How to count excercise when cooking Thanksgiving Day

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Replies

  • Mlkmaid
    Mlkmaid Posts: 356 Member
    I'm not going to count anything on a holiday! I'm going to run in the morning and then drink and EAT and enjoy my family! LOL. And then run the following day. If you're already worried about it then you're a little OCD in my opinion. No offense.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    but I don't think its fair - and even rude - to imply that this is not a different activity level for some people.

    I find it rude that you accuse people of saying or "implying" that it isn't different and possibly more activity for some people. No one did.

    What we did say is that it's a mistake to count significantly more calories for something that doesn't burn nearly as many calories as people think it does.

    Go ahead and count it and eat those calories if you like. But if you see a gain, don't complain here. We won't want to hear it after this.
  • elyelyse
    elyelyse Posts: 1,454 Member
    Didn't read all the replies so I apologize if I'm being redundant...

    Here's my suggestion for tracking calories on thanksgiving: Eat all the delicious food prepared with love without worrying about whether or not you've earned it with exercise. And for goodness sakes, if you end up in a situation where you're worried about whether or not youve eaten back enough exercise calories...you haven't indulged enough.

    None of us got fat or unhealthy from a lifetime of Thanksgivings. It's the 300 days a year we don't have a good excuse to indulge that keep us from our goal.

    Ok, if you're running a 10k or more...lol you get to log your exercise, just for the record.
  • JennedyJLD
    JennedyJLD Posts: 123 Member
    Same way I count the calories I burn when I shampoo my hair, go pee, or yawn. I mean, it's work, right? *eyeroll*
  • HealthyWarrior
    HealthyWarrior Posts: 394 Member
    cooking isn't exercise...

    I'll count the "after I stuff my face" walk I hope to take, unless I pass out.. which is high probability.. and if i get my butt to the gym in the morning i'll count that..

    This 100%
    Cooking isn't exercise
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Same way I count the calories I burn when I shampoo my hair, go pee, or yawn. I mean, it's work, right? *eyeroll*

    How long you do shampoo or yawn? Are you routinely lacking in sleep? Peeing is likely covered in the sedentary setting, so unless you have some type of bladder problem, you might want to reconsider that one. Though you might choose to count walking to the bathroom if you purposely walk to one far away.
  • kramalicious
    kramalicious Posts: 143
    OMG the preparation of Thanksgiving dinner is quite an event. But, you're kidding yourself if you try to count all that work as exercise. Just plan some modified exercise and take the turkey work as a bonus.
    Better is for you to just get things going to the point you can leave them, and go on a quick walk, bike ride, etc for even 15 minutes. You can even continue to take these walk breaks throughout the time. Even if If you are watching a TV show later, jump rope during commercials, or do pushups, jacks, or something else. Or keep some hand weights or dumbbells nearby and do a few sets of something.
    My challenge this holiday will be getting in my exercise and trying not to go overboard eating. Good luck with it!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    cooking isn't exercise...

    I'll count the "after I stuff my face" walk I hope to take, unless I pass out.. which is high probability.. and if i get my butt to the gym in the morning i'll count that..

    This 100%
    Cooking isn't exercise

    While one may or may not choose to include it as part of a weight loss plan, it is exercise. And, according to a recent study, people who burn calories through daily household activities enjoy the same heart health benefits as those who participate in formal exercise.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    cooking isn't exercise...

    I'll count the "after I stuff my face" walk I hope to take, unless I pass out.. which is high probability.. and if i get my butt to the gym in the morning i'll count that..

    This 100%
    Cooking isn't exercise

    While one may or may not choose to include it as part of a weight loss plan, it is exercise. And, according to a recent study, people who burn calories through daily household activities enjoy the same heart health benefits as those who participate in formal exercise.
    Getting heart health benefits and losing weight are not the same things.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    cooking isn't exercise...

    I'll count the "after I stuff my face" walk I hope to take, unless I pass out.. which is high probability.. and if i get my butt to the gym in the morning i'll count that..

    This 100%
    Cooking isn't exercise

    While one may or may not choose to include it as part of a weight loss plan, it is exercise. And, according to a recent study, people who burn calories through daily household activities enjoy the same heart health benefits as those who participate in formal exercise.
    Getting heart health benefits and losing weight are not the same things.

    Exercise is not just for losing weight. In fact, it's mostly for health. Diet is the main factor for weight loss.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
    cooking isn't exercise...

    I'll count the "after I stuff my face" walk I hope to take, unless I pass out.. which is high probability.. and if i get my butt to the gym in the morning i'll count that..

    This 100%
    Cooking isn't exercise

    While one may or may not choose to include it as part of a weight loss plan, it is exercise. And, according to a recent study, people who burn calories through daily household activities enjoy the same heart health benefits as those who participate in formal exercise.
    Getting heart health benefits and losing weight are not the same things.

    Exercise is not just for losing weight. In fact, it's mostly for health. Diet is the main factor for weight loss.

    But if you're doing it for health and not weight loss, there's no reason to count it.

    No one is saying there isn't activity going on. We're saying, if you're watching your calories, which would be FOR WEIGHT LOSS, it isn't worth counting cooking dinner -- even Thanksgiving dinner.
  • PRMinx
    PRMinx Posts: 4,585 Member
    Wow. Some people on this thread are being a little mean. I had no idea this would be such a hot button issue!

    OP, honestly, I wouldn't log it. Especially in light of the food you will be eating.

    That said, I get where you are coming from. I'm a desk jockey so a day of cooking an elaborate feast, which usually includes running up and down stairs with platters and equipment and even cleaning the house is a ton more exercise then I get on an average day at the office.

    Everyone on here needs to get out of their own personal circumstance. Everyone has a different Thanksgiving routine. The vast array of differences (party size, level of cooking,layout of the house, etc.) makes it impossible to accurately gauge how much work it will actually take someone to put out a meal.

    And all the people on here criticizing because one person takes longer in the kitchen then another needs to chill the F out. Just because you are good and fast at something doesn't mean everyone else is, too. Sheesh.
  • degan2011
    degan2011 Posts: 316 Member
    While one may or may not choose to include it as part of a weight loss plan, it is exercise. And, according to a recent study, people who burn calories through daily household activities enjoy the same heart health benefits as those who participate in formal exercise.

    This... if cooking a thanksgiving dinner every day is your thing (or even any homecooked meal for that matter) then it would be exercise. I burned about 1000 calories more yesterday than on a typical workday because it was my daughters birthday and we cleaned and cooked most of the morning/afternoon. I am lucky to know this because I wear a bodymedia all day (everyday). so yes, feel free to work in some of those cooking calories. But for those that think this is deluded and that eating the dinner would make your calories a wash... I guess you have more willpower than most, because I could easily eat MORE than 1000 calories for thanksgiving dinner (pumpkin pie alone is about 300 by itself):drinker: . So tracking the burn and the consumed is till a good idea, unless you just allow it as a cheat day.

    When I first started out I counted cooking calories because cooking was NOT my norm and I didn't have a bodymedia to tell me my exact burn for the day. Every little bit helped and helped me to maintain my motivation. :wink:
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    cooking isn't exercise...

    I'll count the "after I stuff my face" walk I hope to take, unless I pass out.. which is high probability.. and if i get my butt to the gym in the morning i'll count that..

    This 100%
    Cooking isn't exercise

    While one may or may not choose to include it as part of a weight loss plan, it is exercise. And, according to a recent study, people who burn calories through daily household activities enjoy the same heart health benefits as those who participate in formal exercise.
    Getting heart health benefits and losing weight are not the same things.

    Exercise is not just for losing weight. In fact, it's mostly for health. Diet is the main factor for weight loss.

    But if you're doing it for health and not weight loss, there's no reason to count it.

    No one is saying there isn't activity going on. We're saying, if you're watching your calories, which would be FOR WEIGHT LOSS, it isn't worth counting cooking dinner -- even Thanksgiving dinner.

    Yeah, you think you know what's best for everyone. I got that. I'm pretty sure everyone has.

    My response was to a post that said "Cooking isn't exercise", which is not true.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    I tend to agree with the OP. I cook for two days, cook/bake well into the night, sleep for a bit, wake up early and start cooking again. Some of you may be avid cookers but I get a full workout when preparing Thanksgiving. My meals are not half hearted attempts and I run the full show, so maybe if you aren't getting a full workout cooking on Thanksgiving, maybe you just aren't doing it right.

    :)


    When I first posted this, I was not talking to the "professional" cooks out there but the run of the mill home cooks who don't usually fix large meals. Yes this is a large undertaking for new cooks & people who don't do it all the time. This is for people who have a hard time staying on track & this could give them some hope that part of the dinner that are doing can also count for some good things. Not everything must be a chore. New people starting out this program need to be offered encouragement for doing a special "project" and not just sitting around watching the games. Not everyone see themselves in a good light when they are cooking for 2 or 3 days getting ready for a holiday. We all need encourgement! :smile:
    I'm not a professional cook and normally, I only cook for myself since my daughter is basically out of the house and my BF and I eat very differently. I only cook such large meals if I have a party or it's a holiday, so less than once a month.

    I still wouldn't count it as exercise.

    And if you are that exhausted from cooking, as someone else pointed out, you might want to take a class. I learned from my mother, grandmother, family friends, trial and error through my life. Cooking is not exercise. Neither is washing dishes (even handwashing "every dish in the house."). Folding clothes is not exercise.

    I can list a million things people think counts that shouldn't and I bet most people who count those things are struggling. Because they DON'T burn a lot of calories.

    They may be tiring and even zap you emotionally, but so does readnig a book or watching certain TV shows or movies. Just because I come away from a movie feeling drained doesn't mean it was exercise. I was sitting down staring at a screen.

    The actual physical work that goes into cooking is pretty minimal. The majority of the actual time it takes is from waiting for things to bake. Even kneeding bread doesn't take much time or enegy. I have been making bread from scratch since I was 16 and I have never understood why anyone would waster money on a breadmaker. It just is NOT that difficult.

    And if cooking a family dinner makes you feel bad about yourself, then don't do it. I can't quite figure out why someone would feel bad about him or herself because of cooking Thanksgiving dinner. And the answer to that issue is counseling, not people lying to you about how many calories it DOESN'T BURN.

    QFT!

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