CONFUSED

x_ZEST_x

I didn't read the other responses but if no one has said it yet, don't log cleaning...It's not a workout. I also don't think the 80 calories you will burn doing 10 minutes of elliptical are workout either but that's just me!

I don't understand what you are saying but, what if you have difficulty breathing etc, you can't just jump up and do an hours workout. You have to start slow and work up to it...right?

Lleldiranne

Am I just seeing things wrong? I'm still working things out on this site.

It seems to me that, for instance, if I do ten minutes on my elliptical trainer versus ten minutes on housework MFP puts the housework as more calories loss. But I sweat more doing the elliptical. Doesn't seem right to me. I'm confused by it. I mean if that is the case then I'll just do my housework lol.

So, for me, it gives 87 calories for 10 minutes of elliptical trainer, and 24 for light and 29 for vigorous cleaning.

I think you're seeing something wrong. Elliptical should be more, and that's what it's showing. I can't imagine how a difference in weight would make it flip-flop. Maybe double check that you had everything right (same amount of time, etc).

felice03

Stop logging 10 minutes of housework. That's not exercise.

It is if your baseline is sedentary.

only if by sedentary you mean no daily movement at all.

x_ZEST_x

I always go by what my HRM says. Best investment ever!

What HRM do you use? I am looking into them!

I looked on here but with the feedback perhaps I did misread it. I couldn't get my head around it.

Rehobobound

I think it would be better to get something like a Fitbit Activity Monitor.

It is a useful gadget and gives you a daily calorie burn. However, it does not accurately count cycling and other non-walking type exercises (or elliptical for that matter)

I Love mine! It keeps me striving for more steps everyday.

escloflowneCHANGED

I didn't read the other responses but if no one has said it yet, don't log cleaning...It's not a workout. I also don't think the 80 calories you will burn doing 10 minutes of elliptical are workout either but that's just me!

I don't understand what you are saying but, what if you have difficulty breathing etc, you can't just jump up and do an hours workout. You have to start slow and work up to it...right?

I was 272lbs and couldn't breath after 3 minutes on the elliptical at first, after pushing myself to finish 30 minutes after 3 days I never went back to 10 minute workouts. I don't think 80-100 calories burned during a workout will accomplish anything in the long term, you have to realize you're probably over or under 100 calories everyday due to caculation errors when preparing your food.

Push yourself to do a bigger burn even if you have to be on the easiest settings. I started interval on the elliptical 4/1 & 10/6 and after 3 months I was doing 4/13 & 10/15.

tj1376

It's rather aggravating that anyone considers housework or shopping to be "working out" worthy of calorie burn logging.

Keep it simple-- if you work up a true sweat, log it. If you don't, don't! And if your sweating is part of your daily job, and therefore part of the Activity Level Modifier that you choose when determining your BMR and TDEE, then don't count that as a separate burn. Easy peasy.

I clean an office twice a week for 1-2 hours. It makes me hot and sweaty and tired - BUT it isn't logged as part of my normal Activity Level because its just 2x a week, not an everyday job. So yes, I do add it as exercise under the cleaning guise. Do I record the entire time I'm doing it no - I normally just put 20-30 min, even if I do it for 2 hours. These are the days of the week my activity monitor registers the greatest spikes in my calorie burning so they are a workout.

No, I don't record my own house cleaning - that is sporadic and of such low intensity that its pointless to do so.

You cant tell people that they shouldn't be logging cleaning if you don't know what type it is.

taso42

I didn't read the other responses but if no one has said it yet, don't log cleaning...It's not a workout. I also don't think the 80 calories you will burn doing 10 minutes of elliptical are workout either but that's just me!

I don't understand what you are saying but, what if you have difficulty breathing etc, you can't just jump up and do an hours workout. You have to start slow and work up to it...right?

Yeah. Do something like walking or some light calisthenics. The key is to add some activity that it OUTSIDE of your normal daily routine.

x_ZEST_x

Anyone else read the fact that she is packing and cleaning for a move?? Not an everyday house cleaning activity so not included in TDEE...

OP I have found several differences in what MFP calculates verses what my HRM calculates.

Thank you, I'm beginning to lose the plot here lol. I think perhaps I should just stick with one way and wear my glasses!

HeatherTB2012

I'm really quite amazed by the negative comments regarding housework...for those of you who are slamming people who count in all the 'little things' that they do - do you feel that's encouraging anyone? Chances are, the people who include all those little things are not 'gym' people and perhaps they're intimidated by those people who are already very fit, very healthy, and are successful at this. By bashing what they're doing, you may send them right back to the couch with a bag of chips - why not go with the 'every little bit helps' message - instead of making them feel like what they ARE doing is pointless?

I personally don't include housework in my activities - but some days, when nothing is going right, not getting the workout I should, not eating well - hey, 10 minutes of housework might be the only positive in my day. And it sure would feel better to have someone say 'good for you' as opposed to 'what a waste of time'

I'm not the type to stand on a soap box but I'm personally on here for support, not to see people be rude to others. Maybe some of you don't remember what it was like when you were just starting out, but EVERY word of support helps someone who needs the support.

RllyGudTweetr

It's rather aggravating that anyone considers housework or shopping to be "working out" worthy of calorie burn logging. I'm not even sure why it's part of the cardio section at all, to be honest, and it can and does confuse people at first. Those kinds of burns (because yes, you DO burn) falls under your TDEE, or Total Daily Energy Expenditure. Everything that we do burns calories over the course of the day, but if you factor in burns that are supposed to be in this category separately, you're screwing up your totals for the day and making things more complicated.

Keep it simple-- if you work up a true sweat, log it. If you don't, don't! And if your sweating is part of your daily job, and therefore part of the Activity Level Modifier that you choose when determining your BMR and TDEE, then don't count that as a separate burn. Easy peasy. Good luck, and feel free to add me, I promise I will never jump down your throat if you have questions like others on these forums love to do.

By this reasoning (only record workouts that make you "work up a true sweat") then the 45 minutes I put in on a Gazelle don't qualify as exercise worth logging, despite getting my heart rate up for the majority of that time, simply because it's not making the sweat pour out of me.

Is that what you're saying?

TylerJ76

I'm really quite amazed by the negative comments regarding housework...for those of you who are slamming people who count in all the 'little things' that they do - do you feel that's encouraging anyone? Chances are, the people who include all those little things are not 'gym' people and perhaps they're intimidated by those people who are already very fit, very healthy, and are successful at this. By bashing what they're doing, you may send them right back to the couch with a bag of chips - why not go with the 'every little bit helps' message - instead of making them feel like what they ARE doing is pointless?

I personally don't include housework in my activities - but some days, when nothing is going right, not getting the workout I should, not eating well - hey, 10 minutes of housework might be the only positive in my day. And it sure would feel better to have someone say 'good for you' as opposed to 'what a waste of time'

I'm not the type to stand on a soap box but I'm personally on here for support, not to see people be rude to others. Maybe some of you don't remember what it was like when you were just starting out, but EVERY word of support helps someone who needs the support.

No one was being rude to anyone.
No one said anything rude.
What was said, was fact.

I wish you the best on reaching your goals!

LauraAshley95

I don't really think a lot of these replies have been helpful or on topic, so I'll try and do both.

I do think you're seeing something wrong because, like others who have checked, 10 minutes of elliptical work is showing more of a burn than housework. That being said, getting a HRM might be best. I personally don't have one, but I'm sure MFP's calculations are a bit off.

As for logging it, I'd say go for it! Especially because cleaning an entire house because you're moving and packing isn't everyday stuff. As long as you feel like you're getting a bit of a workout and can feel your heart rate rising, log it. I think people that can exercise for an hour a day have forgotten that there are people that have trouble even walking around their house without breaking a sweat. Some people are in bad shape and need to start very small and slowly work their way up, and that's perfectly okay.

But like I said, packing, moving, and cleaning an entire house isn't thrown into the daily burned calories MFP gives you, so I would log it.

I hope you're not put off by how some of the people on the site are, but I guess I can understand when you can do things because you've been successful and it's hard to remember that they couldn't once do what they can now, either. Feel free to add me and I hope this helped.

taso42

I'm really quite amazed by the negative comments regarding housework...for those of you who are slamming people who count in all the 'little things' that they do - do you feel that's encouraging anyone? Chances are, the people who include all those little things are not 'gym' people and perhaps they're intimidated by those people who are already very fit, very healthy, and are successful at this. By bashing what they're doing, you may send them right back to the couch with a bag of chips - why not go with the 'every little bit helps' message - instead of making them feel like what they ARE doing is pointless?

I personally don't include housework in my activities - but some days, when nothing is going right, not getting the workout I should, not eating well - hey, 10 minutes of housework might be the only positive in my day. And it sure would feel better to have someone say 'good for you' as opposed to 'what a waste of time'

I'm not the type to stand on a soap box but I'm personally on here for support, not to see people be rude to others. Maybe some of you don't remember what it was like when you were just starting out, but EVERY word of support helps someone who needs the support.

In my universe, leading people to believe their housework that they would be doing anyway "counts" as exercise would be negative and enabling. Just because someone is out of shape and having a bad day doesn't mean that doing their normal daily activities will get them any closer to fitness. Telling them so would just be coddling, and counter-productive to helping them attain any level of fitness.

Sometimes the truth hurts. "You're fat." "You're weak", "You're out of shape". People have to face the truth in order to improve. When I first started out in my fat, weak, out of shape condition, there were a few people who told me, "but you don't need to lose any weight!", "You look good!", etc. These people were not in any way helpful.

LauraAshley95

I'm really quite amazed by the negative comments regarding housework...for those of you who are slamming people who count in all the 'little things' that they do - do you feel that's encouraging anyone? Chances are, the people who include all those little things are not 'gym' people and perhaps they're intimidated by those people who are already very fit, very healthy, and are successful at this. By bashing what they're doing, you may send them right back to the couch with a bag of chips - why not go with the 'every little bit helps' message - instead of making them feel like what they ARE doing is pointless?

I personally don't include housework in my activities - but some days, when nothing is going right, not getting the workout I should, not eating well - hey, 10 minutes of housework might be the only positive in my day. And it sure would feel better to have someone say 'good for you' as opposed to 'what a waste of time'

I'm not the type to stand on a soap box but I'm personally on here for support, not to see people be rude to others. Maybe some of you don't remember what it was like when you were just starting out, but EVERY word of support helps someone who needs the support.

In my universe, leading people to believe their housework that they would be doing anyway "counts" as exercise would be negative and enabling. Just because someone is out of shape and having a bad day doesn't mean that doing their normal daily activities will get them any closer to fitness. Telling them so would just be coddling, and counter-productive to helping them attain any level of fitness.

Sometimes the truth hurts. "You're fat." "You're weak", "You're out of shape". People have to face the truth in order to improve. When I first started out in my fat, weak, out of shape condition, there were a few people who told me, "but you don't need to lose any weight!", "You look good!", etc. These people were not in any way helpful.

Normally I'd agree with this. However, I personally have a lot of trouble staying motivated. While it may not be doing MUCH for them, it is doing SOMETHING, and the last thing I'd want to see is someone on here giving up because what was supposed to be an encouraging, support-filled community made them feel like crap. They already know they need to lose weight, that's why they're here. So even if they're doing just little things and taking baby steps, they don't need to be told what they're doing is worthless.

taso42

I'm really quite amazed by the negative comments regarding housework...for those of you who are slamming people who count in all the 'little things' that they do - do you feel that's encouraging anyone? Chances are, the people who include all those little things are not 'gym' people and perhaps they're intimidated by those people who are already very fit, very healthy, and are successful at this. By bashing what they're doing, you may send them right back to the couch with a bag of chips - why not go with the 'every little bit helps' message - instead of making them feel like what they ARE doing is pointless?

I personally don't include housework in my activities - but some days, when nothing is going right, not getting the workout I should, not eating well - hey, 10 minutes of housework might be the only positive in my day. And it sure would feel better to have someone say 'good for you' as opposed to 'what a waste of time'

I'm not the type to stand on a soap box but I'm personally on here for support, not to see people be rude to others. Maybe some of you don't remember what it was like when you were just starting out, but EVERY word of support helps someone who needs the support.

In my universe, leading people to believe their housework that they would be doing anyway "counts" as exercise would be negative and enabling. Just because someone is out of shape and having a bad day doesn't mean that doing their normal daily activities will get them any closer to fitness. Telling them so would just be coddling, and counter-productive to helping them attain any level of fitness.

Sometimes the truth hurts. "You're fat." "You're weak", "You're out of shape". People have to face the truth in order to improve. When I first started out in my fat, weak, out of shape condition, there were a few people who told me, "but you don't need to lose any weight!", "You look good!", etc. These people were not in any way helpful.

Normally I'd agree with this. However, I personally have a lot of trouble staying motivated. While it may not be doing MUCH for them, it is doing SOMETHING, and the last thing I'd want to see is someone on here giving up because what was supposed to be an encouraging, support-filled community made them feel like crap.

It would be very convenient to use the lack of support from an online community as an excuse for giving up.

LauraAshley95

I'm really quite amazed by the negative comments regarding housework...for those of you who are slamming people who count in all the 'little things' that they do - do you feel that's encouraging anyone? Chances are, the people who include all those little things are not 'gym' people and perhaps they're intimidated by those people who are already very fit, very healthy, and are successful at this. By bashing what they're doing, you may send them right back to the couch with a bag of chips - why not go with the 'every little bit helps' message - instead of making them feel like what they ARE doing is pointless?

I personally don't include housework in my activities - but some days, when nothing is going right, not getting the workout I should, not eating well - hey, 10 minutes of housework might be the only positive in my day. And it sure would feel better to have someone say 'good for you' as opposed to 'what a waste of time'

I'm not the type to stand on a soap box but I'm personally on here for support, not to see people be rude to others. Maybe some of you don't remember what it was like when you were just starting out, but EVERY word of support helps someone who needs the support.

In my universe, leading people to believe their housework that they would be doing anyway "counts" as exercise would be negative and enabling. Just because someone is out of shape and having a bad day doesn't mean that doing their normal daily activities will get them any closer to fitness. Telling them so would just be coddling, and counter-productive to helping them attain any level of fitness.

Sometimes the truth hurts. "You're fat." "You're weak", "You're out of shape". People have to face the truth in order to improve. When I first started out in my fat, weak, out of shape condition, there were a few people who told me, "but you don't need to lose any weight!", "You look good!", etc. These people were not in any way helpful.

Normally I'd agree with this. However, I personally have a lot of trouble staying motivated. While it may not be doing MUCH for them, it is doing SOMETHING, and the last thing I'd want to see is someone on here giving up because what was supposed to be an encouraging, support-filled community made them feel like crap.

It would be very convenient to use the lack of support from an online community as an excuse for giving up.

Like I said, some people have trouble staying motivated, and some people don't have anyone around them to help motivate them.

gettinfit0430

it's not an excuse! but it's always nice to have encouragement to keep going....you don't have to be brash in order to tell someone they need to lose weight...they wouldn't be on this site, if they didn't already know that...

LauraAshley95

it's not an excuse! but it's always nice to have encouragement to keep going....you don't have to be brash in order to tell someone they need to lose weight...they wouldn't be on this site, if they didn't already know that...

My point exactly! Thank you!

HeatherTB2012

Exactly my point. We all know that a little thing here and there isn't going to help you lose a lot of weight - but if that's all someone can do, it's better than nothing - so why not cheer them on and encourage them to do a bit more? Would I tell my 75 year old father that the 10 minute walk he does every morning is a waste of time? How about the 10 minute walk that my 15 year old niece (who's waiting for a kidney transplant, and can barely get out of bed) does around the hospital is a waste of time? Of course not.

I'm just a believer in always being kind. I wouldn't criticize someone who got on a horse for the first time by telling them they're doing it wrong, I'd do what I could to encourage them to push themselves harder next time, take a few bigger risks...my sport is extremely tough and I applaud those that try it, even if it's far, far below a level that is 'productive'.