Purposely not logging straight cardio?

lissdawn

What are your thoughts on not logging activity that you don't actually consider 'exercise' even if MFP considers it as such?

Here's my scenario. I am an IT geek, so the majority of my work week is spent sitting at a desk.

My current exercise routine is a circuit program--currently doing a mix of Jillian Michaels' 30 day Shred, JM Ripped in 30 and Biggest Loser Last Chance Workout-I do one of these once a day, most days. It gives me a great burn and I've had amazing results so far (as in I've lost almost 20" overall in the past month) in a short amount of time due to a combo of both the extra weight I currently carry and the fact that, well, Jillian Michaels is a beast.

But one additional thing I do each day is get extra steps in so that I reach my Fitbit goals. If it's evening and I see I need to get another 1500-2000 steps in for the day, then I'll throw my kickers on and either do interval walk/jogging around my house, or go for a walk etc to get the steps in. But I have purposely chosen to NOT log these additional cardio activities daily.

My rationale is that as humans we are not programmed to sit at desks all day. So any 'extra' steps I get in are things that my body should be getting anyway in a typical day. I also know that my fat *kitten* really needs it anyway, and a part of me doesn't think I should be 'rewarding' myself to move more just to meet minimum requirements.

Now the downside of this is that of course it throws my calorie goals off a bit, and from a scientific standpoint, equates to my TDEE calculations etc being slightly off. So those of you that understand the nitty gritty science of the 'math' aspect of TDEE/energy requirements etc, what advice would you give? Start logging it and not eating the cals back? Log it and eat the cals? Or continue not logging and just keep doing what I'm doing? I typically try to only eat back about 1/2 of my exercise cals anyway (and it works well for me at that balance for me right now)...but I also want to ensure I'm giving my body what it requires long-term to be healthy.

Azdak

1. Basically what you are talking about is an accounting questions, and you can do whatever you want to help stay on track and motivated. Some people just like to track everything.

2. However, unless you are out walking for a couple of hours, I would not "log" the activity for the purpose of eating those calories back. Your TDEE plan includes an allowance for "casual activity" and if your job is sedentary, I suspect those evening walks fit mostly within your activity allowance.

In any case, the extra calories might contribute to a greater deficit, which might help with weight loss and will have NO negative impact.

ShrinkinMel

I've seen people track them manually and use 1 cal burn but put the time(for record keeping).

mswoodsy

My rationale is that as humans we are not programmed to sit at desks all day. So any 'extra' steps I get in are things that my body should be getting anyway in a typical day. I also know that my fat *kitten* really needs it anyway, and a part of me doesn't think I should be 'rewarding' myself to move more just to meet minimum requirements.

what advice would you give?

I wouldn't give you any because I think you're exactly right! If you weren't doing it right your body would find ways to tell you; lightheaded, nauseous, headaches, feeling weak and exhausted. You're doing perfectly fine, keep it up!

MinnieInMaine

I don't count extra steps - even if I take the stairs several times a day, I just chalk it up to a bonus burn.

A lot of your calorie info is going to be a general estimate so don't worry about the particulars too much at this point. BMR, TDEE, even calories on food labels can be a bitt off. Come as close as you can to daily goals so that you get adequate nutrition and watch overall trends. If you're losing at a nice healthy rate, it's all good. If at some point you plateau for several weeks, that may be time to reassess your numbers and tracking methods.