How to log this

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  • melodyg
    melodyg Posts: 1,423 Member
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    People... Just because something is listed in the database as "exercise" doesn't mean you can count it as such. Walking, yes. Standing? Come on. What are you going to add next? Sleeping? Sitting? I think those are in the database too. Standing, cooking, cleaning, these activities are apart of your DAILY CALORIES burned, meaning that for the most part they are already calculated in for you. If your heart rate isn't up then it's really not exercise. Everything you do burns calories, but not everything you do is exercise.

    True, but the original poster was asking for advice on something that was above her usual daily activity. Not standing... but she felt logging walking showed too many calories burned. And, if you have never had a job where you stand on your feet all day, it *is* more tiring than sitting all day.
  • bazuukajoe
    bazuukajoe Posts: 49 Member
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    when you sign up, your usual amount of movement is calculated into your calorie alotment. We're talking about extra time on your feet. A lot of extra time. Once or twice a week. that isn't calculated in the daily counter. Yet it isn't the same as breathing either. After my day job, daily house chores and walking the dog, going to the second part-time job is extra. 5-8 hours of walking and standing extra. It should count as something. Shouldn't it? Just was wondering how to count it.

    Don't count it. Let you body count it for you. Especially if you are eating back the calories you burn.

    Let's say that you're right, and you burn an extra 200 calories working, if you don't count it, that's an extra 1400 calories (nearly a half pound a week) burned. It's not enough for you body to go into "starvation mode," but it is enough to give you a little extra weight loss. But let's suppose you're wrong. Let's suppose that you don't burn those extra calories just standing around, and you eat back those 200 calories you're not really burning. Well then your weight loss would slow down about a half pound per week. If your goal is to lose 1 pound a week, all of the sudden you're losing .5 pounds a week. Do the math.

    I just think it makes more sense not to add every arbitrary activity to your exercise log. If something is not what most would consider "real" exercise (jogging, walking, running, weight training) then odds are you'll do yourself a favor by not adding it. It's always better to overestimate calories consumed and underestimate calories burned. The calories burned listed in the MFP database are already grossly inaccurate as it is.

    Just my 2 cents.
  • recipe4success
    recipe4success Posts: 469 Member
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    thanks for all the replies. this is something i'll be doing only 2x in my life (today and in two weeks time) so it really was a workout. i don't know how else to explain it. its like, if you are a mailman, you wouldn't count the walking as extra calories burned, but if (like me) you usually spend the majority of the day sitting, then it is a huge difference that you are walking, jogging, and running around most of the day.

    i basically wanted to increase my calories for the day to the amount they would have been if i had said in my original info that i had above sedentary activity level (whatever the next level is)...because today i was not sedentary...so i think i accomplished that :)

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