How do i add Child care to my exercise "diary"?

wilsoje74

Thank you everyone. If you have kids then you may agree that it is a work out, especially having two on the move. I don't allow myself to sit down except when we are all eating together at the kitchen table. I would definitely consider anything I do around the house as a workout be cause I am not lazin out on the couch that we don't have. I am definitely burning a ton of calories especially because I don't sit. Thank you again!!!????????

I think a lot of us have kids. It is not exercise. Try it and see if you lose weight. You somehow gained weight being super active with your kids?

kjbutcher

Keep in mind that in the activity level that you choose, it is saying that you are burning a certain amount of calories per day already, 1800, 2200...when you enter exercise, you are saying that you have done something outside of the calories that you are already burning. When i used my fitbit, i was burning 500 calories while i was sleeping. if you count those toward your exercise and what you can eat in a day, you wil gain tons of weight. So yes, sleeping, standing, cleaning all burn calories, but not the extra calories that are needed to go toward a deficit to lose pounds. I hope that makes sense.

believeinfamily

I think that most of this weight is still my baby weight. I have been not myself since the pregnancy. I got a little depressed and not sleeping good anymore and I k ow that may have been some of the issue. Since I have admitted being depressed from everything my body just went through I have been better. I am really excited about losing this weight now. My body needs it . I want to have friends to help me stay on tract. I don't have any since I have been with my man. I got involved with what he did and lost my friends in the process. I do appreciate all of your input and if you wanna be friends just friend me.

believeinfamily

Ok. I understand now. Sorry still in baby mode. Trying to snap out of it. So if I do something extra then add it and that will be more calories burn then my normal everyday stuff. I get it.

Mouse_Potato

Thank you everyone. If you have kids then you may agree that it is a work out, especially having two on the move. I don't allow myself to sit down except when we are all eating together at the kitchen table. I would definitely consider anything I do around the house as a workout be cause I am not lazin out on the couch that we don't have. I am definitely burning a ton of calories especially because I don't sit. Thank you again!!!????????

I know it seems crazy, but being active does not always mean lots of calories burned. I wear a BodyMedia, so I can track how many calories are burned by my day to day activities. I've had some surprises. Every Sunday night, I have a flurry of activity. I do laundry, dishes, cook all my food for the week, change the sheets on the bed, clean the catbox, etc.. It hardly burns anything! The reason is that the activities I am doing don't actually require that much energy (and by energy I mean calories, not my own feelings of fatigue). I'm not really engaging large muscle groups. My kitchen is about 3-4 steps across, so that's as far as I am moving at any given time when I am wearing myself out with cooking and washing dishes. I also discovered, much to my dismay, that a good ab workout that leaves me sweating and crying doesn't burn much more than lying on the couch watching Frasier reruns. :sad:

THECaptainObvious

If you put a leash on them, you could call it "Walking the dog. 3.0mph"

^----This

Hahahahahah love this idea! But yeah bump up your activity level and you should be fine

bombedpop

Thank you everyone. If you have kids then you may agree that it is a work out, especially having two on the move. I don't allow myself to sit down except when we are all eating together at the kitchen table. I would definitely consider anything I do around the house as a workout be cause I am not lazin out on the couch that we don't have. I am definitely burning a ton of calories especially because I don't sit. Thank you again!!!????????

If you are so active with your kids, then why are you overweight?
Tart comment aside, think you would have more success by making an honest effort - add in a structured exercise plan, honestly log your food intake and call it a day.

fougamou

Thank you everyone. If you have kids then you may agree that it is a work out, especially having two on the move. I don't allow myself to sit down except when we are all eating together at the kitchen table. I would definitely consider anything I do around the house as a workout be cause I am not lazin out on the couch that we don't have. I am definitely burning a ton of calories especially because I don't sit. Thank you again!!!????????

I know it seems crazy, but being active does not always mean lots of calories burned. I wear a BodyMedia, so I can track how many calories are burned by my day to day activities. I've had some surprises. Every Sunday night, I have a flurry of activity. I do laundry, dishes, cook all my food for the week, change the sheets on the bed, clean the catbox, etc.. It hardly burns anything! The reason is that the activities I am doing don't actually require that much energy (and by energy I mean calories, not my own feelings of fatigue). I'm not really engaging large muscle groups. My kitchen is about 3-4 steps across, so that's as far as I am moving at any given time when I am wearing myself out with cooking and washing dishes. I also discovered, much to my dismay, that a good ab workout that leaves me sweating and crying doesn't burn much more than lying on the couch watching Frasier reruns. :sad:

Sadly, my Fitbit agrees :sad: The two biggest surprises of my Fitibit were how much where I park my car at work (college campus) impacts my calorie burn for the day and how little my weekend cleaning/laundry/errands do.

briabner

I would just move your activity level to lightly actively or moderately active. It will give you more calories this way.

Flab2fitfi

Io use a fitbit and you can certainly tell the periods that I'm doing housework/ chasing after kids but unless it a very busy day it tend to add up to my daily goals rather than take me over.

GadgetGuy2

From some of the comments on this thread, it seems many people think you can't loose weight unless you do "formal" exercises.

I lost 40 pounds without doing formal exercises, ever. If the folks just mentioned are right, I must be living in a fantasy.....and my scale must be also.

I work a garden. I take stairs instead of elevators. I walk fast when I'm walking alone. I do all my "normal daily activities" but I do them the hard way (e.g. I haul water in my garden to water, I don't use garden hoses and tap pressure to get the water to where it needs to go).

Because I wear a FitBit, I set my profile on MFP and FitBit to sedentary since that is the type of job I have. On days were "doing things the hard way" adds up to a significant number, I get additional calories added to my daily budget. Whether I eat all, part, or none of those calorie credits back, depends on the situation at the time. I NEVER do formal exercises.

Based on all that I know, I will continue to believe that loosing weight is simply a matter of eating less calories (diary) than I burn (BMR + all exertion=TDEE).

Others, it appears, think you have to do more than eat less/burn more to loose weight.

Keep in mind, we are not talking about healthier diet (e.g. less pesticides) or healthier heart (aerobic level of activity.....something I need to address more than the occasion SCUBA diving). We are just talking about loosing weight. Period.

MGreensides

I have 2 wee ones as well, but I am sorry it is NOT exercise....stuff like child care and cleaning etc didn't stop us getting fat in the first place!

^^^THIS. We took care of the kids with the weight on, not exercise.

Danny_Boy13

I'd just bump up your activity level and then not try to add it as exercise.

^^^ This

fit4lifemomof4

hahahahaha

bumblebreezy91

I'm a CNA. I don't log all of that time lifting, being on my feet, etc. I don't log all of the housework I do or all of the driving I do. I just log exercises that 'seem' like exercises (swimming, going to the gym, taking a walk around the neighborhood with my boyfriend, etc). Basically anything I do where my intention is to burn calories for weight loss is counted as exercise. Everything else is my lifestyle.

MGreensides

If you are as active with your kiddos as you say, don't have a couch to sit on, and haven't lost weight I suggest you focus more on your eating habits. It's 80% diet 20% exercise, you can't out exercise your fork. I'm a mom to a toddler so I know how hard it can be to eat sensibly. It appears you have just recently joined, feel free to add me if you're looking for support.

crystal2point0

I'd just bump up your activity level and then not try to add it as exercise.

This - OR get a pedometer (i have a fitbit) to count your steps throughout the day. If you get the fitbit it will sync with MFP and add in your calorie burn that you get through how active you are

ldrosophila

If you put a leash on them, you could call it "Walking the dog. 3.0mph"

Bwahahahahahaha this is the MFP winner right here

ThatSoundsHard

When I was on here before someone I was friends with used to log "standing" as exercise. I'm not even joking!

SWEET! I'm standing RIGHT NOW!

IPAkiller

I don't see an issue with logging child care as an exercise. Everything can technically be an exercise as long as it's consistent, measurable and for a period of time. Get an HRM and figure out how much you burn while "Momming".

The problem with a generic entry is that everyone has different views on what being a mom/housewife is.

I submit exibit A:


And exibit B:


Both will claim they work very hard at what they do and want to log with the same exercise entry.