In "Excercise" is there a way to track calorie burn from my

kanucha

I work 9 hours at a desk each day. I know that isn't very exerting, but I'd like to track it in my calorie burn, since I'm tracking all my calorie intake anyway.

Does anyone know how I could calculate this, and log it in the exercise block?

MommyLyssa

I am pretty sure that MFP calculates all that when you put in your weight, age, and work (sedentary/active/etc)

SueGeer

Me too!!! Although I guess it's already factored into our "sedentary" status.....

Sue x

bvalosek

don't.

Sitting at a desk burns a nominal amount of extra calories on top of your BMR. Assuming you're goal is solely to lose weight, then erring on the side of under-estimating calories burned is not a bad thing at all.

kanucha

Me too!!! Although I gues it's already factory into our "sedentary" status.....

Sue x

Maybe I missed it, but is there a way to log "sedentary" time?

Shawn_Marie

MFP has the calories included in the sedentary life style. If you add calories burned for work you may go way over on your calorie intake, not have enough calorie output and not lose any weight.
I have a sedentary life style, I work at a desk, when I do not workout I have trouble losing weight unless I only eat very few calories . . . short answer, don't do it; this will hinder any weight lose. JMHO

SunsetWinds

You wouldn't track it. My fitness pal accounts for the calories you would burn just by sitting down all day. What you track are the extra burned calories from walking, working out, etc. You don't log your sedentary calories - it would lead to being allotted more calories and then you'll gain weight.

kalexander2005

I believe that would fall under that category of Basal Metabolic Rate. MFP should give you that when you put in all your general stats. Good luck and do a few squats by your desk from time to time for good measure.

Matttdvg

Me too!!! Although I gues it's already factory into our "sedentary" status.....

Sue x

Maybe I missed it, but is there a way to log "sedentary" time?

When you signed up you would have selected an activity level. Presumably you selected sedentary. This will automatically calculate calories burned through sitting at the desk all day and add it to your daily calorie goal.

carrie_eggo

You wouldn't track it. My fitness pal accounts for the calories you would burn just by sitting down all day. What you track are the extra burned calories from walking, working out, etc. You don't log your sedentary calories - it would lead to being allotted more calories and then you'll gain weight.

^This

kanucha

Ahh, okay, thanks for the responses everyone. I'm not using MFP in a traditional way. I have a target weight, but I don't have a target time, or goal for each week. I actually use my own calorie limit which is well under what MFP chose for me, so that makes it difficult to calculate what my BMR is.

I'm more interested in using the exercise section just to track calorie burn over the next several months based on my activity.

To that end I used a third party website to calculate my calorie burn at a desk job based on my age, sex, height, and weight, and then I made it into a custom "exercise" so I can track it.

PersnicketyFits

I'm with the "don't"-s on this one. When I've tried to diet before and I put in my desk job, it always suggests like... 1700 calories a day! I tried it just to humor myself and gained weight. I just set it manually... It's the same on FatSecret (for those who've heard of it, I used it before but then I was told about MFP and switched). They recommended setting your calorie intake manually at 1500 and just monitoring yourself. No one can REALLY tell you what your particular body needs. But if you know how to listen to it, you can figure out a good balance.