Fake Activity Calories?

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  • SinCity2003
    SinCity2003 Posts: 163 Member
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    I've never considered cleaning, shopping, food preparation as exercise and I don't log it here on MPF; however, I now have a FitBit and it adjusts my calorie goal (negatively or positive) at the end of the day (or as the day progresses, depending on what I'm doing) for me. I have it set that I would like to burn 750 calories a day above my BMR and so far I've met that 2 out of 3 days, with the 3rd day being 505 calories over my BMR. Since I haven't used it for a full week, I'm not sure if it's 100% accurate, but I have it set to lose 1.5 pounds per week and this past week I lost 1.5 pounds.

    So I say all that to say that my FitBit takes into account all my daily activities (including sleeping) and adjusts for me, so it is counting those things such as cleaning, shopping and food preparation, but I don't physically go in and count them.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
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    I know where this thread is heading

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  • annwyatt69
    annwyatt69 Posts: 727 Member
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    I think "normal" everyday food prep wouldn't count. I think that when it includes a LOT of moving around and is something more vigorous than your regular daily routine, then it is o.k. to add. Probably a case of personal choice. If your diary is set at sedentary, that is....However, if it is your job, I wouldn't log it, but instead set your diary at lightly active or a step up from that.
  • gungho66
    gungho66 Posts: 284 Member
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    I wonder how many calories are burned by worrying about what other people are doing?


    I would think that the caloric burn of that activity has caused some people to have ceased to exist.
  • 1ConcreteGirl
    1ConcreteGirl Posts: 3,677 Member
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    Fake activities? Are you saying that knitting, cleaning, shopping, and food preparation are not real?
  • LeahRandom
    LeahRandom Posts: 34 Member
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    I was surprised to see house cleaning, but I log it since it happens to be my job. Unlike when I clean my own house, at work it can be very fast paced and I generally work nonstop for 2 hours. I don't count it as anything but "light effort" unless I broke a sweat (or could feel that my heart rate was really up from normal) and not just from the vacuum exhaust. I also don't log it until the end of the day, that way I don't really factor that activity into my calorie count.
  • geekpryncess
    geekpryncess Posts: 118 Member
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    Yea,I see the "food Preparation" as exercise on here and I'm just thinking WTH? But,to each his own...If it works for them,then cool.

    Funny they have that as an option to log, but not sex...LOL I hate cooking, but love sex. Pretty sure most everyone burns more calories in the bedroom than in the kitchen (unless you're a real freak and get it on in the kitchen too!) :D
  • mem50
    mem50 Posts: 1,384 Member
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    Can anyone tell me how many calories I burn from knitting?

    I knit a lot.

    I went and looked it up. "assuming a body weight of 150 lbs you will burn 105 calories in an hour". Taken directly from site.

    Neat. So the afgan I made burned roughly 1000 plus calories over the course of my time off work last week.
  • eris1981
    eris1981 Posts: 58 Member
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    I don't log my every day cleaning like washing dishes and wiping the toothpaste out of the bathroom sink, but once a week or so when I clean like scrubbing the shower and mopping the floor and doing laundry (I live in an apartment without a washing machine, so while putting clothes in and out of the machine isn't work, lugging the baskets to the laundry room and back is), I log . . . my job is primarily sitting so those are extra calories burned. Also, I don't like cooking dinner as food preparation, but when I cooked Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners, I logged that because I spent about six or seven solid hours chopping and beating and moving around pots and pans.

    ::shrug::
  • Carolyn_79
    Carolyn_79 Posts: 935 Member
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    I used to log cleaning and food prep back when I was on 1,200 calories/day. It worked, because 1,200 calories is ridiculously low for most people.

    Agreed, I think a lot of people set themselves as sedentary so they get 1200 calories and are hungry so they log every little thing to get more calories. I would just change the settings to lightly active and not worry about logging the everyday stuff. Doesn't matter though. To each their own and if they're getting results then who am I to argue.
  • etoiles_argentees
    etoiles_argentees Posts: 2,827 Member
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    It's none of anyone's business

    Exactly.
  • ForTheSmile
    ForTheSmile Posts: 89 Member
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    I wonder how many calories are burned by worrying about what other people are doing?

    You're my hero.
  • Mloveb913
    Mloveb913 Posts: 35 Member
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    I wonder how many calories are burned by worrying about what other people are doing?


    LMAO!!:laugh:
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
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    It's none of anyone's business

    x infinity
  • swonn
    swonn Posts: 323 Member
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    During the summer when I was canning several hours a day and almost every day of the week, yes I logged it. I was exhausted at the end of the day and definitively considered it exercise. Regular cooking dinner and the like I did not log.
  • geekpryncess
    geekpryncess Posts: 118 Member
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    Fake activities? Are you saying that knitting, cleaning, shopping, and food preparation are not real?

    Actually I beg to differ about shopping...spend an afternoon on your feet nonstop walking, trying on clothes, etc...I count it! I just log it as leisurely walking, but it's calories burned that wouldn't have been if I was at home doing what I normally do, sitting on the computer...
  • Crankstr
    Crankstr Posts: 3,958 Member
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    i burn calories chewing leaves off of tall trees.
  • KazSmith68
    KazSmith68 Posts: 85
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    I only use the cleaning occassionally and thats when its a major clean of up to at least 2 & 1/2 hours of the bathroom,shower, toilets,washing floors all in one go. That is a big clean & not an easy one so I log that
  • luvs2teachincali
    luvs2teachincali Posts: 207 Member
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    I have a friend on here that logs food prep but she works at a salad bar and is always chopping, cleaning, restocking, basically a lot of moving. It is working for her and she doesn't log her whole shift.

    For me, I log cleaning only when it involves moving from room to room a lot, bending, stretching... basically if I'm dusting, sweeping, vacuuming, or mopping... and only if it's an hour or more. I usually don't log the whole time either to account for pauses. So if I clean for two hours, I will log it as an hour. I don't eat my exercise calories earned back anyways... so it's not that big of a deal for me... however.... I am set up to eat 1200/day and sometimes it's closer to 1300.... on those days, the excess come in handy when I click COMPLETE ENTRY, but other than that... who cares? I know I allow myself to go up to 1300 regardless because I think it's good to vary your intake.

    Good luck!
  • chubbygirl253
    chubbygirl253 Posts: 1,309 Member
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    When I log cooking or food prep it's like holiday meal cooking, not daily stuff.

    When I log cleaning its like spring cleaning, organizing closets, deep cleaning. Not just loading the dishwasher or vacuuming.

    When I log shopping it's cuz I had to follow my 68-yr old mom around walmart for 3 or 4 hrs and now I dont have time for a real workout so I have to pretend her 15 bags of purchases are weights and at least do some bicep curls as I packmule her crap in the house.

    When I log wrestling it's sex

    What was the question?

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