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Self BS and Counting Calories
Azdak
Posts: 8,281 Member
Of the many ways that people trying to lose weight lie to themselves, estimating "activity" calories is almost certainly near the top. Every day there are a number of topics and comments from people who "count" (or who would like to count) everything from standing, to cleaning, to walking to the car from the house, to having sex, to going to the bathroom, etc, as "activity" or "exercise". For most people, the only "exercise" involved in this effort is an exercise in futility or self BS.
1. There are three main components to daily energy output: BMR, or resting metabolism, Exercise calories, and activity calories. There are a number of formulae established to estimate BMR. Exercise calories are a little harder to quantify, but there are a number of tools out there that can get you in the ballpark. Activity calories have the most variability and are the hardest to quantify. In order to account for those calories, we set up a general level of activity in our profiles, which adds a certain percentage of calories to our BMR to help determine daily intake. However: that activity multiplier represents an AVERAGE, not a minimum. It is easy to remember only the days one did a little extra and conveniently forget those days when you weren't very active at all.
2. Most people overestimate the amount of exertion required to do everyday activities. They use inappropriate cues such as sweating or fatigue to estimate effort; or use calculators that provide inflated estimates; or confuse "continuous" activity with "intermittent" activity, or use HRMs to estimate calories expended (I'll deal with that separately). I have seen large population studies in which participants kept detailed activity logs over a period of weeks. Activity hours were classified according to exertion levels and an overall activity index assigned for each day. The results suggested that, when casual work and leisure activities were included with rest and sedentary behaviors, 70% of all adults measured were essentially motionless. This doesn't mean they sat in a chair all day--it meant that the "extra" activity in their lives did not amount to much.
3. Our bodies do a good job of maintain long-term equilibrium. Small variations in food intake or activity level average out over time. Stored body fat represents the LONG TERM balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. A common mistake made by "fat burners", "protein cultists", and "activity hoaders" alike is to think that what happens during a short-term event is a discrete occurrence that is not related to what happens in our bodies the rest of the day, week, month, or year. Over the long-term, those few episodes of house cleaning or yard work are pretty insignificant.
4. HRMs cannot be used to track energy expenditure during casual activity. CANNOT. I don't know how to say it any plainer. Unless the activity is a steady-state, dynamic activity that is at least 40% of your VO2 max, any number from an HRM is garbage. Even the HRM manufacturers themselves will admit this. If you are wearing an HRM all day to "count calories", you are just wearing out the batteries.
Activity calories MIGHT be significant if there is a significant change to your daily routine--either up or down. That might mean changing jobs, or starting to ride a bike to work instead of driving. It depends on the individual or how much one compensates by increasing calorie intake, or decreasing other casual activity.
On that rare occasion where you do spend a significant amount of time doing continuous, strenuous activity, just throw in a couple of hundred extra calories that day.
Ultimately, you can tell yourself anything you want or track anything you want. These are just artificial constructs--your body will be the ultimate judge.
1. There are three main components to daily energy output: BMR, or resting metabolism, Exercise calories, and activity calories. There are a number of formulae established to estimate BMR. Exercise calories are a little harder to quantify, but there are a number of tools out there that can get you in the ballpark. Activity calories have the most variability and are the hardest to quantify. In order to account for those calories, we set up a general level of activity in our profiles, which adds a certain percentage of calories to our BMR to help determine daily intake. However: that activity multiplier represents an AVERAGE, not a minimum. It is easy to remember only the days one did a little extra and conveniently forget those days when you weren't very active at all.
2. Most people overestimate the amount of exertion required to do everyday activities. They use inappropriate cues such as sweating or fatigue to estimate effort; or use calculators that provide inflated estimates; or confuse "continuous" activity with "intermittent" activity, or use HRMs to estimate calories expended (I'll deal with that separately). I have seen large population studies in which participants kept detailed activity logs over a period of weeks. Activity hours were classified according to exertion levels and an overall activity index assigned for each day. The results suggested that, when casual work and leisure activities were included with rest and sedentary behaviors, 70% of all adults measured were essentially motionless. This doesn't mean they sat in a chair all day--it meant that the "extra" activity in their lives did not amount to much.
3. Our bodies do a good job of maintain long-term equilibrium. Small variations in food intake or activity level average out over time. Stored body fat represents the LONG TERM balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. A common mistake made by "fat burners", "protein cultists", and "activity hoaders" alike is to think that what happens during a short-term event is a discrete occurrence that is not related to what happens in our bodies the rest of the day, week, month, or year. Over the long-term, those few episodes of house cleaning or yard work are pretty insignificant.
4. HRMs cannot be used to track energy expenditure during casual activity. CANNOT. I don't know how to say it any plainer. Unless the activity is a steady-state, dynamic activity that is at least 40% of your VO2 max, any number from an HRM is garbage. Even the HRM manufacturers themselves will admit this. If you are wearing an HRM all day to "count calories", you are just wearing out the batteries.
Activity calories MIGHT be significant if there is a significant change to your daily routine--either up or down. That might mean changing jobs, or starting to ride a bike to work instead of driving. It depends on the individual or how much one compensates by increasing calorie intake, or decreasing other casual activity.
On that rare occasion where you do spend a significant amount of time doing continuous, strenuous activity, just throw in a couple of hundred extra calories that day.
Ultimately, you can tell yourself anything you want or track anything you want. These are just artificial constructs--your body will be the ultimate judge.
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Sure0
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The only time I will count something is if it is something that I don't do on a normal day, such as walking around a mall, and I do a lot of it, say an hour or more. Of course, I also add in my running and other cardio related activities, but I don't bother trying to count my lifting.0
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The only time I wear a HRM is when I go for a run or cycle. This allows me to keep in check with my heart rate, calories, pace and distance. These are usually the only exercises that I will log since I know that I'm exerting myself.0
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Graet info, but really...why worry about what someone else counts for thei calories? Maybe having they tracked an activity that isn't listed in the database as "walking" when it was something else entirely? And hey...maybe it was some really vigorous sex and not the norm, so they tracked that. Or maybe just don't worry about other people and just worry about yourself.
For some...zero activity is the norm and if tracking those little extras keeps them motivated and gets them to move a little more, then let it and let it go!
Just my opinion, of course.0 -
Too many people don't realize that HRMs are NOT designed to be worn all day or during non-continuous exercise.
I use a GoWearFit (the same thing as a BodyBugg), which IS designed to measure both continuous exercise and casual/resting calories burned. It does have a higher margin of error on casual/resting calories burned (+/- 10%) but when I really stick to my exercising and healthy eating (including eating most of my exercise calories), and I use the GWF to estimate calories burned, I successfully lose weight. Based on my GWF, MFP is almost right-on with my "normal" daily calories burned, though on days where I'm REALLY busy - lots of shopping after work, etc. I will log the extra non-exercise calories that the GWF says I've burned.
Something I've noticed - My GWF consistently estimates my exercise calories burned to be significantly less that what MFP or the gym machines calculate - and from what I can tell it seems to be pretty accurate. Other people who have used these say that it gives a consistently higher reading than the gym machines... it depends on the individual. People need to be careful about using the MFP/gym calorie estimates because they could be significantly over/underestimating what they burn - if they eat their exercise calories the overestimating in particular could have a big impact on their weight loss. I HIGHLY recommend people get a HRM or BodyBugg/GWF-type device to estimate calories burned during exercise. From what I've heard, you can get a decent HRM for an pretty affordable price these days.0 -
For some...zero activity is the norm and if tracking those little extras keeps them motivated and gets them to move a little more, then let it and let it go!
But isn't the point of the site to arm people with as much information as possible? And as such, isn't it good to know what does and doesn't constitute as exercise? Those same people tracking the "little extras" will eventually get frustrated when they don't see the scale moving, and not understand why. If they realize they might not have the calorie deficit they think they have, that will help them in the long run!
This guy has an MS degree in Exercise Physiology, so he knows what he's talking about. What a refreshingly sensible post, thank you!0 -
Graet info, but really...why worry about what someone else counts for thei calories? Maybe having they tracked an activity that isn't listed in the database as "walking" when it was something else entirely? And hey...maybe it was some really vigorous sex and not the norm, so they tracked that. Or maybe just don't worry about other people and just worry about yourself.
For some...zero activity is the norm and if tracking those little extras keeps them motivated and gets them to move a little more, then let it and let it go!
Just my opinion, of course.
Because these same people will moan that they have suddenly plateaued. "Oh but I am under my calorie allowance" they say.
Travel to their food diary and there you have it, their daily exercise which they have registered under "light cleaning" or "pushing the buggy round the shops" has given them an extra 900 calories for them to eat, so they munch away.
Unfortunately, those extra calories have now resulted in them eating too much and not be at enough of a deficit to lose any weight.
Tracking sex, walking to the shops and any of those sort of activities is ridiculous in my opinion, half the time it is just an excuse to eat more.0 -
*Claps hands* thankyou for putting this is an informative and understandable fashion, I was thinking many of the same points myself!0
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That post rocked! Excellent information, sometimes you ned to take the bull by the horns and state it bluntly to get the point accross. As far as people needing to count a walk around the block or vigorous sex as exercise, for mere motivation, those people will be the same ones, posting..I'm so frustrated I haven't loss a thing, and of course they've also used those "exercise" calories to eat more...see where i'm going with this? I don't believe that one should blow smoke up their own a** either,0
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Good info. I know I don't want to hear it now but, it is nice to know that there are people on MFP that have the knowledge I will need when I am ready to hear it.0
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thank you for posting... it drives me nuts that people think they can eat more calories for doing grocery shopping and things that are NORMAL. I have wondered that if you are doing more intense exercise for a while if that becomes normal for your body and it dosnt count anymore. I exercise everyday for months and think my body is used to it and considers it normal.0
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I can only agree with this assessment. The only activity I will track is lawn mowing when the grass is tall. Even then I underestimate i.e., if I mowed for two hours I would document 1 hour or 1 hour 15. I would rather to document under and just live with the difference than over estimate.
I really think of house cleaning, etc. as a part of our lives and never can see equating it to calorie burn but to each his own. I am a firm believer in "Exercise" and proper nutrition.
Good post and although the delivery was unique within itself the words rang true. I hope others will see this as a fact driven and not hurl the stones.0 -
Yes, just your opinion.Graet info, but really...why worry about what someone else counts for thei calories? Maybe having they tracked an activity that isn't listed in the database as "walking" when it was something else entirely? And hey...maybe it was some really vigorous sex and not the norm, so they tracked that. Or maybe just don't worry about other people and just worry about yourself.
For some...zero activity is the norm and if tracking those little extras keeps them motivated and gets them to move a little more, then let it and let it go!
Just my opinion, of course.
I will jump to his defense on this one because he is stating the obvious but is not telling you what you what to do. If you want to do these things it is your choice as is your opinions but we often waste time on useless recording and lose focus of what is ahead.0 -
For some...zero activity is the norm and if tracking those little extras keeps them motivated and gets them to move a little more, then let it and let it go!
But isn't the point of the site to arm people with as much information as possible? And as such, isn't it good to know what does and doesn't constitute as exercise? Those same people tracking the "little extras" will eventually get frustrated when they don't see the scale moving, and not understand why. If they realize they might not have the calorie deficit they think they have, that will help them in the long run!
This guy has an MS degree in Exercise Physiology, so he knows what he's talking about. What a refreshingly sensible post, thank you!
Thank you .0 -
Tracking sex, walking to the shops and any of those sort of activities is ridiculous in my opinion, half the time it is just an excuse to eat more.
Bravo!0 -
Because these same people will moan that they have suddenly plateaued. "Oh but I am under my calorie allowance" they say.
Travel to their food diary and there you have it, their daily exercise which they have registered under "light cleaning" or "pushing the buggy round the shops" has given them an extra 900 calories for them to eat, so they munch away.
Unfortunately, those extra calories have now resulted in them eating too much and not be at enough of a deficit to lose any weight.
Tracking sex, walking to the shops and any of those sort of activities is ridiculous in my opinion, half the time it is just an excuse to eat more.
Well put, the key thing here and what I have done in the past and wish I can get the food diary to do this. When I work out I do not count any of the calories burned as free calories to eat more. If you count it as free calories to eat you just negated everything you just did. What I burn is my burn I start the day with X calories allowed to eat, if I eat all them I better stop, if I don't eat my X calories that that is a + to the total calories burned / not eaten for the day.0 -
3. Our bodies do a good job of maintain long-term equilibrium. Small variations in food intake or activity level average out over time. Stored body fat represents the LONG TERM balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. A common mistake made by "fat burners", "protein cultists", and "activity hoaders" alike is to think that what happens during a short-term event is a discrete occurrence that is not related to what happens in our bodies the rest of the day, week, month, or year. Over the long-term, those few episodes of house cleaning or yard work are pretty insignificant.
This item #3 I think rings true (not saying your other items were not) but #3 is a part that we all need to realize, we need to change our actions and attitude and only long term change is going to allow us to win. If we do anything short term it wont be part of our life long change.
Good article, now it just needs to be taken into context for each individual.0 -
My journey is far from smooth here but one thing I have realised is that really, if I want to lose weight, I must not eat my exercise calories or hardly any of them even after a 90 minutes hard swim. I have set my lifestyle as "sedentary" because I cannot walk far without support BUT put me in water & I can swim hard & fast so I do this for between 5 & 7 hours per week. Sometimes I put slow walking ( when supermarket shopping has taken a long time) & sometimes cleaning but only so I can see what mfp says I have expended so at the end of the week I can see how much weight mfp thinks I should have lost & in my case mfp is way out.
I think the idea of eating exercise calories is very wrong if you want to lose weight & am amazed that so many people say they are losing weight when eating them & cannot understand why so many people are afraid of entering starvation mode which, for the majority of us unless we stop eating is unlikely to be an issue.0 -
I track deep cleaning, swimming, if i go shopping(usually while i'm babysitting and carry around the 2 year old)thinkgs like that, because those are not normal activities for me. but i don't eat my calories....i would feel awful if i ate 1500 calories because I don't feel like I did enough to earn those calories. I keep it at 1200 (or try). I think we should listen to our bodies, some days i eat 1000 calories and i'm fine and some days i eat 1300 cause i was hungry. It also has a lot to do with nutrition. I'm not a good example(have been eating out a lot) but people will say "I just don't understand why I can't lose weight, I'm within my calories" and you look at their diary and there is not one veggie or fruit, its takeouts breads, pastas, and sweets and yes, you are within your 1500 hundred calorie range, but it's filled with crap. You could probably eat 2000 calories of fruits and veggies and meat and be better off than with overprocessed stuff all the time. Just my opinion, who knows if it's right.0
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My journey is far from smooth here but one thing I have realised is that really, if I want to lose weight, I must not eat my exercise calories or hardly any of them even after a 90 minutes hard swim. I have set my lifestyle as "sedentary" because I cannot walk far without support BUT put me in water & I can swim hard & fast so I do this for between 5 & 7 hours per week. Sometimes I put slow walking ( when supermarket shopping has taken a long time) & sometimes cleaning but only so I can see what mfp says I have expended so at the end of the week I can see how much weight mfp thinks I should have lost & in my case mfp is way out.
I think the idea of eating exercise calories is very wrong if you want to lose weight & am amazed that so many people say they are losing weight when eating them & cannot understand why so many people are afraid of entering starvation mode which, for the majority of us unless we stop eating is unlikely to be an issue.
We accept your opinion but many nutritionist and fitness experts will disagree. Doctors are not fitness experts. They recommend based on medical principles and some times try to do both jobs. When you eat the right amount of foods and exercise you also have to watch your calorie deficit. If you are only allowed to eat 1200 (which is the recommended minimum regardless of what any quack says) and burn 1200 you have a 0 in the consumption department which equals an eventually body retaliation. I lose between 1 to 2 lbs weekly and I eat a percentage of my exercise calories depending on my hunger level. I usually eat 5 to 7 times a day which has impacted my metabolism (lifted it) and either walk or run everyday.
I have been watching your progress and what I am saying is not an attack but the 1. truth and 2. an encouragement to always keep an open mind. You have been at this as long as I or longer. We became friends when I first joined this site July 2nd. Since then I have lost 19 additional pounds through MFP and you have lost 6. I have eaten my exercise calories ( a great portion) and made sure I eat throughout the weekdays. I evaluate my progress constantly and when I think it is time to keep the body from being complacent and meeting a wall I change my eating habits to more food to shock the body. I.E., my goal was 1.5 lbs a week and I recently changed it to 1 pound a week.
So, if things are working for you great but if you are not getting at least a lb a week off then maybe you should ask your doctor to set you up an appointment with a nutritionist or dietitian and let them do their job and he stick to the medical side. I hope you do not take this wrong because I only mean it in support and I hope you read this post so you can see that I did take your history and currently plight into context.
Carlos0 -
All i'm gonna say is men lose faster than women, so that might have a little to do with it. But i do agree on tweaking your food intake and if you are feeling hungry, eat something, just make sure its healthy and not over your caloriesMy journey is far from smooth here but one thing I have realised is that really, if I want to lose weight, I must not eat my exercise calories or hardly any of them even after a 90 minutes hard swim. I have set my lifestyle as "sedentary" because I cannot walk far without support BUT put me in water & I can swim hard & fast so I do this for between 5 & 7 hours per week. Sometimes I put slow walking ( when supermarket shopping has taken a long time) & sometimes cleaning but only so I can see what mfp says I have expended so at the end of the week I can see how much weight mfp thinks I should have lost & in my case mfp is way out.
I think the idea of eating exercise calories is very wrong if you want to lose weight & am amazed that so many people say they are losing weight when eating them & cannot understand why so many people are afraid of entering starvation mode which, for the majority of us unless we stop eating is unlikely to be an issue.
We accept your opinion but many nutritionist and fitness experts will disagree. Doctors are not fitness experts. They recommend based on medical principles and some times try to do both jobs. When you eat the right amount of foods and exercise you also have to watch your calorie deficit. If you are only allowed to eat 1200 (which is the recommended minimum regardless of what any quack says) and burn 1200 you have a 0 in the consumption department which equals an eventually body retaliation. I lose between 1 to 2 lbs weekly and I eat a percentage of my exercise calories depending on my hunger level. I usually eat 5 to 7 times a day which has impacted my metabolism (lifted it) and either walk or run everyday.
I have been watching your progress and what I am saying is not an attack but the 1. truth and 2. an encouragement to always keep an open mind. You have been at this as long as I or longer. We became friends when I first joined this site July 2nd. Since then I have lost 19 additional pounds through MFP and you have lost 6. I have eaten my exercise calories ( a great portion) and made sure I eat throughout the weekdays. I evaluate my progress constantly and when I think it is time to keep the body from being complacent and meeting a wall I change my eating habits to more food to shock the body. I.E., my goal was 1.5 lbs a week and I recently changed it to 1 pound a week.
So, if things are working for you great but if you are not getting at least a lb a week off then maybe you should ask your doctor to set you up an appointment with a nutritionist or dietitian and let them do their job and he stick to the medical side. I hope you do not take this wrong because I only mean it in support and I hope you read this post so you can see that I did take your history and currently plight into context.
Carlos0 -
Thank you Carlos.I did eat some of my exercise calories last week & gained 3.4lbs despite being considerably under the goals set by mfp!!!!
I have seen the nutritionist who then sent me back to the surgeon who operated on my stomach who sent me to another consultant who .....etc etc so this is my last chance really as they all seem to think they cannot help as it doesn't make sense. Honestly I would love to stop the meds that say they may cause weight gain but having tried that it is no good as pain is so bad I can't move. So now time for continuing analysis to find what works & the jury is still out but I appreciate the support & suggestions each & every time. Great job you are doing, think it is so much easier when younger because I did it but piled it back when illness struck.0 -
Fabulous post. Thank you.0
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Thank you Carlos.I did eat some of my exercise calories last week & gained 3.4lbs despite being considerably under the goals set by mfp!!!!
I have seen the nutritionist who then sent me back to the surgeon who operated on my stomach who sent me to another consultant who .....etc etc so this is my last chance really as they all seem to think they cannot help as it doesn't make sense. Honestly I would love to stop the meds that say they may cause weight gain but having tried that it is no good as pain is so bad I can't move. So now time for continuing analysis to find what works & the jury is still out but I appreciate the support & suggestions each & every time. Great job you are doing, think it is so much easier when younger because I did it but piled it back when illness struck.
Keep in mind that your situation is very personalized and it sounds like you have specific medical issues. Whether it's me or anyone else, a lot of the general comments made on these topics may not be applicable to your situation. Which means you may have to forge ahead on your own at times and do some trial and error experimentation. Just hanging in there and fighting requires an immense amount of courage and I admire your efforts.0 -
Medical issues I may have but I refuse to be defeated, there has to be a way of controlling my weight & surely sooner or later I shall find it. The worst thing by far about my medical issues is the fact I cannot be in control & I am determined to rectify that.Great to have support here though & it is very much appreciated.0
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Batty5, I echo what Azdak just so eloquently stated. Your meds makes it more difficult for you because of the pain, etc. You will have to do several things based on trial and error and at the guidance of the professionals in the nutrition industry you aforementioned whom you have seen.Thank you Carlos.I did eat some of my exercise calories last week & gained 3.4lbs despite being considerably under the goals set by mfp!!!!
I have seen the nutritionist who then sent me back to the surgeon who operated on my stomach who sent me to another consultant who .....etc etc so this is my last chance really as they all seem to think they cannot help as it doesn't make sense. Honestly I would love to stop the meds that say they may cause weight gain but having tried that it is no good as pain is so bad I can't move. So now time for continuing analysis to find what works & the jury is still out but I appreciate the support & suggestions each & every time. Great job you are doing, think it is so much easier when younger because I did it but piled it back when illness struck.
Keep in mind that your situation is very personalized and it sounds like you have specific medical issues. Whether it's me or anyone else, a lot of the general comments made on these topics may not be applicable to your situation. Which means you may have to forge ahead on your own at times and do some trial and error experimentation. Just hanging in there and fighting requires an immense amount of courage and I admire your efforts.0 -
Great post, and I still question a lot of the "burned 304 calories cooking for 45min" posts I see all the time and I agree people are reaching at stuff to add since they arent doing any real exercise0
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:smokin:Of the many ways that people trying to lose weight lie to themselves, estimating "activity" calories is almost certainly near the top. Every day there are a number of topics and comments from people who "count" (or who would like to count) everything from standing, to cleaning, to walking to the car from the house, to having sex, to going to the bathroom, etc, as "activity" or "exercise". For most people, the only "exercise" involved in this effort is an exercise in futility or self BS.
1. There are three main components to daily energy output: BMR, or resting metabolism, Exercise calories, and activity calories. There are a number of formulae established to estimate BMR. Exercise calories are a little harder to quantify, but there are a number of tools out there that can get you in the ballpark. Activity calories have the most variability and are the hardest to quantify. In order to account for those calories, we set up a general level of activity in our profiles, which adds a certain percentage of calories to our BMR to help determine daily intake. However: that activity multiplier represents an AVERAGE, not a minimum. It is easy to remember only the days one did a little extra and conveniently forget those days when you weren't very active at all.
2. Most people overestimate the amount of exertion required to do everyday activities. They use inappropriate cues such as sweating or fatigue to estimate effort; or use calculators that provide inflated estimates; or confuse "continuous" activity with "intermittent" activity, or use HRMs to estimate calories expended (I'll deal with that separately). I have seen large population studies in which participants kept detailed activity logs over a period of weeks. Activity hours were classified according to exertion levels and an overall activity index assigned for each day. The results suggested that, when casual work and leisure activities were included with rest and sedentary behaviors, 70% of all adults measured were essentially motionless. This doesn't mean they sat in a chair all day--it meant that the "extra" activity in their lives did not amount to much.
3. Our bodies do a good job of maintain long-term equilibrium. Small variations in food intake or activity level average out over time. Stored body fat represents the LONG TERM balance between energy intake and energy expenditure. A common mistake made by "fat burners", "protein cultists", and "activity hoaders" alike is to think that what happens during a short-term event is a discrete occurrence that is not related to what happens in our bodies the rest of the day, week, month, or year. Over the long-term, those few episodes of house cleaning or yard work are pretty insignificant.
4. HRMs cannot be used to track energy expenditure during casual activity. CANNOT. I don't know how to say it any plainer. Unless the activity is a steady-state, dynamic activity that is at least 40% of your VO2 max, any number from an HRM is garbage. Even the HRM manufacturers themselves will admit this. If you are wearing an HRM all day to "count calories", you are just wearing out the batteries.
Activity calories MIGHT be significant if there is a significant change to your daily routine--either up or down. That might mean changing jobs, or starting to ride a bike to work instead of driving. It depends on the individual or how much one compensates by increasing calorie intake, or decreasing other casual activity.
On that rare occasion where you do spend a significant amount of time doing continuous, strenuous activity, just throw in a couple of hundred extra calories that day.
Ultimately, you can tell yourself anything you want or track anything you want. These are just artificial constructs--your body will be the ultimate judge.0 -
Not everybody who tracks exercise does it to so they can eat the extra calories, I for one dont really care how many calories I have burned in exercise because I know it wont be enough to make a difference. I log my exercise so I have a personal record of what I have done and how far I have come. OK so supermarket shopping may be the norm for most people but for someone who has been housebound and has done all their shopping on line for years, then a trip to the supermarket is a big deal regardless of how many calories they burn, and half an hour of "light cleaning" calories, is quite often 2 hours of really hard work but I enter it to get the correct calories (for others to see) and make a note of what I actually did for my own records.
MFP is about taking responsibility for your own life and being accountable to yourself not necessarily to others. Setting personal goals and surpassing them is what keeps some people going. Yes it is good that there are people on here that can give accurate (some times brutally honest) information on this site, but sometimes some people can be a little judgemental without always having all the facts. So if people want to enter shopping or cleaning or even cooking, they are the only people who know if this is extra activity for them, so let them do it, and let them have the satisfaction of having reached personal goals, without judging them and assuming you know best (I for one dont mind gentle guidance). After all for a lot of us it was being judged and being told what to do that made us fat in the first place.0 -
Not everybody who tracks exercise does it to so they can eat the extra calories, I for one dont really care how many calories I have burned in exercise because I know it wont be enough to make a difference. I log my exercise so I have a personal record of what I have done and how far I have come. OK so supermarket shopping may be the norm for most people but for someone who has been housebound and has done all their shopping on line for years, then a trip to the supermarket is a big deal regardless of how many calories they burn, and half an hour of "light cleaning" calories, is quite often 2 hours of really hard work but I enter it to get the correct calories (for others to see) and make a note of what I actually did for my own records.
MFP is about taking responsibility for your own life and being accountable to yourself not necessarily to others. Setting personal goals and surpassing them is what keeps some people going. Yes it is good that there are people on here that can give accurate (some times brutally honest) information on this site, but sometimes some people can be a little judgemental without always having all the facts. So if people want to enter shopping or cleaning or even cooking, they are the only people who know if this is extra activity for them, so let them do it, and let them have the satisfaction of having reached personal goals, without judging them and assuming you know best (I for one dont mind gentle guidance). After all for a lot of us it was being judged and being told what to do that made us fat in the first place.
I couldn't agree more.0
This discussion has been closed.
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