Stop counting cleaning, walking to the mail box, etc.

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  • 1princesswarrior
    1princesswarrior Posts: 1,242 Member
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    I guess I should quit counting all the cleaning I do at the barn, hauling out manure in wheelbarrows and hauling in sawdust, carrying 5 gallon water buckets, etc. probably shouldn't count even though it gets my heart rate into the 130's and burns around 240 cal/hour. Oh, and I'll forget leading horses in and out, especially when they decide to try and drag me where they want to go.

    That's not exercise at all. I've only lost 82 lbs doing that.
  • jakichan
    jakichan Posts: 109 Member
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    I don't even count my strength training because I just have no idea how. No way to guess the calorie output. I just count the steady-state cardio. And even then it's probably wrong.
  • TeachTheGirl
    TeachTheGirl Posts: 2,091 Member
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    I log things for the fun of it sometimes.

    Afterall, it's my diary and what I do with my calories, allotted or burned, is entirely up to me.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    It is a mile round-trip to my mail box and depending on traffic I do it in 15-20 min. You better believe I count it.

    That's about 60 net calories for a 200 pound human.

    yet somehow she still reached her weight loss goal by counting.

    in any case, you dont need to exercise to lose weight, so it doesnt really matter what people log or dont log, especially considering that MFP starts most people's base calories off lower than needed

    Apparently she doesn't check her mail very often according to her diary with only one walk logged in the month of July ... and that with the typical MFP overage of 114 cals for 30 minutes at 3mph ... when she netted about half of that.

    I was on vacation for 2 weeks... and yes, I really didn't bother to log. And it didn't hurt me either.

    You claim you log it ... then claim you didn't. Please pick a story.

    BTW, the times you do log a walk they are greatly inflated. If things are working out for you, there are inaccurate entries that counter these errors.
  • brianpperkins
    brianpperkins Posts: 6,124 Member
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    I guess I should quit counting all the cleaning I do at the barn, hauling out manure in wheelbarrows and hauling in sawdust, carrying 5 gallon water buckets, etc. probably shouldn't count even though it gets my heart rate into the 130's and burns around 240 cal/hour. Oh, and I'll forget leading horses in and out, especially when they decide to try and drag me where they want to go.

    That's not exercise at all. I've only lost 82 lbs doing that.

    There is a major difference in what you describe and dusting a living room or sweeping a kitchen floor.
  • Sabine_Stroehm
    Sabine_Stroehm Posts: 19,263 Member
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    Why do people complain about not losing as fast as they'd like and then count cleaning (vigorous effort) as exercise? Unless cleaning is dragging a 300 lb porcelain tub out of a two story building, you did not burn 300 calories.

    Seriously, stop.
    My walk from the parking lot to my office is 1500 steps. I don't "count it". But it sure goes toward my 10,000 daily steps. Google: NEAT steps.

    But seriously: this "journey" (I kinda hate that word) will be easier if you focus on YOURS. If you fret about others' you'll make yourself nuts.

    ps: that said: after someone posted that "walking the dog, moderate" was code for "sex" I've never been able to look at "walking the dog" logs the same way.:noway: :tongue:
  • ThinkInOregon
    ThinkInOregon Posts: 283
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    It is a mile round-trip to my mail box and depending on traffic I do it in 15-20 min. You better believe I count it.

    That's about 60 net calories for a 200 pound human.

    yet somehow she still reached her weight loss goal by counting.

    in any case, you dont need to exercise to lose weight, so it doesnt really matter what people log or dont log, especially considering that MFP starts most people's base calories off lower than needed

    Apparently she doesn't check her mail very often according to her diary with only one walk logged in the month of July ... and that with the typical MFP overage of 114 cals for 30 minutes at 3mph ... when she netted about half of that.

    I was on vacation for 2 weeks... and yes, I really didn't bother to log. And it didn't hurt me either.

    You claim you log it ... then claim you didn't. Please pick a story.

    BTW, the times you do log a walk they are greatly inflated. If things are working out for you, there are inaccurate entries that counter these errors.

    Your argument doesn't make sense. Prior to the 18 days I was gone in July (including July 4th weekend) I LOGGED EVERYTHING minus the very rare day since I joined.

    Why do you care??? At 5' 4" I am 128.7 lbs and pleased that is where I am.

    And how are the times I logged my walk greatly inflated?? Are you my neighbor? If so, you have had a sex change.
  • Alice_in_VVonderland
    Alice_in_VVonderland Posts: 67 Member
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    I just counted 75 minutes of light cleaning for my 2.5 hours of work sanitizing bottles. Had I actually counted 2.5 hours, it would have said I burned over 500 calories.

    I often count cleaning, but I always undercut it by half-ish. I always figure that I must be burning SOMETHING, but it can't possibly be THAT much.

    Edit:
    I must not be too far off on my estimates, or I wouldn't be down 24 pounds.
  • Snip8241
    Snip8241 Posts: 767 Member
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    I guess I should quit counting all the cleaning I do at the barn, hauling out manure in wheelbarrows and hauling in sawdust, carrying 5 gallon water buckets, etc. probably shouldn't count even though it gets my heart rate into the 130's and burns around 240 cal/hour. Oh, and I'll forget leading horses in and out, especially when they decide to try and drag me where they want to go.

    That's not exercise at all. I've only lost 82 lbs doing that.

    Yes!!!!!!!!!
  • pinkaeryse
    pinkaeryse Posts: 25 Member
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    i agree with eyeballpizza, people dont know how to mind their own business, and there are going to always be critics. :noway:
  • mojo501976
    mojo501976 Posts: 62 Member
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    I say count whatever you like! As long as you are being truthful to yourself and what you did! Your weight loss isn't going to happen if you exaggerate your exercise and eat more. Do what works for you.
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    If you assume that only doing exercise that is hard makes you lose calories, then you are completely wrong. Walking makes you lose calories, sleeping makes you lose calories, any activity your body performs make you lose calories... it may not be 1,000 calories, it can just be 60, but for some people that is enough to start motivation...
    :flowerforyou:
    I log things for the fun of it sometimes.

    Afterall, it's my diary and what I do with my calories, allotted or burned, is entirely up to me.
    I do that too sometimes just to see what it adds up to.:tongue: I doubt this thread went the direction the OP thought it would... many shared how what we log and don't log is our own business... I most definitely agree. We're doing this for ourselves not a random stranger on the net.

    If it's working for you, I say DO IT then!:smokin:
  • sharonnj398
    sharonnj398 Posts: 189 Member
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    I don't reall care what people log. If it's working for them then awesome. Only they know what's exercise to them.

    Now Jesse and Walter White from Breaking Bad...they deserve to add cleaning to their exercise log..

    liquidemilio.gif?w=650
    Between pets and kids, this looks close especially since I currently have one with explosive D right now. It's gloves, bleach, getting on my knees to scrub and also wrestling medicine into her. I'm going to log any consistent activity that takes me at least five minutes and I choose light cleaning because I'm not 'putting my back into it' for the entire activity. I save that for 'gardening' which I use for grass cutting, trimming, sawing branches, and getting the scrub between the fences.

    My fitness wearable is detecting a difference between cleaning/caregiving and sitting around on the computer or watching TV. I don't score huge points with cleaning, but it's definitely an improvement over deskwork.
  • cmcollins001
    cmcollins001 Posts: 3,472 Member
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    Cmcollins001 burned 342 calories doing 7 minutes of reading through the Stop counting cleaning, walking to the mail box, etc. forum topic.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    Cmcollins001 burned 342 calories doing 7 minutes of reading through the Stop counting cleaning, walking to the mail box, etc. forum topic.

    Great job!


    (3DR liked your status)
  • Mapanggulo
    Mapanggulo Posts: 185 Member
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    what if they're banging the maid?

    that would be 100 calories for men, 69 for women :tongue:

    http://www.menshealth.com/sex-women/sex-workout
  • Mapanggulo
    Mapanggulo Posts: 185 Member
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    Can we log clicking on forum topics? Its gotta burn something for us consta-lurkers! :P

    Only if you click vigorously :laugh:
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,742 Member
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    Oh. Apparently I'm living my life wrong. Huh.

    Thank you for your wise and encouraging words of support and wisdom.

    I now see the error of my ways and will never be so foolish as to think I actually have a sense of when an endeavor is more strenuous than what's normal or average for me.

    love this.

    Yeah I am set to sedentary and I log stuff like vacuuming and cleaning bathrooms (scrubbing every surface). Hasn't hurt me at all.
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