Calories burn while preparing food

Littlesmile
Littlesmile Posts: 99 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Hey Dere..

I have seen many people logging their cal burn as while Preparing food in Kitchen !!
Or while Doing Dishwasher..

i actually want to know how can u burn cal while prep food. i mean cutting/chopping vege can give you teary eyes but no cal burn !!

so is it correct to count house hold chores, dusting, food prep, cooking as Exercise and burning your cal ????
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Replies

  • Littlesmile
    Littlesmile Posts: 99 Member
    bump
  • I think that if it's out of the norm (catering for a party etc) then perhaps you could count it.
    But I think many people add them so they can have a few extra cals to eat for the day:noway:
  • MissySho
    MissySho Posts: 126 Member
    Personally I don't count chores and cooking as exercise.....But for some people maybe it is something new and they feel that any little movement is exercise. Guess it's a personal preference thing but I'm with you and don't think that those things are exercise. Really!
  • sarahmoo12
    sarahmoo12 Posts: 756 Member
    the only thing I count is doing my garden and cutting the hedge! Its a big garden with a big hedge and it tires me out!!!
    BUTTTT I only log like half to a quarter of the time i spend doing it
  • ebony__
    ebony__ Posts: 519 Member
    I log stuff like mowing the lawns, but my lawn is massive and I go really hard at it an make it's good work out,
    I wouldn't log food prep ,
    Pretty sure stuff like that is basically factored in already
    Some time I do log stuff to keep track of having done it but
    Just change the calories burnt to 1 ( it won't let you put 0)
  • funkyspunky872
    funkyspunky872 Posts: 866 Member
    You burn calories breathing. Of course, you burn calories preparing food and loading the dishwasher.

    I don't log them, but I would if I have my activity level set to sedentary and preparing food, loading the dishwasher, or whatever the chore may be was not a daily activity.
  • funkyspunky872
    funkyspunky872 Posts: 866 Member
    Just wanted to add that most people who log things like that have a set calorie goal and are not eating exercise calories back. They use it as reference on how active they were on some days and to get a more accurate TDEE.
  • aprilwilliams2729
    aprilwilliams2729 Posts: 107 Member
    My activity level is set to sedentary - so I probably log more things as exercise than someone who is more active. That said, I only log something like food prep when I'm canning (which involves hours of peeling, chopping, moving heavy pots, etc.) or when I spent 1 1/2 hours making lasagna. In other words - I only log things that are really out of the ordinary, and I don't eat back all of those calories - I just want to make sure I'm being accurate in my log.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    YMMV, but I have found that I only log things that meet 2 criteria.

    1. Activity outside the scope of an average day for me.
    2. Gets my heart rate up.
  • Never tried to log cleaning,preparing for food for exercise, even going to supermarket if walking. Sometime people log shopping. But isn't it what they have always done (means these activities). Logging exercise means real exercise or something giving high calorie burn and is not a routine..
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    I was sick for a long time, and didn't move much. To encourage and motivate myself to do more when I started feeling better I logged all movement that was newer to me.

    My daughter had done the dishes and all the hh work. So seeing that I had spent 20 min folding laundry, 15 doing dishes, 30 vac the house made me feel I accomplished something.

    There are a lot of people out there who are really starting from couch to life.

    IMHO:flowerforyou:
  • jkcrawford
    jkcrawford Posts: 435 Member
    I do log housework as this is a great calorie burn, but I clean a 4 bedroom house 1 & 11/2 bath. But I don't log it everyday, just when I actually clean the whole house at once.
  • semhe
    semhe Posts: 81 Member
    I only count things that I do specifically for health and weight loss. I obviously cooked and cleaned the whole time i was heavy and it didnt help my figure any, so why pretend its exercise now? I think it would just give you a false sence of how many calories to eat in the day
  • Joannie30
    Joannie30 Posts: 415 Member
    Personally i think logging everyday chores like that is a bit of a cop-out. Its not exercise, its just daily movement.

    Having said that, every so often I have a big cleaning day at home. During this i scrub my whole house vigorously from top to bottom, vacum, move furniture to vacum underneath (I should add here that my vacum is VERY heavy), clean all the windows, mop the floors, clear out cupboards etc. I spend a long time doing this as vigorously as i can and I do log this because it is prolonged and strenuous.
  • chelledawg14
    chelledawg14 Posts: 509 Member
    The only time I count cooking as exercise is if I'm spending the whole day getting ready for an event - and usually that will include cleaning floors, vaccuuming, doing dishes & cooking as a "general housework". But, on a normal day-to-day basis, I consider cooking to be a basic part of the day. Anytime I'm in the kitchen for three hours or more straight, that's when I log it.
  • Everything you do burns calories, but I only log real workout, not daily activities.
  • Littlesmile
    Littlesmile Posts: 99 Member
    YMMV, but I have found that I only log things that meet 2 criteria.

    1. Activity outside the scope of an average day for me.
    2. Gets my heart rate up.

    Exactly this is my point.. if ur heartrate is not increasing .. its not a workout.. u can be sweating in ur house only , if ac is not working... but dat doesnt count as exercise...
  • Littlesmile
    Littlesmile Posts: 99 Member
    Everything you do burns calories, but I only log real workout, not daily activities.

    thats correct.. i find such updates of cooking food, choping veg, as a fake...
  • Littlesmile
    Littlesmile Posts: 99 Member
    I only count things that I do specifically for health and weight loss. I obviously cooked and cleaned the whole time i was heavy and it didnt help my figure any, so why pretend its exercise now? I think it would just give you a false sence of how many calories to eat in the day

    correct...
  • Littlesmile
    Littlesmile Posts: 99 Member
    so why does MFP have options for such activities... of cooking food as cal burner. it will not be a true picture...
  • jkcrawford
    jkcrawford Posts: 435 Member
    I think that people with a disability should be able to log what ever excersise they do that keeps them moving. I'm not saying it should be an everyday thing, I have arthritis and there are so many things I just physically can't do. Until I lose more weight and my joints don't hurt so much I will continue to log house work. As long as I am able to move that day it should count.
  • healthchick
    healthchick Posts: 75 Member
    I only log planned exercise (gym, Zumba, squash etc), anything else is simply a bonus
  • Hendrix7
    Hendrix7 Posts: 1,903 Member
    Hendrix7 just burned 12 calories replying to this thread.

    Sweet.
  • Gramps251
    Gramps251 Posts: 738 Member
    People who are logging calories for preping food are fooling themselves. The most strenuous kitchen task I know of is kneading dough and I wouldn't log that.

    Silly
  • aprilwilliams2729
    aprilwilliams2729 Posts: 107 Member
    Ok, I'm done answering posts like this one - obviously the OP was not looking for actual answers to her question, just to bash other people to make herself feel good. :grumble: Do what works for you and stop criticizing others who may be at a different place in their journey. I've been on MFP for 40 days now and lost 14 lbs - so what I'm doing is working for me.

    Good luck on your journey! :flowerforyou:
  • Littlesmile
    Littlesmile Posts: 99 Member
    Ok, I'm done answering posts like this one - obviously the OP was not looking for actual answers to her question, just to bash other people to make herself feel good. :grumble: Do what works for you and stop criticizing others who may be at a different place in their journey. I've been on MFP for 40 days now and lost 14 lbs - so what I'm doing is working for me.

    Good luck on your journey! :flowerforyou:

    Well AprilSWilliams, it was not a criticism, but a query.. of course who we r to stop anyone frm logging anything ...
  • arewethereyet
    arewethereyet Posts: 18,702 Member
    Ok, I'm done answering posts like this one - obviously the OP was not looking for actual answers to her question, just to bash other people to make herself feel good. :grumble: Do what works for you and stop criticizing others who may be at a different place in their journey. I've been on MFP for 40 days now and lost 14 lbs - so what I'm doing is working for me.

    Good luck on your journey! :flowerforyou:

    You keep right on doing what you are doing!! Great job!!
  • rachie25half
    rachie25half Posts: 16 Member
    That's how i feel, and it's nobody's business to make judgments on what i log.
  • lsmsrbls
    lsmsrbls Posts: 232 Member
    If you don't want to log it, don't log it. Those of us who do log it don't need you to worry about us.
  • chasetwins
    chasetwins Posts: 702 Member
    Personally...that would drive me CRAZY!!!

    I work from home - run a daycare so in between doing "daycare" stuff I am cleaning - cooking - laundry - dishes etc etc. If I log cleaning / food prep I would have to log the things i do with the kids { walked back and forth 5 times getting crayons, paper , paint..changed baby..opened 6 playpens, closed 6 play pens etc etc) Screw that!! - LOL ~ If I logged every movement I made..I would get annoyed and stop logging altogether!

    Only my actual exercise gets logged..if I wear my HR monitor..it goes on MFP :)
This discussion has been closed.