Becoming accustomed to new activities?

3foldchord

Does our body 'become accustomed' to new activity? I started this new job, 20-24 hours a week, cashier. On my feet almost the whole time, and when we have no customers I stock shelves, move carts, sweep, vacuum, etc.... I have not increased my calories. Usually I just feel super worn-out ( not too extra hungry) but some days after work I am ravenous hungry. Right now,it's new (I haven't had a job other than 'mommy' for 15 yrs) and I guess my body might need a bit more, but soon, will I be used to it and not need to get more fuel?

{A BIT MORE INFO- about 4 months ago, I started lifting weights 3 times a week. Sara put me on. About 1600 calories a day (I get about 120-130 grams protein and 55-65 grams fat daily). I am a stay at home mom with chronic fatigue syndrome. I dropped my lifting to 2xs a week and get 2-3 days of brisk walk, bike ride, body weight, whatever. I think I am OK on the 1600 calories/day most days, but some days I am starving. I read some people on my FriendsList say for them, their bodies are used to working, it's what they have done for years, so they said don't increase my calories. Will my body soon get used to the increase and not need extra fuel anymore for it?}

I am not really asking for detailed calorie intake info, just a simple question about the body becoming used to activity and it's no longer 'extra exercise'

heybales

If "become accustomed to" you mean does it take less energy - no.

The energy required to move things doesn't change, unless gravity changes. You getting stronger so it doesn't feel as heavy sure, but it'll burn the same number of calories.

Now, you can change the efficiency of some things, like lifting stock straight out in front of you, increasing the weight of it because it's out on the end of a lever.
Compared to lifting straight up from box next to body and then pushing it straight to the spot it belongs. But the calorie difference in change of efficiency is usually very minor unless you started out really sloppy and got much more streamlined.

Like doing Zumba or some other really complicated dance moves the first few times burns a lot of calories, but then you learn the routine and flow much easier - and unless you ramp up the intensity level, you would burn less.

So you may get more fit, and a certain low level of exercise no longer feels like exercise, but it still burns just as much.

3foldchord

Hey bales, does that apply to working a job? Working a new job was my question. Right now Imfeel,like maybe I need to eat a little more to compensate for the 3- day a week new job, but people tell me not really that my body will get used to working part time.

3foldchord

Hey bales, does that apply to working a job? Working a new job was my question. Right now Imfeel,like maybe I need to eat a little more to compensate for the 3- day a week new job, but people tell me not really that my body will get used to working part time.

Edit- having chronic fatigue syndrome, I don't want to under-eat...but trying to lose body fat I don,t want to over eat. I will give it another 2 weeks and take measurements and see I'd I really do need to readjust everything.

heybales

Hey bales, does that apply to working a job? Working a new job was my question. Right now Imfeel,like maybe I need to eat a little more to compensate for the 3- day a week new job, but people tell me not really that my body will get used to working part time.

Most of what I said was not about exercise, might reread to understand the principle.

Exercise or work doesn't matter, you are burning more calories. Even if it begins to feel easier, you are still burning more calories.

3foldchord

Heybales, does that apply to working a job? Working a new job was my question. Right now Imfeel,like maybe I need to eat a little more to compensate for the 3- day a week new job, but people tell me not really that my body will get used to working part time.

Most of what I said was not about exercise, might reread to understand the principle.

Exercise or work doesn't matter, you are burning more calories. Even if it begins to feel easier, you are still burning more calories.

Thanks, apparently, I shouldn't read or write late at night or too early in the morning.

Sarauk2sf

You do become accustomed to new activities, to a point. However, they should not become so accustomed that you do not expend more energy.

SteveJWatson

I certainly think you do, but I have no research on it. I farm and am on my feet a lot - yet I still gain at about 2700 (with no exercise).

I certainly remember being slightly amused at estimates of calorie burn for a day of 'beating' for a shoot (basically about 4 hours of brisk walking through dense undergrowth/cover crops/woods etc) - it felt like not an awful lot more walking than I'd do on a busy sheephandling day, but I certainly don't burn the thousands of calories MFP suggests. I'd be surprised if it was more than a couple of hundred.

heybales

I certainly think you do, but I have no research on it. I farm and am on my feet a lot - yet I still gain at about 2700 (with no exercise).

I certainly remember being slightly amused at estimates of calorie burn for a day of 'beating' for a shoot (basically about 4 hours of brisk walking through dense undergrowth/cover crops/woods etc) - it felt like not an awful lot more walking than I'd do on a busy sheephandling day, but I certainly don't burn the thousands of calories MFP suggests. I'd be surprised if it was more than a couple of hundred.

When you get more fit (better VO2max aerobic capacity), while the burn of calories is the same when moving (if the intensity and weight has stayed the same), the recovery back to resting level can happen faster. So what may have started as a fairly high level of activity through a whole day can end up being more like a series of elevated activities as your body recovers quicker and quicker.
So that aspect of burning less can happen depending on the job. But like a mailman walking all day, if pace and weight stays the same, it should feel easier eventually, but burns the same amount.
Now, since it feels easier, if said mailman gets to go home when the route is done, he should go faster and he'll burn more.
If wearing a HRM, this would show up as higher HR before getting fit, to lower HR as he gets fit unless he speeds up. And until he speeds up, same calorie burn.

That is the problem with the database tables, they reflect not the net calorie burn above and beyond what you would burn resting, but total gross including that.

When you start getting really long on time on low intensity exercise, that starts making a big difference.

If you were going to burn 80-100 cal / hr anyway, and the table says some activity is 400 cal / hr, and you hit 4 hrs - then you are inflated by 360 calories. If you only have a 500 cal deficit daily - that's a significant reduction in deficit if you eat those all back.

Actually, when accounting for calories, it's not even the BMR that should be used, but what is already accounted for each hour of your day, which makes the effect even worse. So what MFP calls daily maintenance / 24 is what is expected every hour already. You'd subtract that from any calorie burn estimate given to you. That could wipe out a reasonable deficit for a long slow activity.