Gardening - really?!?!?!

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  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
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    I wouldn't say that is accurate. MFP never matches up with what the treadmill says when it comes to calories burned. MFP is always a little over, but who's to say MFP is correct and the treadmill is wrong???

    The treadmill is not very accurate either.
  • breezymom81
    breezymom81 Posts: 499 Member
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    Not to be devils advocate, but daily chores like gardening, or laundry, or walking to the mailbox are a general part of life. Is it really necessary to log in EVERYTHING? Besides, I think most would agree that myfitnesspal doesn't always have the best judgement as to how many calories you burn, I think it tends to overestimate. Sorry to sound all pessimistic. :/


    Gardening is not daily, very few people spend that long in a garden every day. For me mowing the lawn is seasonal and not built into my activity level. Neither is my once a week house cleaning that I do from ceiling to floor. So yes I log these things, I enjoy seeing how high I keep my heart rate and good it is for me to do these activities. Is it necessary to bring people down for what makes them feel good?
  • cuerpito
    cuerpito Posts: 65 Member
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    That's interesting, nreezymom81, I didn't know that. What's the solution. Will it go away on its own or is there something I should do?
  • Lsnitkin
    Lsnitkin Posts: 9 Member
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    I also doubted the calorie "credit" for gardening, but then I wore my HRM one day. My heart rate was solidly in the Zone 1 aerobic training zone (65% - 75% max HR) while mowing, and at times reached the lower edge of Zone 2. The HRM had me in Zone 1 while I was doing general trimming and weeding. I work out 6 days a week (sometimes twice a day), so it's not because I'm out of shape.

    One thing to keep in mind is that you must eat back what you burn, or your body will go into starvation mode and preserve fat. The formula here at MFP is the most effective I have ever used. I'm comfortably losing 1 pound per week, and adding muscle.
  • Debinapril
    Debinapril Posts: 53 Member
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    It's funny I did about 3-4 hours gardening yesterday but only decided to count half because I couldn't believe the figures and yet I feel really tired today as though I'd done a lot of work (I work out most days too so I should be used to it) Makes you think!
  • mk820
    mk820 Posts: 137 Member
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    I have been rehabbing a 30 by 20 plot, pure clay soil for 3 weeks. I count this as gardening. I subtract 90 cal an hour from the total per hour because for me that is what I would burn sitting on my butt for an hour.(maintenance cals) I eat a quarter back and have lost 5 lbs in that time. I can't exercise unless I see a reason, my garden is done now so I need to find something else.
  • breezymom81
    breezymom81 Posts: 499 Member
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    That's interesting, nreezymom81, I didn't know that. What's the solution. Will it go away on its own or is there something I should do?


    Drink more water! LOL
  • ampjorgensen
    ampjorgensen Posts: 86 Member
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    for those who thik gardening isn't a good burn perhaps you can come finish breaking the ground for me! haha spent an hour working the land today (someone that knows what there doing when breaking the ground for the first time should i use round up twice to kill all the grass?) back to the work out I'm feeling it. I probably won't add it after the plants are in for weeding, unless i have my toddlers out with me then it is a work out! haha
  • h3h8m3
    h3h8m3 Posts: 455 Member
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    Obviously a timely topic as many of us northern hemisphere folks get our yards ready.

    I spent 4 hours on Saturday helping a friend tear apart his back yard to do serious landscaping changes. Swinging a sledge, using a jackhammer, carrying railroad ties, etc etc. When I finished I logged in here to see if I could find a good category to log the activity, but in the end decided not to, because I just had no idea how much I'd really burned.

    Yesterday was one of the more painfully sore days ever. I also work out twice a day more days, and I've never been sore like I was yesterday. Even today I'm still feeling it really seriously. So, I decided to weigh myself this morning, and I was up a couple of pounds. I couldn't believe it, since I hadn't gone over my calories...

    I'm hopeful that it's as someone mentioned before, and my muscles are just holding onto the water. I'll do my normal weekly weigh-in on Thursday, and hope that by then everything is moving in the right direction.
  • Homer3D
    Homer3D Posts: 318
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    I guess it really depends on what kind of work you are doing. I am pretty sure trimming the rose bush for an hour is not the same calorie burn as mowing the lawn.

    I did some gardening this weekend too. But the heavy work kind. Like moving 50 lbs bags of soil around. Digging a hole for a new rose tree for the wife. Lot of bending over, squatting, picking up heavy things. I am sure that burned tons of calories, but I didn’t know how to “record” it.
  • cuerpito
    cuerpito Posts: 65 Member
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    Thanks for your response.
  • sue26
    sue26 Posts: 412
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    I planted potatoes this weekend (live in Alberta so its later here) and definetly worked out! I agree though that mfp overestimates calories burnt for some things. However it does know how much you weigh, how old you are etc., so its probably closer than generic estimates:smile:
  • joilet
    joilet Posts: 99
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    hmm....

    so if i wear my HRM and it is in the zone... i guess i can count it right?
  • rainydayboys
    rainydayboys Posts: 79
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    I did 4 hours today - digging up (big) shrubs and replanting them, moving a whole flower bed, plus a lot of weeding. I'm sore already. I was surprised when MFP clocked it at just over 1000 cal burned, but I do sorta believe it based on how I'm feeling right now. But I don't have a HRM so I can't say if I was in the zone or not.
  • ronnyharry
    ronnyharry Posts: 10
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    well i did 70 minutes cutting hedges with a motorised cutter (quite a heavy one) I think I earned the 300 or so calories it certainly felt as much as 10k rowing which is about 570 calories, Ron
  • ronnyharry
    ronnyharry Posts: 10
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    as rainydayboys appears to be lying down on the job I think it would be in order to cut the calories in half.
  • NS81
    NS81 Posts: 192 Member
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    I have that problem with a lot of the "calories burned" according to MFP - so I stopped entering them, I feel like they're really high! ... I need to buy a HRM, but want a good one, so I need to do a little research I guess...
  • Hornsby
    Hornsby Posts: 10,322 Member
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    To each their own on logging chores, however, an HRM will not be effective in estimating the calories burned. The calorie burn formula inside your HRM is designed for steady stated cardio. Nothing else.

    Also, if you wear an HRM for 2.5 hours and it tells you burned 500 calories, remember, that is not the net calorie burn. That would also include your BMR calories so you would need to subtract a couple hundred.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
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    regular daily gardening doesn't count...ie pulling a few weeds, hoeing etc..

    Now getting your garden ready for planting, planting etc is hard work and only done about 2x a year.

    If I didn't do TDEE I would log it and I am not a fan of logging "chores" but if they aren't "normal" I think they should be.
  • tinkbaby101
    tinkbaby101 Posts: 180 Member
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    Yesterday i did some major cleaning in my house, my HRM said I burned 600 over a 4 hour period.

    I think gardening does burn a lot of calories, isn't that the reason why a lot of women have affairs with the gardener:laugh:

    HAHAHA!

    I'm a terrible gardener - most of my plants die fast - but if it's burning that many calories, maybe I need to get to planting!

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