Question about daily activities & exercise diary

elorawood
elorawood Posts: 68 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,

I am pretty new to MFP and just tracked the calories and some exercises - but now, looking around on the Forum I wonder if I am doing this right.

I set my daily activities to ¨Sedentary¨ because I do spend a good time of my day behind a desk.
Then I log everything that I do extra (they have things listed there like ¨cleaning house¨, ¨walking dog¨, ¨preparing food & cooking¨) and the things that I do when I go to the gym or the pool.

Now I am wondering if I do this wrong. Someone had mentioned in a different thread that the things you do every day (like taking my dog on a walk 3 x per day) don´t require as much effort because your body is getting used to it. So do they then burn less calories? Should I not log my daily things like this? How about if I go to the gym and do exercises, will my body get so used to it that it wont burn the calories anymore? This is a bit confusing :(

Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Replies

  • nanainkent
    nanainkent Posts: 350 Member
    bump to send to top
  • Beverleith
    Beverleith Posts: 3
    The way I do it is when choosing my regular activity I chose 'Lightly Active', as I do a desk job but I do walk quite a bit, run about after my child, do housework etc. So I don't 'add' any of these activities- I just include that as what i consider 'Lightly Activity'.

    Then I add my exercise and only extra housework if it's major!!!
  • tigerlily8045
    tigerlily8045 Posts: 402 Member
    I only count an actual work out. NOT cleaning, mowing lawn, etc.
  • Ely82010
    Ely82010 Posts: 1,998 Member
    This. (as Beverleith said)
  • hp1117
    hp1117 Posts: 4
    I have mine set to moderate activity, I'm on my feet literally running around at work and lifting heavy items. Granted I may only work like 4 days a week but I think that makes up for days I take it easy. I'm also a New Yorker so we walk everywhere. I'd say that sedentary shouldn't be put unless you are seriously bed ridden, never run errands or anything else. Everyone moves a bit each day.

    I don't ever add exercises to my diary because the numbers just don't seem accurate to me, they seem way too high, and I don't want to eat back the wrong amount of exercise calories. I'm not gonna start tracking exercises on here until I get a HRM so that I know it's accurate. This may mean days I work I'm burning more calories than I'm eating which is great cause on days I'm off and eat to my goal, I still have a bigger deficit for the week and I'm cycling calories which is healthier.
  • llkilgore
    llkilgore Posts: 1,169 Member
    I don't log incidental activities like cleaning house. My experience is that MFP overestimates the calories burned from purposefulness exercise and not logging the incidental stuff helps to compensate for that.
  • elorawood
    elorawood Posts: 68 Member
    First of all, thanks for the bump!

    So, I should change my activity to ¨light¨ then? (I just felt that, under the MFP guideline, a teacher or salesperson does a lot more than I do).
    And the 1.5 - 2 hrs ´per day that I walk with my dog (about 3 mph) I should not log under exercise?
  • jacksonpt
    jacksonpt Posts: 10,413 Member
    Hello,

    I am pretty new to MFP and just tracked the calories and some exercises - but now, looking around on the Forum I wonder if I am doing this right.

    I set my daily activities to ¨Sedentary¨ because I do spend a good time of my day behind a desk.
    Then I log everything that I do extra (they have things listed there like ¨cleaning house¨, ¨walking dog¨, ¨preparing food & cooking¨) and the things that I do when I go to the gym or the pool.

    Now I am wondering if I do this wrong. Someone had mentioned in a different thread that the things you do every day (like taking my dog on a walk 3 x per day) don´t require as much effort because your body is getting used to it. So do they then burn less calories? Should I not log my daily things like this? How about if I go to the gym and do exercises, will my body get so used to it that it wont burn the calories anymore? This is a bit confusing :(

    Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

    It's not an exact science... there is a lot of estimating, and some personal preference too. So at the end of the day, it's a process to figure out what works - both what gives you the results you want, but also what you can sustain long term.

    Some people set themselves to sedentary like you do, then log EVERYTHING. Some people set themselves to slightly/moderately (whatever MPF calls it) active and only log their workouts. Some people base their calorie goal on their TDEE and don't log anything.

    None are more or less "right" than the other. At the end of the day, you pick 1 approach, do it for a month or 2, then evaluate. Did you get the results you wanted? Was it reasonably easy to manage? If yes to both, keep going. If no to either/both, then make some adjustments.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,409 Member
    If you have any kind of job and pets or kids, you are not Sedentary.

    Also, you have only 12 lbs to lose. You need to be eating at your TDEE minus 15%.

    So, go to an online calculator like FitnessFrog and calculate your TDEE, and your percentages.

    You can't expect to be losing any more than 1/2 pound per week with so little to lose. Your deficit will only be 200 calories or so. EAT those calories.

    You may need to experiment a little since you are technically probably already at a healthy weight. Stick with each change for a month - so you will know if it is working. If you are getting no results, adjust. But make them small adjustments.
  • elorawood
    elorawood Posts: 68 Member
    @smriverside

    Yes, I am at a healthy weight - I just have to lose more because we want to have a baby and my doctor told me that, because of the back surgery that I just had, I HAVE to lose the baby weight BEFORE I even get pregnant.

    This is very difficult for me and it´s very slow - I am not the youngest anymore for a first child (33 in January) so the pressure is on because we don´t want to wait too much longer. (Been 7 month since my OP - I have a year in total to wait & lose the weight)

    My main fear is to freeze any weight loss because I eat too few calories - that is why I wanted to know if I do this right or not (with the calculations).

    Thank you for all the answers here - I will try to adjust a couple of things and try to be a little bit more patient.
  • sammyneb
    sammyneb Posts: 257
    I just joined MFP also..but I have a desk job, so I set my life to "sedentary" then I log my exercise. And, yes, I would count walking your dogs. I log anything that gets my heart rate up...and sitting at my desk for 8 hours, to me is pretty sedentary. I don't know the "right" way. But I am like you, I don't have a lot of weight to loose, but I want to get in better (more toned) shape. I don't know the right answer, but thought I'd put my two cents in on how I log stuff :) I will also pre-log in some of my exercise (if I'm running a lot that day) to know more how many calories I should take in...
    just my thoughts hope they help
  • sammyneb
    sammyneb Posts: 257

    My main fear is to freeze any weight loss because I eat too few calories - that is why I wanted to know if I do this right or not (with the calculations).

    I had that exact same fear, that is why I joined MFP. I have been running (training for my second half marathon in a year) and I have completely stalled in any weight loss, after I started on MFP I realized on most days I was not coming any where near the calories I need and on same days it was causing me to eat late at night (starving!) I have only been on here for a week, but I already feel better!
  • elorawood
    elorawood Posts: 68 Member
    Thank you for sharing!

    I am not allowed to run anymore - used to do 3 miles 4 times a week and was pretty happy with that (I don´t like running all that much, am more of a swimmer). Then my back hurt all the time with a pain down my leg. So I went to the doc and they found a hemorrhage in my spine - had to wait almost half a year to get the op. Because there is another disc that is pushing out a little (but not enough to OP on it) I was told that I shouldn´t run or do anything that will impact the back or knees - so now I stick to elliptical machines at the gym.

    I wish you all the best for your half marathon! That is truly amazing!

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