Calorie counters on some things are WAY off! :)

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angelashurtleff
angelashurtleff Posts: 4
in Fitness and Exercise
I just cleaned out my garage and probably like most of you, I want credit for EVERY single calorie I burn! :) But when I typed moving boxes in, it said it burns 310 calories an hour! Come on! Moving furniture probably wouldn't even burn that many! I cleaned for about 3 1/2 hours and there is absolutely no way I burned over 1000 calories. Oh well. Good thing you can change the amount of calories you think you burned :)

Replies

  • Cyclink
    Cyclink Posts: 517 Member
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    Moving furniture for an hour would probably burn well more than that.

    How much you burn cleaning probably depends on whether you were just dusting or if you were moving lots of boxes and junk. If you were moving a lot of stuff around, I could totally believe that number.

    A bit of advice: let go of the "I want credit" mentality and you will get a lot further while losing a lot less hair.
  • ZyheeMoongazer
    ZyheeMoongazer Posts: 343 Member
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    The MFP exercise database grossly over estimates on most things. I don't trust it at all. I use my HRM for all exercise.

    Also, IMO cleaning doesn't count as exercises its a part of life. But to each their own, track it if you wish.
  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
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    That sounds pretty reasonable if you were moving the whole time, but we usually look in the boxes before we move them.

    When I am doing strenuous but inconsistent activities like this, I usually just log half the time. For my dance classes, I log 90 minutes for two hours of class, plus setting up the ballroom.
  • angelashurtleff
    angelashurtleff Posts: 4
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    It was listed as moving boxes :) I was rearranging my garage and moving about 35 boxes of stuff around plus sports equipment, etc. And I did it pretty non-stop (except for water breaks) for about 3 hours. I have a HR monitor and even when I am doing full force Insanity cardio, I don't burn 310 calories an hour...and trust me, moving the somewhat heavy boxes and all was not even close to that! And I counted it because even though I am pretty active, I don't haul boxes and heavy equipment around for 3 hours! I also realize that burning calories is based on body weight and all so maybe it seems unreasonable to me because I am thin and therefore wouldn't burn as many calories compared to a larger person.
  • bekah818
    bekah818 Posts: 179 Member
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    The MFP exercise database grossly over estimates on most things. I don't trust it at all. I use my HRM for all exercise.

    Also, IMO cleaning doesn't count as exercises its a part of life. But to each their own, track it if you wish.


    I agree about the HRM watch. I wear one to to calculate the correct calorie burn. But I disagree about cleaning and moving boxes not being exercise! However u burn your calories is how you burn your calories, the gym isn't the only place to get a good workout in, as long as u stay active it all counts! According to my HRM watch I walked 4 miles and burned 500 calories, shopping in the mall!
  • mrphil86
    mrphil86 Posts: 2,382 Member
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    The MFP exercise database grossly over estimates on most things. I don't trust it at all. I use my HRM for all exercise.

    Also, IMO cleaning doesn't count as exercises its a part of life. But to each their own, track it if you wish.


    I agree about the HRM watch. I wear one to to calculate the correct calorie burn. But I disagree about cleaning and moving boxes not being exercise! However u burn your calories is how you burn your calories, the gym isn't the only place to get a good workout in, as long as u stay active it all counts! According to my HRM watch I walked 4 miles and burned 500 calories, shopping in the mall!

    If you seriously are hurting for calories, logging cleaning activities is not the way to do. I have a pretty active job but I don't log all the activities there, that would get stupid and I feel that I would cheat myself. My body already is tuned to what my normal everyday activities are.

    Be honest with yourself, exercise is exercise. It's not my body so I could care less what you are doing but seriously...
  • gramacanada
    gramacanada Posts: 557 Member
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    If you have your activity level set as sedentary then yes, cleaning is over and above that.
    Remember as with food counts, exercises you look for in the data base have been added by members.
    MFP staff do not add these foods or exercises. There is no standard.
    So very many times food counts are WAY off. Exercise counts undoubtedly are as well.
    One friend has walking a mile as burning 240 calories another has it as 97.
    If you type things in with or without a period or hyphen you often get different counts.
    Different people have entered it.
    This is partly why it can get dicey eating back your exercise calories.
    There are times it could very well be possible it eat more than our daily requirements.
    You can add your own exercise to the list and estimate what you think may be closer.
    Weird stuff out there. Look for Pushing a locomotive uphill. It's there!
  • Wendy595
    Wendy595 Posts: 28 Member
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    I don't count cleaning as exercise. I also don't include my job which I spend probably a good 7 hours of it on my feet, lifting and moving freight. I don't count it because it isn't 30 continuous minutes of me keeping my heart rate up.

    I just use the MFP calorie count as a reference and try not to eat it back.

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