing weight over time as you expect you've got the amount you log right ...
  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    jemhh wrote: »
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    When I first started using my Fitbit I was surprised at how few steps I took doing general housework around the house. I figure that any calories burned from using my arms or carrying stuff is just a bonus. The only thing that really gets logged is cutting the grass. I average about 10,000 steps from doing that.

    Yikes, how big is your yard?

    Big enough for me to regret not buying a riding lawn mower every summer. lol
  • Angierae75
    Angierae75 Posts: 417 Member
    Because I've been busy at work, and busy means sit at my desk and don't get a chance to move around as much, I'm set to sedentary and my fitbit says I've taken 3300 steps today. It's basically telling me I've just basically hit sedentary (I have only "received" 20 extra calories today.

    Later tonight when I take a three mile walk to make up for sitting on my butt all day (I like to be at 8000-9000 steps before I leave work at 5:30) it will give me like 400 calories.

    So yes, Sedentary still means you move around - like people have said, 2500 or so steps per day, which would include normal daily activities outside of your desk job like laundry or housework.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Angierae75 wrote: »
    Because I've been busy at work, and busy means sit at my desk and don't get a chance to move around as much, I'm set to sedentary and my fitbit says I've taken 3300 steps today. It's basically telling me I've just basically hit sedentary (I have only "received" 20 extra calories today.

    Later tonight when I take a three mile walk to make up for sitting on my butt all day (I like to be at 8000-9000 steps before I leave work at 5:30) it will give me like 400 calories.

    So yes, Sedentary still means you move around - like people have said, 2500 or so steps per day, which would include normal daily activities outside of your desk job like laundry or housework.

    Hate days like that

    But the dog loves them
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
    Anyone ever go to get on an elevator, and when the door opens and the 10 or so occupants are just staring at you, just look at them and say... "I guess you all are wondering why I gathered you here today..".
  • ketorach
    ketorach Posts: 430 Member
    jkal1979 wrote: »
    When I first started using my Fitbit I was surprised at how few steps I took doing general housework around the house. I figure that any calories burned from using my arms or carrying stuff is just a bonus. The only thing that really gets logged is cutting the grass. I average about 10,000 steps from doing that.
    Maybe I should start mowing my own lawn! :-)

  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    edited July 2015
    I didn't read a bunch of the thread (don't want to)

    I like this calculator because it estimates TDEE based on the kinds of activities you punch into it (NEAT included explicitly). Women using it: remember to switch it from the default gender or you'll get too many calories

    http://www.health-calc.com/diet/energy-expenditure-advanced

    I think if you want to log exercise on MFP, you would just not include it when you get your estimate from the calculator above.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    Per this article
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    So I get about 5k steps doing my weekly cleaning...2-3 hours. Laundry, scrubbing, bathroom etc...I don't log it.

    I feel if your house is dirty enough to break a sweat cleaning it you don't deserve to eat back the calories from cleaning it...that is your punishment.

    And to be frank if I see someone logging cleaning on my FL...they are removed. I want serious people on my FL...those who are honest with themselves about their true goals and if you are logging cleaning...that's not you.

    IMO

    OMG. I am amazed that you really think it's your business what people on your FL log as exercise. Now I see why some people keep their diaries private! WOW.

    The point is people who do that kind of thing are probably not going to make it ...and if you surround yourself with successful approaches from people who are succeeding you remain motivated and focused to achieve your goals


    She's not saying it's her business, she's saying she doesn't want their modus operandi to affect her

    I've lost 35 pounds so far, but I guess I'm not "successful" enough.

    Huh?

    But you said
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    Contrary to most, I DO log all of my activity, because I have my activity level set as sedentary. I also track my steps, and this motivates me to get up and move around as much as possible at my desk job.

    BMR is if you stayed in bed all day.......Sedentary is higher than that.

    Steps for different activity levels:

    http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/

    I don't usually walk around much when I'm at work. I am at a desk most of the the day. On my days off I get significantly more activity/movement, due to cleaning, grocery shopping, etc. I don't log all of that, but I do log my steps. This motivates me to get in more steps, by talking a walk on my lunch break, getting up every 30 min or so to walk around the building, etc. It works for me, so who's to say I'm wrong?

    Which means you are losing because you're moving more and logging it appropriately not because you're double dipping

    I have a fitbit so all my steps are logged too...if I don't get enough it comes off my calories ...more it get more

    But you were telling me I shouldn't log those steps, because they are already included in my daily activity...
    I don't have a Fitbit. My phone counts my steps (when I remember to carry it), and then I add them manually to MFP.
    Maybe the way I said it was confusing, but I log those steps on both the days I work and the days I am off.

    No

    I said logging cleaning was not appropriate as it's included in basic activity level and the inference being to log it would be double dipping

    I then made the point that even to hit a sedentary level would require 2000 steps to make it clear that it's already included

    I log all my steps through my fitbit, with negative adjustments enabled ....you log yours ...and if you're losing weight over time as you expect you've got the amount you log right ...

    Hopefully. Today so far I am at 5,000 steps, including my walk at lunch. That's what I usually average, but I am trying to work up to 10,000 a day. Of course, I will still be hitting the gym tonight!
  • rosebette
    rosebette Posts: 1,660 Member
    I've used a pedometer with a calorie counter and am now using a fitbit HR, so whatever steps or calories it gives me doing housework counts. That being said -- it's not a huge number -- a couple hundred at most.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
    I am afraid many newbies may not understand the concept of logging cleaning (or why you shouldn't) because they frequently don't understand that they are most likely underestimating food and overestimating exercise to begin with.

    What do you have to lose by NOT logging cleaning? Besides MORE weight from the greater deficit??
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    fatcity66 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    Per this article
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    So I get about 5k steps doing my weekly cleaning...2-3 hours. Laundry, scrubbing, bathroom etc...I don't log it.

    I feel if your house is dirty enough to break a sweat cleaning it you don't deserve to eat back the calories from cleaning it...that is your punishment.

    And to be frank if I see someone logging cleaning on my FL...they are removed. I want serious people on my FL...those who are honest with themselves about their true goals and if you are logging cleaning...that's not you.

    IMO

    OMG. I am amazed that you really think it's your business what people on your FL log as exercise. Now I see why some people keep their diaries private! WOW.

    Well if they are on my friend list they are there for a reason...we are friends to start with....interact with each other and probably have the same outlook on weight loss, check each others diaries for ideas and our news feed is filled with each others exercise logs...

    Is it OTT...no because if they are new I suggest nicely that they might want to reconsider logging it as "exercise" and if I get "yelled at" gone...if they have a decent understanding as to why it's probably not the best thing they stop doing it...so hence they stay.

    Besides if people are so offended by this don't send me a friend request and if you do read my profile...says it right there...
  • senecarr
    senecarr Posts: 5,377 Member
    You're allowed to count all the calories you want if you're logging them for coming over and cleaning my house.
  • princessbride42
    princessbride42 Posts: 67 Member
    I move less in the summer and so I bumped my activity level down to sedentary. I am logging housework, just 50 calories per half hour of work, because otherwise I would be sitting watching TV and my house would not be clean. I will let you know in a couple weeks whether that's working for me.
  • azulvioleta6
    azulvioleta6 Posts: 4,195 Member
    edited July 2015
    ceoverturf wrote: »
    People who log things like housework and cooking as extra calorie-burning exercise are only fooling themselves, IMO.

    Your body isn't fooled though.

    Eh...I realized, once I started wearing a tracker, that I was actually getting a lot of exercise while doing cleaning tasks. In my case, though, these things involve some serious stair-climbing. Just taking out the garbage is about 1000 steps and four flights of stairs for me. A weekly cleaning of my apartment plus doing laundry is 8000-9000 steps.

    I've only ever tracked serious housecleaning (moving furniture, cleaning carpets, spring/fall cleaning, etc.) and don't eat back exercise calories anyhow, so it is a moot point.

    I kind of see tracking housecleaning as a question of balance. On a day when you are doing a lot of very heavy housecleaning, you might not want to also be doing an especially challenging cardio workout at the gym.
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  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    I'm set to sedentary and I let my fitbit handle the burn from steps. I do not log anything else I do in my day as exercise, unless it's a specific, dedicated activity, like water jogging, for example. People log a burn rate from cooking? Seriously?
  • Agathokakological
    Agathokakological Posts: 136 Member
    I do not log daily/weekly cleaning, as those are things I always do. I did spend 4 hours yesterday deep cleaning and moving furniture in the guest room and the living room, some of it involving moving pieces up the stairs. So I tracked 30 minutes of moving furniture. I would never track the whole 4 hours since most of it was just cleaning and organizing, but the furniture moving was difficult and I worked up a sweat doing it, so I feel that it should count as exercise.

    It all comes down to common sense really. If you're doing something out of the ordinary for you and it feels like a work out, then track it if you really feel you should, not because you want more calories to eat.
  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
    I'm set to sedentary and I let my fitbit handle the burn from steps. I do not log anything else I do in my day as exercise, unless it's a specific, dedicated activity, like water jogging, for example. People log a burn rate from cooking? Seriously?

    Those bags of precooked chicken, frozen vegetables, and marinara sauce don't just assemble themselves you know
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,151 Member
    I'm set to sedentary and I let my fitbit handle the burn from steps. I do not log anything else I do in my day as exercise, unless it's a specific, dedicated activity, like water jogging, for example. People log a burn rate from cooking? Seriously?

    Those bags of precooked chicken, frozen vegetables, and marinara sauce don't just assemble themselves you know

    I LOL!
  • BWBTrish
    BWBTrish Posts: 2,817 Member
    Never log household chores or gardening. I see it as my daily activity

    However when things go crazy ( like we moved in March) And i was dragging rocks and stones half a day. Breaking down walls...i did log some for it. And ate some back of it plus i upped my daily calories with 150. This because i was sooooo hungry and my body needed the food.
    lol lost 8 pounds in 2 weeks.

    But normally nope.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I'm set to sedentary and I let my fitbit handle the burn from steps. I do not log anything else I do in my day as exercise, unless it's a specific, dedicated activity, like water jogging, for example. People log a burn rate from cooking? Seriously?

    Those bags of precooked chicken, frozen vegetables, and marinara sauce don't just assemble themselves you know

    Indeedy :laugh:

    I would love to take a peek at the people who log cooking as exercise... Unless you're doing jumping jacks while your chopping your veggies, and cartwheeling from one side of the kitchen to the other, I just no understando :noway:

  • tomatoey
    tomatoey Posts: 5,446 Member
    I'm set to sedentary and I let my fitbit handle the burn from steps. I do not log anything else I do in my day as exercise, unless it's a specific, dedicated activity, like water jogging, for example. People log a burn rate from cooking? Seriously?

    I never have (!) but if I were minded to, I could see burning more while prepping for dinner parties, holiday things, etc. Mostly because I tend to leave everything to the last minute so it's a mad rush of shopping and chopping
  • Bhlinebee
    Bhlinebee Posts: 71 Member
    Well this got weird.


    Maybe it's the calorie deprivation ... Makes people angry and ready to fight. :smiley:
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  • Pcarsley
    Pcarsley Posts: 13 Member
    I'm set to sedentary and I let my fitbit handle the burn from steps. I do not log anything else I do in my day as exercise, unless it's a specific, dedicated activity, like water jogging, for example. People log a burn rate from cooking? Seriously?

    Those bags of precooked chicken, frozen vegetables, and marinara sauce don't just assemble themselves you know

    Indeedy :laugh:

    I would love to take a peek at the people who log cooking as exercise... Unless you're doing jumping jacks while your chopping your veggies, and cartwheeling from one side of the kitchen to the other, I just no understando :noway:

    I don't remember anyone mentioning cooking as counting toward calorie burn!!! Not really helpful to add fiction.
    There's the odd useful comment here but 3 pages of self righteous drivel. Not sure I'll bother asking another question, maybe just ask a real expert instead.
This discussion has been closed.