Housekeeping

carissa233

I am a housekeeper at a hospital which requires me to constantly be moving. I work 8 hours. Would this count as exercise? I logged it under light cleaning for 480 minutes (60 mins x 8) and says I burned over 1000 calories. I feel like that's a lot. Should I count this as exercise?

DavPul

no

supplemama

Nope

iulia_maddie

Nope.

whierd

No. You would select your activity level higher.

singer201

Yes. My DD works in hospital environmental services cleaning patient rooms, and she's been losing weight without really watching her calories. It's exercise.

iulia_maddie

Yes. My DD works in hospital environmental services cleaning patient rooms, and she's been losing weight without really watching her calories. It's exercise.

No. My mother does exactly that. You don't lose weight unless you maintain a caloric deficit. She just needs to calculate her TDEE using the moderately active setting, and eat her exercise calories back. I am talking about her workouts, not about work.

Jen800

I wouldn't log it as exercise, just change your activity level to lightly/moderately active and calculate your TDEE.

DavPul

Yes. My DD works in hospital environmental services cleaning patient rooms, and she's been losing weight without really watching her calories. It's exercise.

No. My mother does exactly that. You don't lose weight unless you maintain a caloric deficit. She just needs to calculate her TDEE using the moderately active setting, and eat her exercise calories back. I am talking about her workouts, not about work.

exactly. no one is saying that's it's not physical labor. what we're saying is that if you start logging 8 hours of your job as exercise, you're going get get a crapload of calories to eat back, and you're going to get fatter. every single time.

melindasuefritz

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[thats why its a category her e on my ffitness pal.. yes.................

buzzcockgirl

I'd say no. I mean-- have you had this job for a bit? If so-- you were doing those same things, and still gaining weight (I suppose?!) So unless this is a brand new thing, I'd say it's a great physical activity, but not a workout. I only count 'exercise for the sake of exercising' ... meaning, if I change into exercise clothes, change my shoes and set out to burn some cals-- I count it; Nothing else!

norcal_yogi

no. just click activity level as 'active'... then go on with your daily base + extra 'workout' or TDEE - 15%/20%.

buzzcockgirl

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[thats why its a category her e on my ffitness pal.. yes.................

^^ But anyone can add an exercise and share it on the database - just like adding a food. I'm not trying to argue the point-...add in the housecleaning if you want, or gardening, or raking some leaves, or food prep... you only have yourself to answer to. Who cares what we think - but you know if you're truly going above and beyond your 'norm' .
I just thought I'd mention it in case you weren't aware of this feature.

aeg176

yes!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
[thats why its a category her e on my ffitness pal.. yes.................

No...if she was supposed to count it as excercise they wouldn't ask what your activity level is when you set up your MFP account. the cardivascular is for excercise not for daily work requirements

L257

I would say no,

1) if you always do this activity then it is already contributing to the weight that you are now and you will need to burn EXTRA calories to lose weight.
2) if this is a regular activity it should be already accounted for in your BMR/TDEE (when you joined MFP you should have put your activity level as something other than sedentary/slightly active)
3) I know it is HARD work and I bet you feel exhausted at the end of the day but I bet a lot of it is really more of a strength/tone/endurance activity than a fast-paced cardio activity which are the calories you need to be counting. If you kept your heart working at 80% for 8 hrs straight it would probably explode! (hyperbole, relax). So although components will be cardio, not much of it is burning a stack of calories

I think a category like this exists for people who, for example, spend a Saturday helping a friend move house (but really, really quickly!).

tmoore22591

Yes I lost weight before starting calorie counting ect just by doing my housekeeping and laundry at my nursing home just in laundry today I have taken over 7000 steps plus the lifting and what not that goes along with the my job between my steps and physical labor I have burned almost 2000 calories vs the 638 i taken in that definitely counts

quiksylver296

NorthCascades

singer201 wrote: »

Yes. My DD works in hospital environmental services cleaning patient rooms, and she's been losing weight without really watching her calories. It's exercise.

Huh. I know somebody with a desk job who watches movies and TV shows after work. He's losing weight because he eats at a calorie deficit. Does that mean watching TV is exercise? I hope you agree it's not.

The way MFP works is you choose your activity level based on your job, and you add deliberate exercise outside of that. In MFP terms, your job isn't exercise.

And you can gain weight while you exercise, loser eight without it, or use it as part of a calorie deficit.