Stay at home moms

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AlexBoBalex79
AlexBoBalex79 Posts: 99 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi-

I need your help to determine the appropriate activity level for my MFP profile. I don't want to put in sedentary and log in all my exercises, because honestly, besides walking the dog and gardening I don't do any formal exercise. I have a 20 mo. old and a 4 year old. I run around after them, play (a lot), chase, puzzles, I'm constantly cleaning the house, laundry, folding, tiding up. I do get breaks in the day, when they nap for about 2 hours and that's when I cook. I don't ever feel like my daily work is going to make me break a sweat. I don't know how to honestly gauge my activity level. What have you done? Thanks for your help.
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  • AlexBoBalex79
    AlexBoBalex79 Posts: 99 Member
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    bump
  • jheads
    jheads Posts: 145 Member
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    I had this problem too. I'm not sitting all day long like at a desk job but I'm also not doing anything that really requires effort. Like you my days consists of laundry dishes and toddler play. I logged it as a desk job though because I didn't know which one to chose.
  • 2credneck208
    2credneck208 Posts: 501 Member
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    I set my activity level to lightly active, I work out 7 days a week, plus all the mommy duties.
  • sPaRkLiNgLYFE
    sPaRkLiNgLYFE Posts: 609
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    Hi-

    I need your help to determine the appropriate activity level for my MFP profile. I don't want to put in sedentary and log in all my exercises, because honestly, besides walking the dog and gardening I don't do any formal exercise. I have a 20 mo. old and a 4 year old. I run around after them, play (a lot), chase, puzzles, I'm constantly cleaning the house, laundry, folding, tiding up. I do get breaks in the day, when they nap for about 2 hours and that's when I cook. I don't ever feel like my daily work is going to make me break a sweat. I don't know how to honestly gauge my activity level. What have you done? Thanks for your help.
    i would try adding a brisk 30 minute walk to your daily routine
  • blu_meanie_ca
    blu_meanie_ca Posts: 352 Member
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    Sedentary (desk job). There is very little aerobic about being at home, and even with a moose like my son, I don't lift him enough to get any real weight training. It will be very hard to lose weight without adding in some additional exercise, as it will have to be purely through calorie restriction. I've rearrainged our routines a bit so I have time to work out after the kids are in bed. I guess it helps in some ways that my husband works out of town.. after the kids are in bed I have a small tidy up and then it's time to work out.
  • AlexBoBalex79
    AlexBoBalex79 Posts: 99 Member
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    "i would try adding a brisk 30 minute walk to your daily routine"

    I walk an hour a day when it's not cold out, so now that spring is coming I'll be doing that daily.

    I guess I'll keep it as lightly active and just log in exercises that i feel are beyond mom-duties.
  • BflSaberfan
    BflSaberfan Posts: 1,272
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    I'm not a stay at home mom but I dont consider anything other than actual working out to be anything more than sedentary.
  • Sleepynita
    Sleepynita Posts: 82
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    I thought I would be sedentary for sure, but when I got my fitbit I realized that chasing after kids, taking them to school and doing housework works out to lightly active most days. On major grocery shopping days and days we have activities with the kids then my calorie burn pushes me to the moderately active area. On no day has my burn ever been sedentary with kids at home. We do much more then you give yourself credit for.
  • healthymom76
    healthymom76 Posts: 99 Member
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    I am a stay at home mom of 6. I have 2 toddlers and while they are very active it has never been enough to help me lose weight. So I set to sedentary because there can also be a lot of sitting as you are reading to them and holding them. Even playing with them doesn't really burn a lot of cals unless you are outside chasing them. So I log workouts as calories burned. Try it one way for awhile and see if you are losing. If not then try the other. It takes a while to figure out what works for your body. Good luck!
  • BrennLinn
    BrennLinn Posts: 178 Member
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    Im a stay at home mom with a 5 year old and 21 month old and I always log days that I do heavy cleaning but It doesnt feel like I burned a lot of calories so I also workout 6 days a week (I do my workouts when my youngest takes her nap) and I walk 4-5 miles a couple times a week.
  • AlexBoBalex79
    AlexBoBalex79 Posts: 99 Member
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    That's so encouraging, SleepyNita!

    What exercises do you log in when playing with the kids?
  • jolene_ca
    jolene_ca Posts: 91 Member
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    I'm a stay at home mom of 5. I have mine set to sedentary and then I log my workouts.
  • shells1234
    shells1234 Posts: 64 Member
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    I think that if your not laying on the couch all day then your not sedentary!! You burn more calories when your standing compared to when your sitting... I put my on light activity because I'm standing from about 6 a.m. till 7 p.m. I dont sit, I dont know why probably because I have about 5 kids here all day some not my own!! lol OP I would def log your workout though just so you will be more accurate!!
  • sPaRkLiNgLYFE
    sPaRkLiNgLYFE Posts: 609
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    I'm not a stay at home mom but I dont consider anything other than actual working out to be anything more than sedentary.
    true
  • Bizzeemamanj
    Bizzeemamanj Posts: 26
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    I have mine set to lightly active and then log all my workouts. I spend almost no time during the day sitting (unless I'm eating or driving somewhere). I think you have to be honest about the amount of time you spend on your feet and/or in motion aside from purposeful exercise and set your activity level accordingly.
  • Sleepynita
    Sleepynita Posts: 82
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    I don't log daily activity with the kids, or housekeeping etc... I did those things when I was over weight so I don't count them now.
    I just count purposeful exercise.

    BUT I have a fitbit so I know I burn at minimum 2200 calories a day doing nothing but being a Mom all day, and up to 3000 if I physically do Insanity or go to the gym or run.

    For the sake of comparison I work 2 days a week at a hospital for 8 hours (when my hubby is at home) and at the hospital I am on my feet 65% to 75% of the shift. On those days I burn 2450 calories average - only 250 more then when I am just at home with my kids and I would consider working days moderately active.

    So for me my cal burn works out like this (based on my Fitbit which has been quite regular).

    Stay at home Mom days: 2100-2250cals
    Days in hospital working: 2450 cals (this is almost always dead on give or take 15 calories)
    Days where I go to the gym or do insanity: 2800 - 3000 cals
    Days I do insanity and hot yoga (this happened twice, I am not that crazy on a regular basis): 3000 - 3250

    My new caloric intake: 1400 plus attempting to eat back on average 50% of my exercise calories. I personally suck at eating that much though. I have a hard time getting over 1700 most days.

    Granted I am in a plateau right now but I should bust through that any minute now.
  • AlexBoBalex79
    AlexBoBalex79 Posts: 99 Member
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    I don't log daily activity with the kids, or housekeeping etc... I did those things when I was over weight so I don't count them now.
    I just count purposeful exercise.

    BUT I have a fitbit so I know I burn at minimum 2200 calories a day doing nothing but being a Mom all day, and up to 3000 if I physically do Insanity or go to the gym or run.

    For the sake of comparison I work 2 days a week at a hospital for 8 hours (when my hubby is at home) and at the hospital I am on my feet 65% to 75% of the shift. On those days I burn 2450 calories average - only 250 more then when I am just at home with my kids and I would consider working days moderately active.

    So for me my cal burn works out like this (based on my Fitbit which has been quite regular).

    Stay at home Mom days: 2100-2250cals
    Days in hospital working: 2450 cals (this is almost always dead on give or take 15 calories)
    Days where I go to the gym or do insanity: 2800 - 3000 cals
    Days I do insanity and hot yoga (this happened twice, I am not that crazy on a regular basis): 3000 - 3250

    My new caloric intake: 1400 plus attempting to eat back on average 50% of my exercise calories. I personally suck at eating that much though. I have a hard time getting over 1700 most days.

    Granted I am in a plateau right now but I should bust through that any minute now.

    That's great info. So, you are eating 1400 calories a day total or is that the amount after you exercise?
  • Sleepynita
    Sleepynita Posts: 82
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    I try to still get 1400 cal after I exercise, but that seems hard for me right now, I am working up to it but some days with all the activity I still end up at 1000, other days I am 1800. I guess it evens out in the end :)
  • gotobedmaryse
    gotobedmaryse Posts: 9 Member
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    I have mine set the light active. I have a Nike Fuel band and the days when I'm at home taking care of kids and chores I burn about 2800 fuel points. The days where I'm at a desk all day (and then kids and chores) I burn about 1500 (this rarely happens). That tells me that I am NOT sedentary when at home and move quite a bit. Just for comparison, I get about 1000 Fuel points from 60 minutes cross fit (600cal per hour.)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I put sedentary as well. It puts me at 1470 calories right now. I exercise and usually don't log it and I don't eat it back (really because I have no clue how much I burn, if I just do a 30 minutes walk I'll log it though), I just don't sweat it when I'm over a little (which rarely happens).

    I've never been a super active sahm though. I have twins and they play together a lot, and cleaning the house just seems like a waste of time considering how much mess they make, so I don't do it that often.

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