Logging Everything or only Intentional Workouts?

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JonoK
JonoK Posts: 147 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Are you the type of person who logs every activity they do during the day? I tried this a few years back, putting in everything from Cleaning the house to my Insanity workouts. I found that my calorie count was way off. I then switched to only putting intentional workouts into FitnessPal and results seemed to be more accurate. Recently, iOS8 allows FitnessPal to use the "steps" ability to add calories back for steps taken each day. It hasn't changed much when it comes to achieving my goals, so I haven't thought much about it - but I am curious. Do you log every activity or just the intentional ones? Sometimes I see friends who log "180 Minutes of slow walking - shopping." For me, I can't log that because that's just regular activity.

Let me know how it's working for you.
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Replies

  • Walter__
    Walter__ Posts: 518 Member
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    I don't bother logging any workouts.

    I find it's not necessary if your routine is consistent. I've been doing the same workout routine for the past 6 months or so, never logged one day of it. The only thing I keep track of is food. When I want to change my goals, I simply adjust my food intake.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    I only log intentional workouts, I don't log shopping or dancing around my room or anything else like that. That seems like too much work.
  • KANGOOJUMPS
    KANGOOJUMPS Posts: 6,472 Member
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    yep, everything
  • dym123
    dym123 Posts: 1,670 Member
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    jdhcm2006 wrote: »
    I only log intentional workouts, I don't log shopping or dancing around my room or anything else like that. That seems like too much work.

    Yep, this is me. I always think its kinda funny when people on my thread log things like "running errands" or "cooking". I figure these are things I do anyway.
  • Adc7225
    Adc7225 Posts: 1,318 Member
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    I log my intentional workouts but I will turn on my Map My Walk app when I am out and about, not really shopping unless I am walking to the store and/or home. I usually pause it while in the store, no housework or anything like that, I consider that part of life :)
  • jbee27
    jbee27 Posts: 356 Member
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    dym123 wrote: »
    jdhcm2006 wrote: »
    I only log intentional workouts, I don't log shopping or dancing around my room or anything else like that. That seems like too much work.

    Yep, this is me. I always think its kinda funny when people on my thread log things like "running errands" or "cooking". I figure these are things I do anyway.

    I agree. I think it's so strange when people log things like this, even cleaning. I know that certain hardcore cleaning probably burns a fair amount of calories, but I prefer to use those as a "cushion".
  • sofaking6
    sofaking6 Posts: 4,589 Member
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    I do NOT log regular activity - I figure I was doing all of those things while I was gaining weight. My favorite is when people log "walking up stairs, 3 minutes"...I live up 4 flights of stairs (no elevator) and again, I gained weight going up them at least once a day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    Ummmm...when you select an activity level, you get some allotment of calories for daily chore type of things along with your basal calories. Even if you put sedentary, you're getting some credit for doing basic things like going to the grocery store and whatnot.

    When I did MFP method I logged my deliberate exercise with some allowance for estimation error. Once my exercise became more consistent I just switched to the TDEE method and included exercise in my activity level.
  • jdhcm2006
    jdhcm2006 Posts: 2,254 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    Ummmm...when you select an activity level, you get some allotment of calories for daily chore type of things along with your basal calories. Even if you put sedentary, you're getting some credit for doing basic things like going to the grocery store and whatnot.

    When I did MFP method I logged my deliberate exercise with some allowance for estimation error. Once my exercise became more consistent I just switched to the TDEE method and included exercise in my activity level.

    Yeah. I do the TDEE method as well. It just makes things easier. I log my exercises b/c I like to look back at what I was doing x amount of time ago.
  • amtru2015
    amtru2015 Posts: 179 Member
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    I only do intentional workouts because your deficit isn't going to come from what you always do---did that make sense??
  • FitPhillygirl
    FitPhillygirl Posts: 7,124 Member
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    I only log weightlifting and my Insanity Max 30 workouts. The only calories that I eat back anyway are the ones I burn from weightlifting.
  • h7463
    h7463 Posts: 626 Member
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    Just logging intentional workouts....unless it's a physically demanding outdoor activity, like stacking fire wood, throwing hay bales, or running with the heavy weed eater for several hours..wearing a HRM...then I will log those, too..
  • La5Vega5Girl
    La5Vega5Girl Posts: 709 Member
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    only intentional work-outs such as weight-lifting and cardio on treadmill, etc. sometimes i might log a bike ride, if i pull my daughter in the bike trailer, but a normal bike ride i do not b/c i do it so frequently. if it's part of my daily routine, i just consider it life. my cousin used to log cooking a meal, cleaning her bathroom, walking her dog, walking upstairs (at home) and she could never lose weight. she would eat-back all those "exercise" calories, and she was never ahead.
  • SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage
    SarcasmIsMyLoveLanguage Posts: 2,668 Member
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    I only log intentional workouts. Less chance of over estimating my cals burned that way.
  • blankiefinder
    blankiefinder Posts: 3,599 Member
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    I only log intentional workouts, and delete the calories my phone gives me for everyday activities. Everyday activities are already included in the settings you chose when you set up your goals and profile (sedentary, etc). Plus I figure if I was already doing it when I was gaining weight, that it won't help me lose.
  • vixstew
    vixstew Posts: 1
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    Best is to follow your food plan. A good rule of thumb is "exercise less...eat less" ....exercise more, eat more". Not to say eating more = eat whatever and as much as you want. If weight loss/fat loss is the goal, eating is 85%... To help w/caloric burn is moving more and throwing in "intensity"...and exercise is CRUCIAL to maintaining weight. But I can put in the "caloric burn for spinning" at my weight & gender and it Severely Reduces the calories I actually burn. Then I can plug in the same amt of time for Les Mills Body Step and it says I burn 100 more calories within the same time. I know FOR a fact that is wrong. But all of this is a guesstimate ...
  • Azdak
    Azdak Posts: 8,281 Member
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    "Sedentary" does NOT equal "inert". If you start logging casual activities, you will be counting many of your activity calories twice.
  • Notreadytoquit
    Notreadytoquit Posts: 233 Member
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    I log everything from digging ditches to cooking and cleaning. Opening a yogurt is not equal in energy expenditure to cleaning the kitchen, gathering food from garden, cooking for 3 & cleaning up again. Since I no longer engage in hard core "intentional workouts" my intent is to make every effort count. Must be working as I've finally hit goal weight with only 1 "intentional workout". Real life activity burns just as many calories as "intentional" activity.
  • oriole35
    oriole35 Posts: 40 Member
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    I would think if you log everything then you have to remove everything. The program automatically estimates a calorie expenditure based on the original preferences. If you said you do exercise at all, it will still subtract calories for the 2k steps and normal activities you do during the day.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,868 Member
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    oriole35 wrote: »
    I would think if you log everything then you have to remove everything. The program automatically estimates a calorie expenditure based on the original preferences. If you said you do exercise at all, it will still subtract calories for the 2k steps and normal activities you do during the day.

    Actually, when you say you're going to do X amount of exercise, MFP doesn't believe you and doesn't adjust your calories for exercise. Your calories are only set per your activity level...which if you're doing MFP as designed is only your day to day hum drum. This is why you log exercise after the fact and get those calories to eat back.

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