We are pleased to announce that as of March 4, 2025, an updated Rich Text Editor has been introduced in the MyFitnessPal Community. To learn more about the changes, please click here. We look forward to sharing this new feature with you!

Is it fair to count the calories I burn at work?

Pande
Pande Posts: 33
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I work in food service as a cashier. I do standing non-stop for hours: walking around making drinks, grabbing food for people, lifting and stocking, lots of talking. I do it for 5 to 8 hours with maybe one 20 minute break on there somewhere.

So is it okay to count the calories I burned from standing at work?

Replies

  • kykykenna
    kykykenna Posts: 656 Member
    I hope the answer is yes!!! :)
  • bachooka
    bachooka Posts: 719 Member
    if you have your activity level set to sedentary, absolutely count those calories. if you are working at a higher level than what you have set as your default, you won't get enough calories.

    For example, I am a stay at home mom. I have my activity set as sedentary, but I am on my feet for most of the day and cooking, cleaning, chasing children. I tend to mark down the activity rather than up my activity incase I have a day where I sit on my butt al day! lol
  • SueInAz
    SueInAz Posts: 6,592 Member
    You are better off changing your activity level to reflect this. It automatically adds the calories from standing all day, etc. into your daily count.

    I personally only count as exercise as things that I do above and beyond my daily activities.
  • hpsnickers1
    hpsnickers1 Posts: 2,783 Member
    You are better off changing your activity level to reflect this. It automatically adds the calories from standing all day, etc. into your daily count.

    I personally only count as exercise as things that I do above and beyond my daily activities.

    same here.
  • AngelaPowPowPOW
    AngelaPowPowPOW Posts: 293
    I'm a bartender/waitress when not in classes. I wore a pedometer to work for a month and averaged 4 miles a day. You bet I log it!
  • lizzys
    lizzys Posts: 841 Member
    no no no no unless your stationary like me than it all counts
  • amber_hanners
    amber_hanners Posts: 388 Member
    i put my activity level at sedentary and count pretty much everything if i know im gonna be doin some big housecleaning i will put my hrm on and track that to or grocery shoppin. i dont count everything like 10 mins of dishes or whatever but anything i will be doing for more then 30 mins straight i count
  • Pande
    Pande Posts: 33
    Im pretty stationary. All I do is lay around all day UNLESS I have work. Though this will change as soon as I begin a workout routine.
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    Well. I work in retail and am on my feet for 8 hours a day. I wore a pedometer to work and you can bet that I count my calories into my workout. However, I do log them as "walking at a slow pace" vs my regular cardio. I basically track all calories I burn just to see how I'm doing in a day. Perhaps it isn't "fair" to count them, but I definitely do it. :)
  • tinalina81
    tinalina81 Posts: 81
    if you have your activity level set to sedentary, absolutely count those calories. if you are working at a higher level than what you have set as your default, you won't get enough calories.

    For example, I am a stay at home mom. I have my activity set as sedentary, but I am on my feet for most of the day and cooking, cleaning, chasing children. I tend to mark down the activity rather than up my activity incase I have a day where I sit on my butt al day! lol

    I did the same thing. To me it is like better safe than sorry
This discussion has been closed.

Categories