Calories burnt doing household chores

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Pcarsley
Pcarsley Posts: 13 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I wondered about calorie burn doing housework?
Say, 40 mins moderate to vigorous continuous effort ( vacuuming stairs, cleaning bath etc)
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Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    Unless it goes above and beyond what you normally do, don't log it. It's already accounted for in your day-to-day activity.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,488 Member
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    Housework is not exercise. I wouldn't log it. That is part of your regular activity.
  • strong_curves
    strong_curves Posts: 2,229 Member
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    I wouldn't count/log housework calorie burns.
  • JohnBarth
    JohnBarth Posts: 672 Member
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    I don't believe in logging cleaning as exercise. Unless you're cleaning now and didn't in the past, it should be considered part of your daily activities and not exercise.
  • Pcarsley
    Pcarsley Posts: 13 Member
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    Ok, thanks
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
    edited July 2015
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    I set my activity level as Sedentary and do log cooking and cleaning. I don't eat back all my exercise calories - many people here suggest you only eat back 50% of the calories you earn from exercise. I'm consistently losing a pound per week.

    Cooking and cleaning are in the Exercise > Cardio database.
  • Asharee011
    Asharee011 Posts: 129 Member
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    I always log my cleaning as exercise. Even if it is a part of your normal routine I like being able to see it. Plus I work a desk job for 8 hours 5 days a week so to me it's worth logging. But each their own.
  • ASKyle
    ASKyle Posts: 1,475 Member
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    Don't log it. If you do, don't eat it back.

    I saw someone log 800+ calories for gardening 45 minutes the other day. Then they complain they're not losing.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
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    Contrary to most, I DO log all of my activity, because I have my activity level set as sedentary. I also track my steps, and this motivates me to get up and move around as much as possible at my desk job.
  • ruqayyahsmum
    ruqayyahsmum Posts: 1,514 Member
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    I dont log it. I did cleaning while getting fat so doing it now isnt helping me get slim
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    The problem with logging normal housework is that those calories are already accounted for as NEAT calories when MFP gives you your goal. Your MFP goal is:

    BMR + NEAT - caloric deficit calories

    BMR = basal metabolic rate, the calories it takes to keep you alive at the most basic level. If you were in a coma, lying in bed all day, you would burn just your BMR calories

    NEAT = non-exercise activity thermogenesis, the calories it takes to live your everyday life outside of exercise and your basic functions. This includes fidgeting, walking to work, opening your mail, washing dishes, etc.

    Caloric deficit calories = 1 pound of fat is approximately equal to 3500 calories. To lose a pound a week, you would want to eat 3500 fewer calories per week, or 500 fewer calories per day. This figure moves up or down depending on how many pounds per week you tell MFP that you would like to lose.

    As with any calorie calculator, MFP's numbers are best estimates. They will never be right on the mark, so you may have to tweak your calories after a few weeks. Knowingly choosing to double count NEAT activity as exercise activity is more likely to get you in a spot where you are not losing, or not losing as quickly as you would like.
  • spatulathumbs
    spatulathumbs Posts: 125 Member
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    I only try to log things that are (a) above and beyond what I would consider normal part of my daily life, and also (b) done continuously with a raised heart rate.

    So If you don't normally garden, and you spend a solid 45 minutes hauling in large containers of plants, digging holes for them, planting them, hauling in scoops or bags of bark dust, and distributing it, then yeah, that would count in my book. If you spend half an hour gardening while sitting in one place and tending your plants, and you do that on the regular, then no, I personally wouldn't log it.

    Likewise if you spend two hours lifting heavy boxes out of your garage or bringing them down from your attic storage, on your feet, organizing, tagging things for a garage sale, etc etc, then yep. Daily work doing laundry and dishes, nah. Then again, I don't eat more than 10% of my exercise calories if I can at all help it, because I know MFP overestimates like whoa.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited July 2015
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    OP - whether you log it or not it's up to you. But if seeing the estimated number gets you off the coach more, fine. Your MFP settings are at least sedentary.....that's < 5,000 steps (not zero).

    But, if your goal is to add deliberate exercise as a lifestyle change or to become a more fit person cleaning won't get you to your goal.

    I use a FitBit One, it will do calorie adjustments when comparing against sedentary. I can see days where I have been lazy. But, exercise is a separate thing for me. If I don't consciously make the effort to include deliberate exercise I won't do it. It all depends upon your goals.
  • fatcity66
    fatcity66 Posts: 1,544 Member
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    Ready2Rock206 wrote: »
    Housework is not exercise. I wouldn't log it. That is part of your regular activity.

    I believe this is up to the individual.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    fatcity66 wrote: »
    Contrary to most, I DO log all of my activity, because I have my activity level set as sedentary. I also track my steps, and this motivates me to get up and move around as much as possible at my desk job.

    BMR is if you stayed in bed all day.......Sedentary is higher than that.

    Steps for different activity levels:

    http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/
  • fuelednfit
    fuelednfit Posts: 177 Member
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    Each their own. My philosophy is I was cleaning when i was fat (still working on that), I was also walking up and down a very steep hill for 30 minutes every day to drop my son in daycare and I was still fat and then I walked 40 minutes between daycare and work and still I was fat. I don't log any of that. I only count the new stuff I do, the extra exercise, the extra walking, what makes my heart pump faster. Whatever was in my routine in the past, I don't count as exercise now. As human we have this tendency to under-estimate how much we eat and over estimate what we burn. To stay on the safe side and help create my deficit I would rather not log those <exercise> that are part of my daily routine to level out with my most probably slightly under-estimated caloric intake.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
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    jemhh wrote: »
    The problem with logging normal housework is that those calories are already accounted for as NEAT calories when MFP gives you your goal. Your MFP goal is:

    BMR + NEAT - caloric deficit calories

    BMR = basal metabolic rate, the calories it takes to keep you alive at the most basic level. If you were in a coma, lying in bed all day, you would burn just your BMR calories

    NEAT = non-exercise activity thermogenesis, the calories it takes to live your everyday life outside of exercise and your basic functions. This includes fidgeting, walking to work, opening your mail, washing dishes, etc.

    Caloric deficit calories = 1 pound of fat is approximately equal to 3500 calories. To lose a pound a week, you would want to eat 3500 fewer calories per week, or 500 fewer calories per day. This figure moves up or down depending on how many pounds per week you tell MFP that you would like to lose.

    As with any calorie calculator, MFP's numbers are best estimates. They will never be right on the mark, so you may have to tweak your calories after a few weeks. Knowingly choosing to double count NEAT activity as exercise activity is more likely to get you in a spot where you are not losing, or not losing as quickly as you would like.

    This sounds logical but where do you see it? I just see:

    2e49a3e977acaec62b4b51d1be04bc3e.png
  • jemhh
    jemhh Posts: 14,261 Member
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    kshama2001 wrote: »
    jemhh wrote: »
    The problem with logging normal housework is that those calories are already accounted for as NEAT calories when MFP gives you your goal. Your MFP goal is:

    BMR + NEAT - caloric deficit calories

    BMR = basal metabolic rate, the calories it takes to keep you alive at the most basic level. If you were in a coma, lying in bed all day, you would burn just your BMR calories

    NEAT = non-exercise activity thermogenesis, the calories it takes to live your everyday life outside of exercise and your basic functions. This includes fidgeting, walking to work, opening your mail, washing dishes, etc.

    Caloric deficit calories = 1 pound of fat is approximately equal to 3500 calories. To lose a pound a week, you would want to eat 3500 fewer calories per week, or 500 fewer calories per day. This figure moves up or down depending on how many pounds per week you tell MFP that you would like to lose.

    As with any calorie calculator, MFP's numbers are best estimates. They will never be right on the mark, so you may have to tweak your calories after a few weeks. Knowingly choosing to double count NEAT activity as exercise activity is more likely to get you in a spot where you are not losing, or not losing as quickly as you would like.

    This sounds logical but where do you see it? I just see:

    2e49a3e977acaec62b4b51d1be04bc3e.png

    Where do I see what?
  • Nuke_64
    Nuke_64 Posts: 406 Member
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    I log half of it if my honey do list keeps me busy for 4 hours or more. As I'm on my feet going up and down the stairs, moving stuff around, etc. I think they count. This only happens once or twice a month.

    But I don't count the daily 30-60 minutes of daily household chores I do.
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    People who log things like housework and cooking as extra calorie-burning exercise are only fooling themselves, IMO.

    Your body isn't fooled though.

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