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Is it cheating to add this to my calories burned?

desteny95
desteny95 Posts: 4
in Health and Weight Loss
I have my lifestyle set as sedentary. I work part time at a restaurant, when it's busy I'm constantly walking or standing. When it's slow, I'm mostly standing in one place. However, I only work 5 hours a day so I think it's accurate to keep my lifestyle at sedentary considering when I'm home I'm mostly sitting. I found a website that calculates how many calories you burn by standing and once in a while I enter that to MFP. I usually only ever enter it when I go over my calorie goal and even though I don't fill in a full 5 hours as calories burned, it still feels like cheating. It is accurate to enter those calories burned?

Replies

  • Achrya
    Achrya Posts: 16,913 Member
    I would hazard a guess and say that working part time at a restaurant means you aren't sedentary as MFP defines it. Your job is supposed to be factored in to the activity level you've choosen.

    Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)
    Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. teacher, salesman)
    Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman)
    Very Active: Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter)

    Since it's only part time I suppose you could move down the lightly active if you're that concerned but surely you aren't 'sedentary'. Sedentary implies you take less than 5000 steps a day
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
    I would hazard a guess and say that working part time at a restaurant means you aren't sedentary as MFP defines it. Your job is supposed to be factored in to the activity level you've choosen.

    Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)
    Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. teacher, salesman)
    Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman)
    Very Active: Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter)

    Since it's only part time I suppose you could move down the lightly active if you're that concerned but surely you aren't 'sedentary'. Sedentary implies you take less than 5000 steps a day

    I agree. Even if you're only working part time, you're definitely not sedentary.
  • redhoney500
    redhoney500 Posts: 2
    Could I ask which website you found that calculates calories burned for specific activities? Thank you :)
  • kimbux
    kimbux Posts: 154 Member
    I would change it to 'Light Active' and NOT count calories burned working at the restaurant as exercise. I would just call those a bonus. If you are eating your calorie goal and still feel hungry, then re-evaluate.
  • brittaney0625
    brittaney0625 Posts: 268 Member
    I would change it to 'Light Active' and NOT count calories burned working at the restaurant as exercise. I would just call those a bonus. If you are eating your calorie goal and still feel hungry, then re-evaluate.

    agree
  • PinkyFett
    PinkyFett Posts: 842 Member
    If it is, you'd only be cheating yourself. I think you should change from sedentary to lightly active
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    5 hours daily at a restaurant is not sedentary.
  • KimbaCan
    KimbaCan Posts: 14 Member
    Someone suggested to me to use the choice for sedentary, but then add exercise/calories burned to show activity for each day. This way you have more control than leaving the calculations to MFP. BUT, that would mean you log 5 hours standing/walking plus any exercise every day.
    I agree with the others above, lightly active or count the exercise every day.

    I ran my numbers through several web sites and calculators. My favorite so far (and I swear it's not just because it gives me the most calories to eat!)
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

    If you haven't read this thread yet, read it:
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/819055-setting-your-calorie-and-macro-targets

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