Logging daily activities?

avafrisbee

My activity level is set at sedentary. So I log certain activities as exercise, for example if I walk to the store instead of drive. I carry my baby all the time, but if I am playing with him by lifting him over my head and dancing about with him, I log that. I log massive cleaning like if I re-arrange furniture or I clean both bathrooms, kitchen and living room top to bottom and moping and scrubbing toilets and sinks and tubs etc. I cleaned out the closet a few weeks back and was at that and folding laundry for 5 hours so I logged that. Not a huge caloric burn but something out of the ordinary. Right after my son was born, I wasn't on MFP but I counted any movement as exercise because I couldn't stand up for more than a few minutes at a time, then an hour then a few hours. I had a c-section and the recovery was super hard for me. Some women say "I was back to normal in 2 weeks" well, I wish I was one of them but myself and two other ladies I know said it was 10-12 weeks before they felt they could do any moderate level exercise. Even my doctor and midwife told me cleaning was off the to do list for 8 weeks. So during this time I counted cleaning and walking around in my garden as exercise. Now I don't.

Breast feeding is also a daily activity but not accounted for in MFPs deficit so it is wise for nursing mothers to count this as well to help ensure she and her baby are getting proper nutrition.

Also there could be people on here that can't walk to the end of their driveway to pick up their mail without getting winded. For these people it is motivating to log anything that gets them moving.

Perhaps they are doing themselves a disservice, then when they ask on a forum "why am I not losing weight" and you look at their diary and they have eaten 600 calories over their goal and accounted for it with "10 minutes of drying dishes", "5 minutes making the bed", "15 minutes folding laundry", "10 minutes picking up child's room" and "20 minutes standing in shower" they will get their answer. But often times adults know what they are doing, if they are cheating themselves or not, if they really are getting a work out from "picking up the mail" or not so I just let it go until I see that one crazy post "I'm eating only 1200 calories and doing all this housework and have my activity level set to high even though I work a desk job, I'm actually very active but not losing". Even then, I am learning to let it go because there are plenty of people on here that can help them out.

katysmelly

First I would like to start this post by qualifying it with....I am just asking questions so don't get all defensive and rude. I am not judging anyone here! Trying to educate myself.

I see people logging daily activities, like cleaning, carrying laundry, carrying a baby. Doesn't mfp already account for daily calories burned? So isn't someone that logs those activities doing themselves a disservice by counting them towards cardio? Seems like an easy way to pump up your diary and convince yourself you can eat more. Unless of course, you never clean your house, carry laundry, carry your baby, etc and these truly are new activities to you. I clean my house, carry laundry up and down stairs daily, carry my 5 month old quite a bit. I also work 9 hours a day, seven of which is walking around a nursing home and kitchen. But I am still fat, which is why I am using this site. If I loggd all that as extra calories burned, and ate to make up those calories, wouldn't I be just as fat as I was before starting on mfp?

I think your question is totally reasonable, and it's one I've mulled over a lot.

Here's what I do:

I am a Stay-at-home-mom. I set my activity level to "sedentary." I figure I spend a lot of day sitting down, just like someone with an office job does. And, someone with an office job does do some housework when they get home. So, I set "sedentary" as my base.

I don't count a lot of my housework - I don't count preparing meals, doing general tidying in the evenings, etc. However, I do a session of intensive cleaning and I count that. I'll try to explain what I do as briefly as possible -

I make up a big to-do list of things to clean. I emphasize things that require a lot of movement (hoovering, cleaning baseboards, making beds) and leave off stuff like washing dishes - those get done at other times, anyway. I make the list deliberately inefficient/strenuous. For example, there are three beds upstairs. I'll put each bed on the list as a separate thing. The point is - I have to go back to the list to cross off one before going back up to make another bed. That's three trips up the stairs instead of one. I make the list so that I'm doing lots of separate trips up the stairs, breaking things up so that I have to go back to the list on the kitchen counter. When I do this session, I make a point of really hustling. I run up the steps two-at-a-time. I move furniture and clean things that probably don't even need to be cleaned. Does my sofa need to be moved for hoovering every day? No. But, I do it, anyway. :laugh: And, here's the final thing I do so that I can call it exercise: Before I cross anything off the list, I have to do a set of exercises like push-ups, crunches, squats, etc. I keep myself moving as quickly as safely/sanely possible and I'm frequently puffing a bit!

I set a stopwatch app on my phone and I go and run through the list as fast as I can. If I'm interrupted by the phone or doorbell or something, I'll pause the stopwatch until I can resume my routine.

I generally take about 90 minutes to two hours to get through the list.

When I'm all done, I go to a website that lists calories burned for various activities by weight and time. I calculate that. Then, I calculate the calories that I would have burned if I'd been sitting at my computer posting nonsense to MFP, and I subtract that. The difference I enter as calories burned.

I think this makes as much sense as putting on a low-impact aerobics DVD and exercising. It get my house really, really clean and it's not boring like dancing around my living room would be.

jreed1920

I have a Fitbit which logs my activity all day long so not sure how that would be different than people logging their daily activities in addition to "exercise" If you are working your plan based on TDEE everything you do falls into that number, no?

Having said that, Fitbit never gives me crazy high calorie burn numbers like I see in many of these logs like 500 calories for making dinner or something like that. I don't even get numbers that high when I am actually doing a workout like JM 30 Day Shred so not sure how MFP is accurately accounting for the cooking/cleaning calories.

Vegetablearian

I have set my profile as sedentary because 3 days a week I most certainly am, 2 days a week at work I am on my feet all day and I tend to log that as 1 or 2 hours cleaning light effort as thats closest to what it is, 1 day a week I am uni which is a 30 minute walk each way and I walk all dinner hour so I log that, on weekends I am on my feet a lot and I log cleaning , which in this cage involves 3 6ft animal hutches being scrubbed and 5 3ft animal cages being scrubbed as well as cleaning up the entire house and I then log about half the time only to account for over estimates.

It depends on your situation and how hard you clean because the 2 hours it takes to do the hutches and cages in super tiring and I am up and down stairs all the time with waste and fresh bedding and carrying the animals to the outside runs and back. I wouldnt log having a quick sweep up and doing the dishes ever haha that wont burn much at all.

I log ea sports active and my boxing ps3 game and I will log jogging when I start doing some.

I eat below my BMR on average so these things should be considered for me IMHO.

avafrisbee

Thank you everyone. I see some people logging like 20 minutes cleaning every day. That is a daily activity. I agree that moving, spring cleaning, carrying a baby around a zoo, stuff that you do not do daily, should be logged. I personally am only logging actual exercise. The things I did on a daily basis did not prevent me from being fat in the first place.

okay, logging 20 min cleaning EVERYDAY, that is deluding yourself. Unless this person is like 400lbs and on the verge of dying due to their life-style.

SteveZT

I also wanted to share something my friend who is a nutritionist explained to me since I was complaining about not losing any weight. I have been training for a half marathon and running 20-30 miles a week and my calorie goal was 1200 a day. I was logging my runs and the calories burned which on some days would total over 600 cals. My mistake was that I was then eating 1800 calories on a day like that because I thought that the 600 burned allowed me to eat that much more. I guess my point is that even if you log your activities and exercises it is not an automatic "ok" to eat away those burned calories. Of course it is important to fuel your body before and after strenuous exercises but the snack should be something small...not 600 calories worth I hope this helps at least helps somebody understand the benefits (or downsides) of logging activity on this site.

hi there,
there are lots of misconceptions about a need to eat back your burned calories/
Could you tell us what did your nutritionist ,as a qualified person, say about eating away your burned calories?

thanks

Paula21666

Now I am confused....according to the daily food log after I exercise it does add those calories to my daily caloric intake and since I do my exercise after work I am then strggling in the evening to take in 600-700 calories before bedtime because of the exercise adjustment. So my question is do I stick with my recommended 1200 calories only or do I make up the calories burned during exercise? Any help would be appreciated.

lhelgren

Yes, climbing that hill with your back pack should definitely be counted as exercise especially if you are breathing heavy by the time you get to the top. By the way, you look great.
Grandma Laura

UpEarly

For me... something in MFP doesn't add up correctly. I have a computer job and spend about nine hours a day sitting at my desk. I do an hour workout most days as soon as I get off work. In the evenings, after I make dinner and wash a few dishes, I spend most of the evening relaxing on the couch - watching movies or reading.

I think this classifies me as sedentary, right?

For sedentary, MFP has me on 1730 calories a day to *maintain* my weight. Once I add in my workout calories, I end up around 2230 (give or take, depending on my workout intensity) most days.

I recently added a Body Media Fit into the equation. It turns out that the little things I do throughout the day are enough to make me not sedentary. This includes the cleaning, the cooking, running errands, grocery shopping, etc.

My Body Media Fit says I'm actually VERY active - not sedentary like I thought. According to it, I'm burning an average of about 2700 calories a day. I tend to believe it because MFP maintenance numbers weren't really allowing me to maintain. I hit my goal weight at the end of January, but have still lost seven more pounds in two months using MFP's maintenance calorie calculation.

So... yes - I think daily activities DO count. People can either choose a higher activity level in general or stay at sedentary and log the extra activities manually. The end result should be the same.

msudaisy28

If we set out activity level at sedentary it only accounts for breathing.

Not true - it accounts for minimal movement throughout the day (5,000 steps or less). Mine is set at sedentary and I wear a pedometer to know exactly how many steps I take throughout the day. I log calories burned for every step taken above and beyond 5,000 in a day.

katysmelly

Now I am confused....according to the daily food log after I exercise it does add those calories to my daily caloric intake and since I do my exercise after work I am then strggling in the evening to take in 600-700 calories before bedtime because of the exercise adjustment. So my question is do I stick with my recommended 1200 calories only or do I make up the calories burned during exercise? Any help would be appreciated.

If you know that you're going to exercise in the evening, go ahead and eat a bit more throughout the day. It may happen that you occasionally don't get to work out because something comes up, but that's OK unless it happens a lot.

Or, if you exercise in the evening, you could log it the following morning and thereby eat the calories the next day.

Everything averages out over a week or so, anyway. You can arrange things as you like with that in mind.

SteveZT

Now I am confused....according to the daily food log after I exercise it does add those calories to my daily caloric intake and since I do my exercise after work I am then strggling in the evening to take in 600-700 calories before bedtime because of the exercise adjustment. So my question is do I stick with my recommended 1200 calories only or do I make up the calories burned during exercise? Any help would be appreciated.

lots of people are saying that you should eat back those burned calories and somehow magically youll lose even more weight

there are many posts on this subject but ,personally, Im not entirely convinced and am in two minds on this subject, especially given some huge burned calories count on some of the exercises listed in database

katysmelly

Now I am confused....according to the daily food log after I exercise it does add those calories to my daily caloric intake and since I do my exercise after work I am then strggling in the evening to take in 600-700 calories before bedtime because of the exercise adjustment. So my question is do I stick with my recommended 1200 calories only or do I make up the calories burned during exercise? Any help would be appreciated.

lots of people are saying that you should eat back those burned calories and somehow magically youll lose even more weight

there are many posts on this subject but ,personally, Im not entirely convinced and am in two minds on this subject, especially given some huge burned calories count on some of the exercises listed in database

The accuracy of the calories burned database is a separate issue...

But the idea that you'll lose weight if you eat back your burned calories is valid. That's because the original calorie allowance is already set for weight loss (assuming you've set your activity level accurately.)

If I'd maintain without exercise at 1700, and I tell MFP that I want to lose 1 lb a week, it will tell me to eat 1200 a day. If I exercise and burn 300 calories, then I could - and possibly should - eat 300 more calories. It does one no good to starve themselves. Slow and steady wins the race.

kasgill

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kasgill

I also wanted to share something my friend who is a nutritionist explained to me since I was complaining about not losing any weight. I have been training for a half marathon and running 20-30 miles a week and my calorie goal was 1200 a day. I was logging my runs and the calories burned which on some days would total over 600 cals. My mistake was that I was then eating 1800 calories on a day like that because I thought that the 600 burned allowed me to eat that much more. I guess my point is that even if you log your activities and exercises it is not an automatic "ok" to eat away those burned calories. Of course it is important to fuel your body before and after strenuous exercises but the snack should be something small...not 600 calories worth I hope this helps at least helps somebody understand the benefits (or downsides) of logging activity on this site.

hi there,
there are lots of misconceptions about a need to eat back your burned calories/
Could you tell us what did your nutritionist ,as a qualified person, say about eating away your burned calories?

thanks

She told me that just because I burned 600 calories or so, running 7 miles, didn't mean I should go and eat an extra 600 calories that day just because I burned those in theory. If I wanted to lose weight I should stick to my 1200-1300 goal daily even if I workout...not eat around 2000 calories just because I ran that day. I was eating my burned calories and working out like crazy since I am training for a half marathon and was remaining the same weight. After 7 weeks of training, I hadn't lost or gained a single pound. I didn't know any better...I thought I could eat all that extra food because I was so active. Not true. She told me that a small carb snack before working out and a lean protein after my workout (I weight train as well) would give me the nutrition and energy I needed for my workout. This would only be an additional 100-200 calories added to my daily amount for my "workout snacks"...not an extra 600+ cals like I had been eating. Her plan for me is to keep my daily goal in the 1200-1300 range and to not increase my intake even if I workout. My body should still get the fuel it needs and I won't have to stay frustrated that I am not experiencing any weight loss or body shape changes. I hope this helped explain things a little bit more.

katysmelly

I also wanted to share something my friend who is a nutritionist explained to me since I was complaining about not losing any weight. I have been training for a half marathon and running 20-30 miles a week and my calorie goal was 1200 a day. I was logging my runs and the calories burned which on some days would total over 600 cals. My mistake was that I was then eating 1800 calories on a day like that because I thought that the 600 burned allowed me to eat that much more. I guess my point is that even if you log your activities and exercises it is not an automatic "ok" to eat away those burned calories. Of course it is important to fuel your body before and after strenuous exercises but the snack should be something small...not 600 calories worth I hope this helps at least helps somebody understand the benefits (or downsides) of logging activity on this site.

hi there,
there are lots of misconceptions about a need to eat back your burned calories/
Could you tell us what did your nutritionist ,as a qualified person, say about eating away your burned calories?

thanks

She told me that just because I burned 600 calories or so, running 7 miles, didn't mean I should go and eat an extra 600 calories that day just because I burned those in theory. If I wanted to lose weight I should stick to my 1200-1300 goal daily even if I workout...not eat around 2000 calories just because I ran that day. I was eating my burned calories and working out like crazy since I am training for a half marathon and was remaining the same weight. After 7 weeks of training, I hadn't lost or gained a single pound. I didn't know any better...I thought I could eat all that extra food because I was so active. Not true. She told me that a small carb snack before working out and a lean protein after my workout (I weight train as well) would give me the nutrition and energy I needed for my workout. This would only be an additional 100-200 calories added to my daily amount for my "workout snacks"...not an extra 600+ cals like I had been eating. Her plan for me is to keep my daily goal in the 1200-1300 range and to not increase my intake even if I workout. My body should still get the fuel it needs and I won't have to stay frustrated that I am not experiencing any weight loss or body shape changes. I hope this helped explain things a little bit more.

How is that working for you? Do you feel like you have the energy to do the training you're doing? Are you losing weight?

SteveZT

thanks kasgill,
I appreciate you taking time to explain.
it is just logical what you wrote but there are still many people who are convinced that we MUST eat back all the calories that we burn by exercising.
go and figure

yesthistime

As a food addict and morbidly obese person, it is dangerous for me to log anything that is not intentional exercise because it allows me to find excuses to eat more when I really should be learning to lower my intake to a healthy level. If I were to log things like cleaning, cooking, etc. I know it would just be so that I can "earn" a meal or snack that I don't need anyway.

When my MFP days are over, I will need to have learned to do the following things for myself and without any added incentives:

1. Eat when I am hungry.
2. Stop when I am full.
3. Move my body for lifelong health and wellness.

joolie3

Wow, I feel like a total under-achiever of a house-keeper (I am one). :laugh:

There is a level of honesty - brutal honesty - that I know for me I have to maintain or I might as well not do any of this - I own that piece. Tonight, I had to bar-scan the baby's cookies - I can't believe I ate one of the darn things and at least it was only one, but I knew if I didn't log it, the part of me that keeps score would hold it against me. That holds true for activity too. I invested in a Fit Bit - mainly, this way yeah - if I cleaned my house or whatever (yeah right) or vacuumed, yes, I get credit for the movement, I get credit for the steps. If I am climbing stairs, it knows that I have moved from one level to another. That way - my extra effort - the things I go out of my way to squeeze into my already full day like concerted efforts to go for walk or 15 minutes devoted to going up and down 4 flights of stairs for the sake of exercise - that's the stuff I can count.

In the end though it's my own internal housekeeping I have to be responsible for I guess. Worrying about anyone else's isn't going to get me very far - although for me I have a bigger problem with "exercise envy" than anything else.

JBsCrazyGirl

If the activity is something I do during the normal course of my day, like doing dishes or sweeping, then no, I don't log it. But if I do a marathon cleaning session, like vacuuming every square inch of my house (basement, ground floor, upstairs, furniture, etc), then I will log it since it's not something I do every day.

Exactly!