Venting a little read at your own risk!! lol

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Replies

  • Gary1977
    Gary1977 Posts: 804 Member
    Until you have walked a mile in someone elses shoes you shouldn't judge! Are you overweight?? Or are you trying to gain muscle mass?? Because until you weigh 300lbs and try jogging or running you wouldn't necessarily understand the set backs that some of us face. And for all of those people out there trying their level best, keep up the good work. Rome wasn't built in a day, we didn't get to where we are overnight and we can't expect it to be gone that quickly. If you feel that you have accomplished something, log it! Getting on the treadmill everyday isn't easy, but I try and think of it as something I am doing for myself, some me time. No matter how long I am on there. I have been at this for just over a month and have lost 13lbs so far, alot of that just in water drinking and changing my eating habits. My goal is to get on that treadmill everyday and I am working up to that, but it is difficult. And other than household chores and working on my feet everyday, I try and count unusual activity, stuff that I wouldn't normaly have had energy for in the past. And I can only hope that someday I will be able to go for a 2hr walk and feel great about it on every level.

    Keep up the good work everyone.

    Love this post as well! :drinker:
  • Gary1977
    Gary1977 Posts: 804 Member
    I'm glad to see a lot of people disagreed with this rant.
  • MilisaMote
    MilisaMote Posts: 28
    well you did say read at your own risk ... I thought maybe it was someone needing encouragement ... I so wish I hadnt looked at your post. It is very discouraging to someone like myself.

    You know those things you say arent good exercises ... like the 10 min walk or mowing the yard or cleaning the house, Wii Games ... Yes these are all things I have posted ... and until this post I was proud of myslef. Due to a back injury and a pinched nerve in back and knees that rub bone against bone because of a car accident ... I have been immobilized for a while. So those things you put down as not exercise are things that work for me. Those are things that get my heart rate up ... those are things that leave me sore for days sometimes weeks. yes it is because I am out od shape but I am trying... You walk a mile in my shoes and I am sure you will rethink you vent.
  • Lyadeia
    Lyadeia Posts: 4,603 Member
    well you did say read at your own risk ... I thought maybe it was someone needing encouragement ... I so wish I hadnt looked at your post. It is very discouraging to someone like myself.

    You know those things you say arent good exercises ... like the 10 min walk or mowing the yard or cleaning the house, Wii Games ... Yes these are all things I have posted ... and until this post I was proud of myslef. Due to a back injury and a pinched nerve in back and knees that rub bone against bone because of a car accident ... I have been immobilized for a while. So those things you put down as not exercise are things that work for me. Those are things that get my heart rate up ... those are things that leave me sore for days sometimes weeks. yes it is because I am out od shape but I am trying... You walk a mile in my shoes and I am sure you will rethink you vent.

    I'm sorry to hear about your situation, and there were many more before you who posted things like this...

    I just wanted to add that I honestly don't think the O/P was talking about people such as yourself. There are people who are otherwise normal and healthy and quite capable of doing much more than they do...yet only log the easiest things. It would be like someone like me who has done P90X multiple times going and logging house cleaning simply so I can get a few more calories in my snack. That would certainly be cheating myself out of good exercise in exchange for a junk food snack. And I honestly do think that is what the O/P was talking about. If you CAN do a mile jog, then why use that time simply for a leisurely walk when you know that the jog would burn more calories? But if your legs/hips/ankles/whatever won't allow you to jog, then of course the walk is excellent as we need to challenge ourselves with those things we are able to do!

    At least I would hope that he wouldn't put down people like yourself who have had injuries that limit the amount of strenuous exercise that can safely be done.
  • HeidiMightyRawr
    HeidiMightyRawr Posts: 3,343 Member
    While I agree with you to some extent (I'm sure a few people class just about anything as exercise to bump up cals) those people are only cheating themselves. The majority, maybe thats all they can do?
    If before they joined MFP all they were doing was sitting on the couch all day every day it's better than before.. They probably have their lifestyle set to "sedentary" so all the little things are big changes to them. They walk ten minutes? it's definately more than before. Wii boxing can also bring up quite a sweat apparantly.

    Also, some people may be counting it as certain things as the actual "exercise" is not in the database and they don't have a HRM.
    I work 3x times a week, on my feet for 5-6 hours continuously carrying sometimes really heavy stuff about, it's fast paced and I'd definatinately say its physical work.
    I used to have my settings as sedentary, and log my work as cleaning (light cleaning, so was never an overestimate) I also logged when I walked into town (20 minutes) as that sure isn't sedentary. I'm sure a few people probably thought I was just cleaning the house, but nobody really knows unless they ask.
    Now I have a HRM though, so to make it simpler and more accurate I have my settings as "active" and only count specific workouts. I was walking to town and back every day (uphill back) sometimes twice over when I had work so it gets a bit hard to estimate all that as workouts.
  • Mairgheal
    Mairgheal Posts: 385 Member
    Ive been reading a bit on how people are "trying" to loose weight and i guess what they call "exercise". And i think it is just pointless and ridiculous that people are adding things like
    -Washing car
    -Cleaning
    -a 10min walk
    -Mowing the grass
    -Wii boxing :S (have you seen anyone get ripped off playing video games for 30min? and do you really think that you burn what the game sais?)

    Like seriously you guys is it going to get to the extent that you will be punching in your calorie burn for every time you stand up and sit down to walk to the toilet and back??? move your hand to flip a channel? All those things are just everyday things that people do!!!

    I haven't read ANY replies yet (will do in a moment, need to go toilet first - how many cals can I log for that? :laugh: ), but I can imagine what some of them will be.

    I agree with you anyway. I was laughing out loud recently when a MFP-friend logged 20 mins ironing as a workout. COME ON!!
  • lisa_lotte
    lisa_lotte Posts: 216
    wow..... soooo... errmm...... So the weather (here at least) is a bit misreable today :ohwell:
  • dad106
    dad106 Posts: 4,868 Member
    i read all the replies and I have to agree.. what you sated was rude and un-called for. We're all here to support each other.. not tear each other down and act like we're better because we think that we know the right way to do things and everyone must listen too us.

    With that being said, not a lot people have the luxury of walking to a shopping area and buying clothes. Not a lot people have time for a 45 min walk( I know that if I was walking on the treadmill for 45 min I'd be bored as hell!). It's about what gets you moving and what gets you motivated. If for some its playing Wii Boxing, then so be it. If for some its mowing the lawn, then let them count that. For all you know, they are counting it and not eating all them back

    Also, I hate running. Absolutely despise it.. and if you ask me to do it, I will stand there and flat out refuse. If your trying to tell me that my 30 min daily walks(which has led me lose 20 pounds) aren't doing anything, then your wrong. Walking is a very good form of exercise and for some, the only thing that they can do. You should be congratulating those people.. not bashing them.

    For the record, I'm 23.. only 2 years older then the op. It makes me very embarrassed for my age group that someone would have the audacity to post that and to spell like that. You're an adult.. please start acting like one.
  • 44isthenew29
    44isthenew29 Posts: 141
    bump
  • If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all.

    Ladyhawk...I like you! :bigsmile:
    :flowerforyou:
  • plash63
    plash63 Posts: 4
    Sorry i guess just saw couple people that were logging 10min walks that could walk 10miles instead...

    Dude - Are you on this site to belittle everyone so you can feel good about yourself? Please dont answer! Look you do not know how much time I or anyone on this site has to work out! Nor do you know my or their individuals here personal health situation.

    I am one of those that puts down 10 mins walking or lawn mowing. I do for the very reason this site, I presume, was created. To accurately reflect all information and thereby be able to make an informed decision on MY work out, food intake and goals. Notice I said my work out not yours.
    Cheers from a retired soldier.
  • Wow, you stirred some things didn't you, lol.

    I can understand the original intention in this post. That it is frustrating when someone complains they are not losing weight when they refuse to push themselves or do a small amount of exercise for themselves so they can eat more. Then ask for help and refuse to accept any.

    However, it did come across very opinionated and obviously hurt people and made them feel bad. I'm sure that wasn't the OP's intention. He just ranted and didn't think his post through.

    Anybody that is pushing themselves to do more than they usually can, like most people who have commented on this thread, are inspirational! You are obviously doing what works. You are losing weight and improving your health, which is fantastic.

    I too log wii fit, shorter walks and mowing the lawn. I have knee problems and this is outside of my normal routine so it is extra exercise and it pushes me. I don't add up my 2 minute walks to and from work because i do them daily and count them as part of my lifestyle. It is starting to work for me, i am happy to say.

    Again i would like to say this post was not aimed at those of you who ARE pushing yourselves to do more than your usual routine and are losing weight. It is aimed at those who could do more but have too many excuses and wonder why they have NOT lost weight. Obviously diet would be a factor too, but that has not been mentioned here.

    Congratulations to all of you who are doing your thing and improving your health accordingly. You should all be immensely proud of yourselves, whether pushing it is a marathon or a walk around the block!
  • godroxmysox
    godroxmysox Posts: 1,491 Member
    Anything you do in addition to your normal daily routine should count toward something.

    Who are you to judge others based upon what you like to do?
  • EuroDriver
    EuroDriver Posts: 254
    well you did say read at your own risk ... I thought maybe it was someone needing encouragement ... I so wish I hadnt looked at your post. It is very discouraging to someone like myself.

    You know those things you say arent good exercises ... like the 10 min walk or mowing the yard or cleaning the house, Wii Games ... Yes these are all things I have posted ... and until this post I was proud of myslef. Due to a back injury and a pinched nerve in back and knees that rub bone against bone because of a car accident ... I have been immobilized for a while. So those things you put down as not exercise are things that work for me. Those are things that get my heart rate up ... those are things that leave me sore for days sometimes weeks. yes it is because I am out od shape but I am trying... You walk a mile in my shoes and I am sure you will rethink you vent.

    I'm sorry to hear about your situation, and there were many more before you who posted things like this...

    I just wanted to add that I honestly don't think the O/P was talking about people such as yourself. There are people who are otherwise normal and healthy and quite capable of doing much more than they do...yet only log the easiest things. It would be like someone like me who has done P90X multiple times going and logging house cleaning simply so I can get a few more calories in my snack. That would certainly be cheating myself out of good exercise in exchange for a junk food snack. And I honestly do think that is what the O/P was talking about. If you CAN do a mile jog, then why use that time simply for a leisurely walk when you know that the jog would burn more calories? But if your legs/hips/ankles/whatever won't allow you to jog, then of course the walk is excellent as we need to challenge ourselves with those things we are able to do!

    At least I would hope that he wouldn't put down people like yourself who have had injuries that limit the amount of strenuous exercise that can safely be done.

    what she sais... think an only that get its
  • I don't give a flip what the OP thinks. To each his own.
  • ilsie99
    ilsie99 Posts: 259
    I feel like maybe OP has some self esteem issues if Internet strangers posting exercises on a website upset him.
  • NatalieWinning
    NatalieWinning Posts: 999 Member
    in addition, i agree that the calories burned number is sometimes way off. i don't think we should be able to use another's exercise entry like we do food. obviously, i'll burn a different amount of calories walking 3 miles than someone else will.

    When MFP estimates are off, it's usually underestimating it for me. I'm short and intense. I have a Polar 7 HRM. I usually burn MORE than MFP says for a given exercise. Now some out of shape disabled person that is not used to much at all will also want to log more because for them this is increase in their usual activity. I'm nearly 50. I can do an intense workout now, but I started with 10 min workouts. I was having chest pain, out of shape, and have asthma, and I was not even as large as some that start here.

    What I do if someone doesn't seem to meet my standards is not say anything. Let them work it out. How are we to know what they went through today? They are still on, they are still logging, this is a success, because logging makes them see their trends. Key word "their trends". Now if you need to be the body builder ultimate marathoner when you are done, then hurray for you! I'm working on not having a heart attack at 50. Different goal.
  • Schwiggity
    Schwiggity Posts: 1,449 Member
    HOW DO I LOOSE WEIGHT?!?!?!! IS IT LIKE HAVING LOOSE CHANGE?!!?!?

    2n1st8j.jpg
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
    Well, at least they mostly likely know how to spell the word "says."
  • funkyspunky871
    funkyspunky871 Posts: 1,675 Member
    Also, Wii boxing, as you stated, if you are jumping the entire time and sweating, for some people, that IS exercising.

    Absolutely! When I do cardio boxing on the Wii, I do a constant boxer's shuffle and really get into those moves Tony Horton style. I sweat like crazy and burn the same amount of calories as I do with a walking DVD or something.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    I understand what your saying...in your life those are 'not great' workouts...But for me, those light workouts are what really got me started! Those little 30 minute walks turned into 30 min. speed walks..then i started the couch to 5K. If i had started the program right away..I would have given up! And for me, mowing the lawn IS a workout!

    You have your own voice..but you have to remember for some just get started is the real challenge!


    ...you did warn me to read at my own risk...:)

    What she said.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
    .. a girl was posting a 1500cal burn from standing at work wiping a counter then eat those cals and wonder why shes not loosing anything!

    I can see some of your point. Everyone has to get started somewhere, I'm to fat to be doing a triathlon or anything great like that. But I'm fit enough to be pushed. I think maybe your Original post could have used some rephrasing to get your point across more without being offensive.

    If someone is fit enough to say .... jog 1 mile.... but doesn't.... but then logs something like walking around walmart (where they are probably stopping more than they realized. Just because it takes me 2 hours to grocery shop doesn't mean I can log 2 hours of walking "leisurely" )....and eats back all those calories. I can see where you are saying that can mess people up, and then they get mad that they aren't losing. Especially if they aren't using a HRM, and only going off MFP calculations.

    The above example was from my life. I'm 230lbs. If I were to log my grocery shopping as "Walking, 2.5 mph, leisurely pace" on MFP it would say I burned 640 calories. But I only burned 280 this morning according to my HRM, and that was with a brisk warm up walk (at least 3.5 mph), 1 mile jog, and cool down walk. That's a pretty drastic amount of cals to be eating back if I didn't really burn it.
  • Aesop101
    Aesop101 Posts: 758 Member
    First it's great you have such fire. I thinking you are missing the point of the website. The idea is to not only get people watching what they eat but to get them moving. I count mowing the yard, shoveling snow, and gardening among other things. I can tell I've done some lifting and hiking but working in that garden, digging dirt, putting up fence, and pulling weeds, was some of the best exercise I ever got. It worked me over.

    Not everyone wants to be ripped. I don't. I want to be fit for life and that is simply it.
  • titletown
    titletown Posts: 377 Member
    I think the OP should come over here and ring my shirt out after I mow my lawn LOL, I get drenched and I'm in pretty good shape now.

    I wear a heart rate monitor and actually burn 500+ calories mowing my lawn, it's a rather large lawn and my automatic drive does nto work on my heavy push mower.

    Use your best judgement though, some of the things I see people add for calories burned make me grin a bit.

    Get yourself a good HRM though, then you can be sure you are being accurate.
  • bugnbeansmom
    bugnbeansmom Posts: 292 Member
    Okay so I see your point and have to agree that I too wonder about those who complain about not losing but do not seem to be doing much differently. Point taken. But I do have a question: as far mowing the lawn goes, how is walking behind a push mower for two hours less exercise than walking alone for two hours? I am just saying. I do log my cleaning but only when I am dancing too because damn it, there are days that I need to muli task! I wear my HRM and workup a good sweat and am in constant motion for 2 plus hours. If dancing for two hours counts, surely so does shaking my booty while vacuming and putting away dishes. I sing too but since it is so poor I would never record that! LOL
  • torregro
    torregro Posts: 307
    What is exercise?
    Hmm...........can we all perhaps remember (or learn) that the term "exercise" is one of quite recent invention?
    People didn't use to "exercise". They worked, they played, they ate and slept. Going to a gym for the specific purpose of "working out" is a concept my grandfather would have found totally bemusing.


    Resistance Exercise Machines

    Jack LaLanne, media fitness guru, created new resistance machines in the 1950s. The cable-pulley machine, the Smith machine and the leg extension machine are some of LaLannes's creations.
    Step Treadmill
    The step treadmill came into existence in 1983, invented by Lanny Potts. It was a revolving staircase, called the Stairmaster 5000. More modern step machines with individual foot platforms soon followed with the invention of the Stairmaster 4000 in 1986.
    Elliptical Machine
    An engineer from Precor developed the first elliptical machine in 1995. It was designed to mimic running while delivering minimal impact. Reebok later introduced the upper arm levers, effectively making the machine a total body workout.

    My point....................."exercising" is a very recent invention........................WORKING OUT during life activities is not.
  • DaFrogRibbit
    DaFrogRibbit Posts: 127 Member
    First off everyone is entitled to their opinion. Also freedom of speech. Honestly how did you posting your rant help You. If so Wtg for feeding your whatever for judging others. If you don't agree with what someone post for exercise don't say Wtg or whatever it is if anything you say. Reminds me of a guy i dated cause he saw a young man pull into a handicap parking space. He even said he should go over there jerk him out of the car a whoop his @ss. Then he saw someone bring a wheelchair to him. Don't judge ppl period. What some does or doesn't do is not your business. If certain ppl post bother you that much remove them from your friends list.
  • brph26
    brph26 Posts: 207 Member
    Why do you care what other people do? Focus on your own fitness and stop judging other people.

    ^^^This

    AND if you are burning calories and are set at sedentary with NO specific exercise set through the week....why wouldn't you count those calories as being burned???

    I have lost 22 lbs doing very little "real exercise" by your standards - I haven't stepped foot in a gym....guess I'm doing something right though, even if I do count my uninterrupted cleanings every week!
  • iplayoutside19
    iplayoutside19 Posts: 2,304 Member
    The OP hits on a mental roadblock that I had when I first started this process in terms of exersice. I thought if it's not going all out then it's not worth doing. Obviously I've changed my mind.

    20 minutes here or there can make a difference. If you've squeezed in 20 minutes of activity 3-4 times a day...you've been more active than a person that spent an "hour" at the gym. Not only that, I know several members on this site who garden and walk as forms of physical activity because that's all they can do. If you are still able to "bring it" during a work out, feel lucky that you still can because there are people who can't.

    There's a time and a place for everything. If I didn't have a job, family, & community commitments I would most likely spend a large portion of my free time being active, notice I didn't say "working out". But time is of the essence and I'm active when I can be.

    And I agree with Torregro. I like to make a lot of my "exersice" an activity I enjoy for it's own sake, not the number I can dial up on my HRM...although that's fun too.
  • JThomas61
    JThomas61 Posts: 892
    Wow, you stirred some things didn't you, lol.

    I can understand the original intention in this post. That it is frustrating when someone complains they are not losing weight when they refuse to push themselves or do a small amount of exercise for themselves so they can eat more. Then ask for help and refuse to accept any.

    However, it did come across very opinionated and obviously hurt people and made them feel bad. I'm sure that wasn't the OP's intention. He just ranted and didn't think his post through.

    Anybody that is pushing themselves to do more than they usually can, like most people who have commented on this thread, are inspirational! You are obviously doing what works. You are losing weight and improving your health, which is fantastic.

    I too log wii fit, shorter walks and mowing the lawn. I have knee problems and this is outside of my normal routine so it is extra exercise and it pushes me. I don't add up my 2 minute walks to and from work because i do them daily and count them as part of my lifestyle. It is starting to work for me, i am happy to say.

    Again i would like to say this post was not aimed at those of you who ARE pushing yourselves to do more than your usual routine and are losing weight. It is aimed at those who could do more but have too many excuses and wonder why they have NOT lost weight. Obviously diet would be a factor too, but that has not been mentioned here.

    Congratulations to all of you who are doing your thing and improving your health accordingly. You should all be immensely proud of yourselves, whether pushing it is a marathon or a walk around the block!

    I think you have hit on the essence of his post, I agree with you 100%
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