Venting a little read at your own risk!! lol

KyleB65

I disagree with the sentiment that logging house work or active video games is wrong.

People will have their own goals and starting points. Anything someone chooses to log into their profile that helps them understand what and how they consume food along with how their activities burns calories is good. Perhaps vacuuming or doing the dishes are small, low intensity, low cardio exercises but it will certainly provide an idea of what needs to be done to reach any individual goals.

I also take particular exception to your specific mention of mowing the lawn. I use a large gas powered lawn mower to cut my grass and at a pace that elevates my respiration, heart rate and leaves me in a sweat. It takes 45 - 60 min to cut my lawn. How is this any less of a workout that running to nowhere on a treadmill?

As for some of the new interactive video games. I do not have one but I have tried the Wii fit at a friends house. Like anything else if you put the effort into it, it is easy to get a good sweat going and to be out of breath in a surprisingly short period of time.

Note that I have been working out 4-5 days a week for almost 18 months now. My workouts are Martial Arts (Capoeria and Jeet Kune Do). Trust me, I know what it is to sweat and be out of breath in a workout. Wii fit may not provide the same intensity as what I have been doing but for someone starting out. It is a good workout.

stefraab

I don't understand why anyone would care what other people do or don't log as exercise.

I personally don't log anything other than intentional exercise, but I don't care if someone logs carrying their baby around the house, or mowing the lawn. If they shouldn't be logging it, they won't lose weight but that's no skin off my nose. I'm here for me.

LorinaLynn

When I started, I logged everything. Shopping. Cleaning. Everything. It got me in the habit of logging and budgeting my calories, and that's a good thing.

Now, I don't log anything that's part of my day to day life. I switched my settings from sedentary to lightly active to include my normal activities. But mowing the lawn or shoveling snow once every two weeks or so isn't my normal day to day life.

edna513

I agree with the people who are not physically able to do the bigs workouts, as I cannot myself. I do water aerobics each day and lift weights and can walk for short periods of time but nothing like you discribed. I would need an ambulance to pick me up and get me some help!!! Remember us seniors who are still strugling also. Good luck though with your weight challenges.

perceptualobfuscator

Wow. You know, not everyone on the site has the same physical abilities as you. For people with mobility issues, asthma, or just plain old age, it might not be appropriate to do the kind of physical exercise you are suggesting. Not only that, but for someone just starting out with exercise, walking is a perfectly appropriate activity.

As well, there are a number of people on this site who have selected the 'sedentary' setting, and then add their daily physical activities up to get the appropriate number. For people who do this, it's appropriate to add any and all physical activities.

I'm not saying that everyone is in this circumstance - there really are some times when I look at what people consider exercise and have to scratch my head - but there's no point in making assumptions.

becka63

I'm not usually judgemental about the opinions of others....

But it is just an opinion.

Here is a fact: it's 'lose weight', 'losing weight' not 'loose weight' or 'loosing weight'.

I know it's petty. But I don't like being told what I should and shouldn't log as exercise.

Sorry if this point has been made...I didn't read through the whole thread.

DonPendergraft

Chill out dude. Not meaning to offend anyone here, but if you are a serious and fanatical athlete, this is not where you hang out. It just isn't. Some with proper motivation, instruction and time can do a great deal to improve their overall health. There are others because of age, disability, health, etc that are doing well if they can walk down the street and back. To them, I say BRAVO. I will NEVER rip anyone I see out there trying. Walking the dog. Doing stretching while sitting in their chair, or whatever. The point is that they are trying. Yeah, it's too bad they can't bust out 1,000 pushups and run 20 mile. Slackers! )

I will say that there is an underlying vibe in some of what you say that has some truth to it. Namely, that there are people who are misinformed and untrained and they will not get the results they desire. True enough. But if they are here, at least they can be exposed to others who have had some success and can hopefully learn a great deal about diet and exercise. We are all on our own custom plans. Don't look down your nose at those who aren't where you are.

This virtual hangout isn't for the super intense athlete. If that's what you are looking for, you are better off spending more time in the local meathead gym or training for your next Ironman. Gotta run before I "loose" my cool. )

MzBug

Don't judge others until you have walked in their shoes.

Remember when your Mom would put you in so many layers of clothes when it was cold out that you could hardly move? You would have a hard time walking, you fell over because you couldn't bend your knees. You couldn't "pitch" a snow ball because you couldn't bend your arm. When you got back inside you were wet on the inside from sweat, not from the melted snow. Similar to having excess weight. Get a weight vest and load it up with 80-100 pounds and wear it 24/7 for a few days and see how you do.

DonPendergraft

Why do you care what other people do? Focus on your own fitness and stop judging other people.

Word.

es0torok

Here is a fact: it's 'lose weight', 'losing weight' not 'loose weight' or 'loosing weight'.

Sometimes mine is pretty loose.

bstamps12

I agree with him because he said he is tired of seeing people log those things as exercise, eat back the exercise calories, then complain they aren't losing. He isn't saying you shouldn't log those things, he's saying he is tired (like a lot of us are) of seeing posts on here "why am I not losing weight?" and seeing they logged "light cleaning 10 minutes" just to eat an extra candy bar and stay under their daily calorie goal.

I think the point here, that has been missed by many people on both sides, is that you have to STOP MAKING EXCUSES and REALIZE THERE ARE NO SHORTCUTS!

I did my first tri last weekend and got passed by a SIXTY NINE year old woman. Yes, 69 years old! And I won my age group (20-24) so it wasn't that I was going slow. I hardly cared that she passed me because kudos to her for being so healthy and in such great shape at that age! Amazing! I was followed closely by several "Clydesdales" (men 225 lbs plus), who realize that they can stop making excuses, stop taking shortcuts, and swim, bike, and run.

I have had so many friends on MFP that have posted and said "I need someone to kick me in the butt and stay on me because I am at a plateau," so I try. But they continually log things like "cleaning, light effort," eat over their calorie goal anyways, then blow up my home page with complaints that they aren't losing weight. Obviously I have deleted them after several weeks of behavior like that, but it does affect me because when I am friends with people on MFP, I depend on their encouragement and their support and take a serious interest in their journey to health as well.

xXxKayleighxXx

I would really like to remind everybody that English is the original poster's 4th language and so yes he may spell a couple of words wrong :flowerforyou:

EuroDriver

I would really like to remind everybody that English is the original poster's 4th language and so yes he may spell a couple of words wrong :flowerforyou:

and bstamps12

THANK YOU for reading what i said, getting the point of what i said, and reading what i replied....

Im watching this show called x-weighted at the moment.. there is a guy class 4 obese and has only 1 leg... he is doing the fitness test and really pushing himself and at the end of the fitness test he was very happy saying that he really really though that there is no way he could do it.. and he was scared to even start the test because hes been using he's wheel chair as an excuse... this guy should be an inspiration to alot of people! (if you don't watch the show right now you should start.. really shows how much real dedication can do)

For those that did watch the first video.. this guy has no arms no legs.. yet he goes swimming, stays active, eats healthy and he lives life being happy and not letting anything get in his way! he is a true inspiration!!!


I understand everyone has different goals and lifes hardships... so i guess do what you want.. achieve your goal or not.. just don't whine if you are not seeing results or are hitting a plateau!!



As for the guy saying this is the wrong forum/website/app for me if i want real fitness motivation etc.. then sorry I read the name of this site??? MY "FITNESS" PAL... or am i wrong??

thatalchemistgirl

I take it you believe i tough love, If not your being way to judge mental to those who have been judged all there lives.

Don't get me wrong here, some times people need a swift kick in the but to get them going. lord knows I did. It was someone very much like you who sat me down and told me to tough it out.

However I'm young. I can still walk, my body isn't racked with pan everyday and I'm not so large that I can't run. Some people on this site are doing all they can to get better. Some aren't.

Funny thing about that is: You don't have to see it. You don't have to read it. You don't have to deal with it.

Everyone I've met on this site is a success story or supportive. So many people avoid gyms, walking, going outside or working out because of judgmental people like you. Some of us are still learning how to fight, and picking on them does not make you strong. Its possible to give a firm kick in the but, with out being a total Phallus about it.

In the words of the internet: Be supportive or GTFO TROLL!!!!

EuroDriver

Ive felt judged before too... i was a 6'2 170lbs n all that weight was just fat.. 0% muscle.. my BF percent must have been over 20.. i would always wear an undershirt and long sleeve topped with a t-shirt so my whole body was always covered even in the summer.. yeah i was pretty insecure.. i started with buying some DB for home.. then bought a bench for bench press, then streight bar, then started running at 5am or midnight so no people are out, once i ran out of weight at home i got a gym membership and started going 1 hour prior to closing so no one is there.. except the staff. as i would have felt insecure and judged... now couple years later.. i realize that i was just being dumb.. rearly anyone at the gym judges you.. if you are too skinny yeah they will glance and say that guy/girl is pretty damn skinny but hes here so he can pack on that muscle and will give you a couple tips to get to your goal.. if you are over weight.. same thing ppl will look and say its good to see that the person is out and trying!!! i have yet to hear ANYONE EVER at the gym point at a person, sit and steer at person or put them down in any way so its all just in your heads.. people are there for the same reason you are to get in shape! and they started somewhere just like everyone either fat, skinny, or like me skinny fat and they know how the first couple trips to the gym feel.

Whenever i see someone who is looking at what im doing or seem curious i strike up a conversation to give them a window to ask for advice as i know they don't want to ask on their own.. sometimes i have guys just walk up ask how long ive been lifting and if i have any tips for them, i am always happy to help them as anyone else in the gym would...even now occasionally ill see someone doing something different or different exercise and i will ask what they are doing, for which muscle, and what works; and people are always happy to help..

I have one question though... i often times see people doing exercise just a bit wrong that can hurt their back(deadlifts very often), cause shoulder injuries(bench press), or simply little things that would greatly improve results(doing a full rep instead of lowering the weight half way and picking it back up). what do you do? do you approach the person and just politely tell them that they are at risk of injury and should try it like this with proper form or you just let them be and hurt them selves.. if that was you, would you feel down and discouraged or would you be thankful for a quick lil tip?

ilsie99

Um, would you like to vent at all the people who log two teaspoons of olive oil in their food diaries?

Because that's the same amount of calories as walking for 10 minutes, but on the other side of the axis. Do you see my point here?

bstamps12

ilsie--I think you are missing the entire point of counting calories and logging them along with calories burned via exercise. If you don't log those two teaspoons of olive oil, roughly 100 calories, every day for 1 year, that comes out to 36500 calories, or 10 pounds. So you GAIN TEN POUNDS for not logging that.

For most people on MFP, 99% I would say, 10 minutes of walking (unless it is like 4.0 mph at super steep incline), is already counted into your calories for your lifestyle. Even "sedentary" people, unless they are morbidly obese, have the calories from a 10 minute walk built into their daily calorie goal that expects that amount of calorie burn. (I do recognize there is a difference between one ten minute walk per day and someone who walks 4 or 5 different sets of 10 minutes during the day and I am referring to the person who does one ten minute walk per day as their only exercise). But even if you want to say that those 10 minutes of walking are NOT in their daily calorie goal, you maybe burn 50 calories doing that. So if you don't log those 10 minutes and don't think they are in your calorie goal, you will LOSE FIVE POUNDS over the year for not logging it.

I think it's pretty clear you should not err on the side of not logging little things...err on the side of not logging calories burned. That's a FIFTEEN POUND difference! So yes, I would vent at someone who does not log their olive oil but does log the 10 minutes walking. Not the same thing.

ilsie99

Sorry bstamps, but that's where you are wrong. Sedentary means you don't do anything. As in, you sit in a chair all day and then go to bed. Period point blank.

So if you want to be accurate, you log those 10 minute walks.

bstamps12

Read the description for "sedentary." Its a desk job. You walk 10 minutes to get out of your house, to your car, into your office and back.

If your description of sedentary is correct, NOBODY on MFP would qualify as sedentary. They should then set their lifestyle to "lightly active." Which counts in things like short 10 minute walks.

Thats where you are wrong, sorry.

ilsie99

And just to be clear, I understand what's what. I DON'T log every time I dip my bread in oil, because I don't log my 10 minute walks or the multiple times I go up and down four flights of stairs daily at work.

But I also don't complain or "vent" when other people do it, first because I don't really think its my biz, but also because they might just be trying to be really precise.

1southernchick

hmmmm, I like my Dance 2 wii, I break a sweat so...and I record only my HRM calories burned

ilsie99

Read the description for "sedentary." Its a desk job. You walk 10 minutes to get out of your house, to your car, into your office and back.

If your description of sedentary is correct, NOBODY on MFP would qualify as sedentary. They should then set their lifestyle to "lightly active." Which counts in things like short 10 minute walks.

Thats where you are wrong, sorry.

The Harris-Benedict equation which MFP uses for it's calculations defines sedentary as "bedrest."

bstamps12

You clearly did not understand what's what because the very description of sedentary says "bank teller or desk job" not "literally sit in a chair all day then go to bed."

We aren't complaining about the fact that people log it. We are complaining about the fact that people log their ten minute walks, not their olive oil, and then complain in posts and comments on our home pages that they aren't losing weight. You are completely missing the point of EuroDriver's first post. If they want to be precise and log every little thing, great. But if they aren't losing weight and the complain about it constantly in the mesage boards and their status' that shows up on my home page, then it is my business to give them the "kick in the butt" they asked for which is a reality check that their lifestyle probably includes light cleaning and a short, slow walk. I want my MFP friends to succeed and when the reason they aren't is that they are making excuses by trying to log things like that then eat back those exercise calories in addition to their normal calorie goal, it is upsetting and I am not doing my job as a friend if I don't try to help by pointing out something they could do to lose weight and reach their goals.

bstamps12

Look at MFP settings and read the description for sedentary. And like I said, even if it is "bedrest," then nobody I have seen on MFP qualifies. Thus they are at least "lightly active."

ladyhawk00

Read the description for "sedentary." Its a desk job. You walk 10 minutes to get out of your house, to your car, into your office and back.

If your description of sedentary is correct, NOBODY on MFP would qualify as sedentary. They should then set their lifestyle to "lightly active." Which counts in things like short 10 minute walks.

Thats where you are wrong, sorry.

The Harris-Benedict equation which MFP uses for it's calculations defines sedentary as "bedrest."

Just to clarify, MFP uses Mifflin-St. Jeor equation.

ilsie99

Read the description for "sedentary." Its a desk job. You walk 10 minutes to get out of your house, to your car, into your office and back.

If your description of sedentary is correct, NOBODY on MFP would qualify as sedentary. They should then set their lifestyle to "lightly active." Which counts in things like short 10 minute walks.

Thats where you are wrong, sorry.

The Harris-Benedict equation which MFP uses for it's calculations defines sedentary as "bedrest."

Just to clarify, MFP uses Mifflin-St. Jeor equation.

My bad. Mifflin-St. Jeor uses the same definition though.

waterjogger

Here is a fact: it's 'lose weight', 'losing weight' not 'loose weight' or 'loosing weight'.

Sometimes mine is pretty loose.

SiltyPigeon

Is this thread STILL going?? Jeepers Creepers. :noway:

bcattoes

Awww, man!! So even if it's a rough trip to the toilet, I still can't count it??

pandafoo

Read the description for "sedentary." Its a desk job. You walk 10 minutes to get out of your house, to your car, into your office and back.

If your description of sedentary is correct, NOBODY on MFP would qualify as sedentary. They should then set their lifestyle to "lightly active." Which counts in things like short 10 minute walks.

Thats where you are wrong, sorry.

The Harris-Benedict equation which MFP uses for it's calculations defines sedentary as "bedrest."

Just to clarify, MFP uses Mifflin-St. Jeor equation.

My bad. Mifflin-St. Jeor uses the same definition though.

actually, according to mifflin, sedentary means little to no exercise, so it would include desk jobs.
http://www.scientificpsychic.com/health/cron1.html

in the grand scheme of things, our activity level is just one factor that affects our progress here. if people are not losing in the way they're expecting, then they're accountable to themselves to examine why... whether it's because of recording food or exercise incorrectly, activity level setting, metabolism issues, or other reasons. if they are our mfp pals and want our opinions why they're stalling or going up, then that's when i'd give some feedback. however, i don't believe it's appropriate to pass judgment on those we don't know, and make blanket generalizations about their motivation or commitment