exercise calories

maclynn62

hi, can i ask the exercise you do everyday(like i walk the dog for an hr) do, you count that in. I ask, because whilst doing weight watchers, they said you shouldn't count exercise you dou as a matter of course? what do you think?

heatherelise84

I count my excersise. When you start to build muscle and your metabolism begins to incrase your body at rest requires more calories then it did before you started. Now I am not completely familiar with weight watchers but I have included my excersises every time I do them. It always nice to know when I have made a little more room for myself if I want to indulge a little :-)

Sezmo83

I don't count walking the dog unless I do anything beyond what I'd normally do. So walks around the block I don't count, me mooching around while he runs around and does doggy things I don't count. A 40 minute on leash walk at a brisk pace I do count though because it's not an every day thing and gets my heart rate up whereas the ones I don't count don't.

walkdmc

If I do strenuous, unusual things like clean my house top to bottom, carrying full buckets of water, carry the vacuum up stairs, wipe down floors/baseboards on hands and knees I do count that. According to my Go Wear Fit, I burn a typical 1.4 cal/min while sedentary. During an intense cleaning session, I burn 4x that amount so I count some of those calories.

However, for typical daily activities, light housework or walking the dog, I don't count that. I figure if I do it more than 3x/week it's part of my normal routine and I should have figured it into my initial calorie requirement. (BTW, that 3x/week number is MY estimation, no science to back it up).

SuperScrabbleGirl

I would include that. A dog is a great way to exercise. I'd probably try and push it a little bit more than a leisurely walk, but yeah... include it. Why not?

What have you set your activity level to on MFP?

maclynn62

thanks guys, i've set my fitness goal for 45min every day, so think i'll start counting half, x

kasmir8199

It should all count. I've done weight watchers before, successfully, and I only counted the physical activity outside of my daily norm (such as kickboxing, walking, weight training). However, I'm not certain what factors they consider when determining how you should log things there versus logging things here with MFP. Here, it should be based on your resting metabolic weight, so if your body requires 1400 cals a day (according to your RMR), then that's what you need to have bare minimum. This is the amount of cals your body needs even if you were to remain in bed all day. If you do anything more than that, including walking the dog, folding laundry, washing dishes, karate chopping your neighbor...it should be logged, because it's having an effect on your daily intake.

melanie3103

I know this is a controversial point.. and what works for one, wont for another.

So... I would say, don't count "walking about the office" - and I've seen some that do!

Anything you do regularly and get heart rate up doing - then count it.

I probably spend 15mins tidying each day at home, I don't count that - as it's "pottering" rather than exercise/making me sweat.

If I spend an hour or so, clearing out cupboards or spend 1 1/2 hours cleaning the windows, or moving the lawn - then count that.

If you DO count it, start eating more cals, and you find your weight loss slows down or stops - then I would stop recording it. Listen to you body...

Sezmo83

I probably spend 15mins tidying each day at home, I don't count that - as it's "pottering" rather than exercise/making me sweat. If I spend an hour or so, clearing out cupboards or spend 1 1/2 hours cleaning the windows, or moving the lawn - then count that.

Yup, this is why I don't count my dogs usual walks, it's not exercise for me as I just potter along while he runs and rolls etc. If I decide to go for a walk and take him along though he's on a regular leash and walks with me at a fairly brisk (for me, I'd have to sprint for it to be brisk for him!) pace with just the occasional stop for him to do his business. 2 completely different scenarios, one logged, the other not.

jellybaby84

As a general guide, I think that you are only supposed to count activity as exercise if your heart rate is significantly raised.

graysmom2005

Outside of the gym, dog walks I do count as I'm set to sedentary and when we go for a walk, we go for a WALK! :-)

kunibob

I prefer to set my calories to sedentary and use my HRM to count any exercise that raises my heart rate even a bit, including walking or cleaning, since I spend a lot of time each day doing both, especially walking. My primary focus is making sure I'm fuelled enough for sports, so it's important to me to eat back my calories as accurately as possible. (It's all an estimate anyway, but hey, I figure I might as well try to get as close as I can with the evidence I have.)

But...everyone is different, and you can see what works for you and go with that.

MinnieInMaine

If you have your activity level set as sedentary, I would definitely count the walks. Counting half is an excellent idea because MFP numbers for calorie burn do tend to be overestimated (in my, and my others, experience). If you use only half and eat back those calories, you can have peace of mind that you're not going to over eat.