Logging everything

joolsmd

Now I know the best thing to do is to log all food eaten each day, but what about exercise? I have logged my long walk to work, but how would i log the two flights of stairs I ran up twice, or the 5 minbute trip to run an errand at lunchtime. Do we log EVERYTHING? Or do I need to keep a sense of proportion?

natachan

I'm also curious about this. I have my app set to track steps, but it doesn't track my ride onto campus and around campus. I figure since I'm using the step tracker I should add my bike ride as well.

gobyray

I purchased a "Fitbit" that will track all my steps (walking the dog, walking at work, walking in the supermarket, etc...) and I use RunKeeper to track my workouts. The great thing is the Fitbit knows when to separate the workout and my everyday steps so it doesn't duplicate the effort. I do track all my calories, but with FitnessPal what I thought would be a daunting task has become quite simple and is now second nature. Like running, Runkeeper will also track bike riding via GPS so it takes the guesswork out of everything and all three apps have merged seamlessly so I don't even have to log it.

chezjuan

The general consensus seems to be that if it is something you do every day (walk/ride to work, have a job that involves a lot of walking), you should include that in your base daily activity by selecting a level higher than "sedentary" and not count the calories as specific exercise since it is something you do as part of your daily routine.

When it comes to incidental exercise (taking an unexpected walk to run an errand, etc.) it can get a little murkier... how much exercise did you really get? Is it enough to worry about? For example, if you end up walking at a decent pace (say 3 MPH) for an hour on your errands, you may decide to log it, but taking a 5 minute stroll isn't really worth it.

I basically do the above - log specific exercise and occasional longer, unplanned activities (like the two-mile, 4 mph walk I did after dropping my car off for service the other day) but ignore things like my any walking in my daily commute, etc.

Edited for typo.

aneary1980

I log the 30 mins I walk to and from the station to work each day as I walk that at a fairly quick pace.

If I go shopping (clothes) I walk for a few hours I'll log that but as a slow pace.

I obviously log all my workouts (via runkeeper).

I do not however log the 3 flights of stairs up to my flat or the walk to the corner shop or the hour I spend wondering round the supermarket.

But I would log my epic ironing/cleaning sessions 2 hours plus, but I wouldn't log ironing a pair of jeans or wiping down the kitchen surfaces.

It's personal choice and how much difference compared to the effort of logging.

AllOutof_Bubblegum

I consider any extra activity to be gravy. I don't log it.

meganjcallaghan

I basically do the above - log specific exercise and occasional longer, unplanned activities (like the two-mile, 4 mph walk I did after dropping my car off for service the other day) but ignore things like my any walking in my daily commute, etc.

meanwhile in my case my "daily commute" is a 7.56k run (or sometimes walk) both to and from work which, when coupled with my half hour jog at lunch time comes to about 18k total a day.... so I definitely count that.

jrline

I have to walk at work. I don't bother to try to log it. I just think of it as bonus exercise. I only log the miles I run/walk/jog outside of work. It works for me and gives a little cushion for my calories.

colors_fade

The way I do this is put my setting at Sedentary, and then only log deliberate exercise.

This means not all of my exercise gets logged. That's okay. It's better to under-estimate than over-estimate your activity level.

Same with calories: if I have to eyeball something because I don't have a scale handy, I over-estimate the calories. If I actually eat fewer calories because of this, that's okay. What is not okay is under-estimating calories.

Under-estimating calories and over-estimating exercise calories is a sure-fire way to see NO PROGRESS. And this happens all the time; you'll see it on these messages boards all the time: people wondering why they aren't seeing any progress. Well, it's because they are mis-reporting in the wrong direction.

Always error on the side that helps you lose weight.

chezjuan

I basically do the above - log specific exercise and occasional longer, unplanned activities (like the two-mile, 4 mph walk I did after dropping my car off for service the other day) but ignore things like my any walking in my daily commute, etc.

meanwhile in my case my "daily commute" is a 7.56k run (or sometimes walk) both to and from work which, when coupled with my half hour jog at lunch time comes to about 18k total a day.... so I definitely count that.

If that was my "daily commute" I would log it as well :happy:

MelAb8709

I find that Fitbit does duplicate Runkeeper - I always end up having to delete the Exercise log from Fitbit so it doesn't double up.

jrline

The way I do this is put my setting at Sedentary, and then only log deliberate exercise.

This means not all of my exercise gets logged. That's okay. It's better to under-estimate than over-estimate your activity level.

Same with calories: if I have to eyeball something because I don't have a scale handy, I over-estimate the calories. If I actually eat fewer calories because of this, that's okay. What is not okay is under-estimating calories.

Under-estimating calories and over-estimating exercise calories is a sure-fire way to see NO PROGRESS. And this happens all the time; you'll see it on these messages boards all the time: people wondering why they aren't seeing any progress. Well, it's because they are mis-reporting in the wrong direction.

Always error on the side that helps you lose weight.

Amen

StaciMarie1974

For activity, some of it is part of your daily routine and would be 'logged' indirectly when you choose your activity setting. Sedentary, lightly active, etc.

mccindy72

The only activity I log is the exercise I do deliberately - anything else is included in my activity level setting.

kshadows

Everyday activity like walking up and down stairs, grocery shopping, etc should be accounted for in your normal daily expenditure. The only exercise you should be logging in your diary is actual exercise you plan for like going to the gym, running, etc.

ruffnstuff

The only activity I log is the exercise I do deliberately - anything else is included in my activity level setting.

^^ Yep, me too. I would think all the little extras you're talking about, OP, would drive a person nuts to log. Plus, as many people have already pointed out, how would you possibly know how many calories you really burned on a two-flight walk or five minutes of errands. Count the big stuff only, and if you have a lot of little things that seem to add up, adjust your activity level.

MinnieInMaine

I mostly only log deliberate exercise. There are some extras like if I do a marathon cleaning session (for instance, cleaning all the windows) vs the usual weekend chores or go shopping for hours vs the usual weekly grocery shopping. But even then, I'm conservative about the calorie burn, going with the lowest level of effort and reducing the calories by about half.

Usually I base the judement on time. Something that only takes 5-10 minutes like taking the stairs or walking to the store is a bonus. Even the sedentary setting takes into account some minor daily activity that most of us do like a little cooking and cleaning up.

aarnwine2013

I have a Garmin Viofit and I let it tell me how many calories I've burned. I don't log it in myfitnesspal. Otherwise I'd think I could eat everything!

I try not to think about anything extra I do. I don't log my strengh training. I just consider it extra.

cleback

That's why I have a fitbit. It tracks my steps and stairs and adds to my caloric expenditures accordingly. Some people don't like to count these extra calories, but for me, it makes a pretty big difference in how much I can eat. When I didn't have a fitbit, I found it extremely hard to stay on track and keep within my calories. When I finally started wearing my fitbit, to my astonishment, I found I was burning up to 200-400 cal in a day just with my everyday activities, NOT including purposeful exercise. Suddenly, it made sense why I was having trouble sticking with it before... I was unknowingly netting about 900-1100 cals a day! Now that I have a fitbit, it's much easier to stay on track... Still challenging-- don't get me wrong-- but doable.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

I also have a Fitbit but I went 3 years without it just fine. I would choose an activity level that encompasses your daily activity. Lightly active is a good place for most people to start unless you've got a very active job. Then log your workouts separately. If in the course of a month you notice you're not losing as much weight as you should be able to do (assuming your goal is realistic) you can adjust your activity level down. If you find that you're losing more weight than you expected you can adjust it up.

nomorebingesgirl2014

Bump

joolsmd

Thanks guys

Mjones23456

I log all of my planned excercise. I use a HR monitor so I know MFP underestimates all of my workouts. I use MFP defaults and set my calories on sedentary and usually eat back my activity calories.