Quick question - exercise? decorating- calories per hour

Nina2503
Nina2503 Posts: 172 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi , I have been decorating, stripping wood, gloss painting, and paint rolling walls and up and down ladders all day. I have added this as light housework. It sure seemed a lot harder than light housework though if I am honest!.

What would you have added it as?

Replies

  • Lisah8969
    Lisah8969 Posts: 1,247 Member
    If I am not doing something specifically for the sake of "exercising", I don't log it at all.
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    I only log things I didn't use to do on a daily, weekly, monthly basis...etc. Like cleaning, laundry, yard work, decorating, etc. I only log intentional exercise such as walking, running, gym classes...etc.

    But you surely have burned some extra bonus calories, if you're feeling hungry because of the extra work then I would personally just eat another small meal/snack, like some yogurt and nuts or fruit to give yourself some extra energy for all that work,
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I wouldn't log it at all. It's life.
  • Nina2503
    Nina2503 Posts: 172 Member
    I wouldn't log it at all. It's life.

    I wouldnt normally but I have been at it for 3 days 7 hours a day and will likely be for the next 3 days also. My calories are based on my normal general daily life fairly sedentary job at a desk, not doing physical labour to this extent. I am more worried about under eating
  • wildapril
    wildapril Posts: 97 Member
    I wouldn't log it at all. It's life.

    I wouldnt normally but I have been at it for 3 days 7 hours a day and will likely be for the next 3 days also. My calories are based on my normal general daily life fairly sedentary job at a desk, not doing physical labour to this extent. I am more worried about under eating

    If you feel undernourished and tired, have something healthy to eat and don't sweat it!
  • kenazfehu
    kenazfehu Posts: 1,188 Member
    There's a site called CaloriesCount that might be able to give you an estimate. That's where I turn when I've been working unusually hard. I have a desk job, too, rated myself as sedentary, so I log anything I do that requires sustained effort over more than 30 minutes.
  • billsica
    billsica Posts: 4,741 Member
    Stick with the light housework if you are trying to maintain a deficit. I agree with the if you feel hungry today just eat a little more and don't worry about it so much.

    There is a construction entry that I used when hanging drywall.
  • Kaydana123
    Kaydana123 Posts: 71 Member
    It never ceases to amaze me how many people here have special bodies that can tell the difference between accidental exercise and intentional exercise.

    If your lifestyle thing that mfp uses to calculate your daily calories is "sedentary" and this is a lot more work than you normally do on a daily basis then yes, you should be logging it and you probably chose a reasonable option. I'd probably log it as the same. It's better to underestimate calories burned than overestimate them.
  • tubbyelmo
    tubbyelmo Posts: 415 Member
    I based it on light cleaning, reduced the calories a bit from what the database said (it always seems very generous to me) and added it to my exercises. Like you, I normally sit at a desk all day.

    I even logged today, I gutted both offices at work, moved furniture, boxes, etc - still more than I usually do if I was sat at my desk all day. I'm near the start of my fitness/weight loss journey, once I'm super fit I hope I don't turn into someone who mocks those logging cleaning as exercise...
  • LynnieG85
    LynnieG85 Posts: 157 Member
    If your normal calorie goal is set because you are mostly sedentary, then of course the last few days you've been burning much more than usual! Whether it was on a treadmill or climbing up and down ladders, you're still burning!

    It might be more than light exercise, but that's what I'd log it as, just so you don't over estimate :) A burn is a burn, don't let others get you down with their pessimism :)
  • Lisah8969
    Lisah8969 Posts: 1,247 Member
    It never ceases to amaze me how many people here have special bodies that can tell the difference between accidental exercise and intentional exercise.

    If your lifestyle thing that mfp uses to calculate your daily calories is "sedentary" and this is a lot more work than you normally do on a daily basis then yes, you should be logging it and you probably chose a reasonable option. I'd probably log it as the same. It's better to underestimate calories burned than overestimate them.

    Well my body probably can't tell the difference b/t accidental and intentional exercise. The OP asked what we would have logged this as and I choose not to log stuff like that. That is my answer to her question. When I go to Disney and walk around parks 10 - 12 hours a day, I don't log that either. It's my choice and she can choose to log this if she wants. My choice seems to be working for me.

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