Carrying baby?

I don't worry about tracking calories burnt from activity or exercise. I set my calorie intake based on progress towards my fitness goals. For example, what I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to make good progress towards your goal. If you are trying to lose weight, eat so you drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~1600 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for 2 weeks. If you lose 1-2 lbs/week, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few cycles, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

LazSommer wrote: »

Why would you log this?

amen it is part of daily activity not something that should be counted as extra imo

JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »

jessica22222 wrote: »

I just wouldn't log it. Then you may eat more calories then needed. Probably counts as your work ie sedentary, slightly active etc.

I get what youre saying. Mybjob is pretty active (ER nurse) but I do not count calories from that because that is one my daily activities. I understand the arguments for not eating back exercise calories, however I have done it both ways and found I lost weight either way. Last time I used mfp (before I got pregnant) I ate back 100% of my exercise cals and still lost weight and hit my goal. I find for me personally, that eating at least some of them back gives me good motivation for exercise and works for me. If it ever stopped working, I would stopneating those calories back.

"Last time" is something you see a lot on here. You can't view life as exercise. We exercise because our lives are sedentary, so we fill in the activity our body would normally do if couches and TV weren't a thing. It's not helpful in the long run to count a walk while carrying your child as exercise - what happened before the stroller was invented?

When I have my toddler on my back I just count it as a normal walk or hike, same if she's in the pushchair. I don't think the difference between carrying them or not is all that big.

You can log it if you want. I never logged anything like that with both my kids. If you're an er nurse and your activity level is set at highly active then you're already getting extra calories. It all depends on how your mfp is set up. If youre set at sedentary then I guess you could log more.

JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »

LazSommer wrote: »

JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »

jessica22222 wrote: »

I just wouldn't log it. Then you may eat more calories then needed. Probably counts as your work ie sedentary, slightly active etc.

I get what youre saying. Mybjob is pretty active (ER nurse) but I do not count calories from that because that is one my daily activities. I understand the arguments for not eating back exercise calories, however I have done it both ways and found I lost weight either way. Last time I used mfp (before I got pregnant) I ate back 100% of my exercise cals and still lost weight and hit my goal. I find for me personally, that eating at least some of them back gives me good motivation for exercise and works for me. If it ever stopped working, I would stopneating those calories back.

"Last time" is something you see a lot on here. You can't view life as exercise. We exercise because our lives are sedentary, so we fill in the activity our body would normally do if couches and TV weren't a thing. It's not helpful in the long run to count a walk while carrying your child as exercise - what happened before the stroller was invented?

Yes last time, because I had a baby and did not have a goal to lose weight but rather to gain, while I was pregnant. Mfp has an option for your daily activity level, which includes things like an active job, etc and then any exercise you do that isnt a regular thing is tracked on top of that. I dont understand what you are saying.

Edit to add ,I do understand what you're saying, but I dont understand why you would be so determined for me not to log my walks when it works for me to meet my goals.

Just see posts like this all the time where people try to squeeze in activities as exercise wherever they can to meet their goals. It's counterproductive - if you're logging exercise calories you really need to be honest with yourself - was it really enough to be "exercise"? I don't care what anyone else does in the end - it's your body, your journey. If you cheat you are only cheating yourself.

JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »

jessica22222 wrote: »

You can log it if you want. I never logged anything like that with both my kids. If you're an er nurse and your activity level is set at highly active then you're already getting extra calories. It all depends on how your mfp is set up. If youre set at sedentary then I guess you could log more.

Mfp suggested that nursing be set at moderately active, I believe I have mine set at only lightly active since I only work 3 12 hour shifts a week and am usually sedentary at home.

Nursing actually burns up to 500 calories. I would count that.

JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »

LazSommer wrote: »

JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »

LazSommer wrote: »

JackieMarie1989jgw wrote: »

jessica22222 wrote: »

I just wouldn't log it. Then you may eat more calories then needed. Probably counts as your work ie sedentary, slightly active etc.

I get what youre saying. Mybjob is pretty active (ER nurse) but I do not count calories from that because that is one my daily activities. I understand the arguments for not eating back exercise calories, however I have done it both ways and found I lost weight either way. Last time I used mfp (before I got pregnant) I ate back 100% of my exercise cals and still lost weight and hit my goal. I find for me personally, that eating at least some of them back gives me good motivation for exercise and works for me. If it ever stopped working, I would stopneating those calories back.

"Last time" is something you see a lot on here. You can't view life as exercise. We exercise because our lives are sedentary, so we fill in the activity our body would normally do if couches and TV weren't a thing. It's not helpful in the long run to count a walk while carrying your child as exercise - what happened before the stroller was invented?

Yes last time, because I had a baby and did not have a goal to lose weight but rather to gain, while I was pregnant. Mfp has an option for your daily activity level, which includes things like an active job, etc and then any exercise you do that isnt a regular thing is tracked on top of that. I dont understand what you are saying.

Edit to add ,I do understand what you're saying, but I dont understand why you would be so determined for me not to log my walks when it works for me to meet my goals.

Just see posts like this all the time where people try to squeeze in activities as exercise wherever they can to meet their goals. It's counterproductive - if you're logging exercise calories you really need to be honest with yourself - was it really enough to be "exercise"? I don't care what anyone else does in the end - it's your body, your journey. If you cheat you are only cheating yourself.

Well, it was exercise for me because I am out of shape. My heart rate was elevated, maybe that is kind of sad but hey, whatever we all start somewhere. I weigh myself daily and keep good accountability, I have no problem changing my habits if need be. But I lost almost all my baby weight doing it the way I do it with only seven more pounds to go. And thats with eating extra for breastfeeding, too. So. I do not think I am cheating myself. This is the first exercise I have logged in a long time.

We'll I guess what some of us are getting at is logging it might not bring you success. Maybe start logging it and see if you are successful and if you're not then just stop logging it. Just have to play around with what works for you.

No prob. Have you tried the Jillian Michaels dvds? That was the best exercise for me with young kids at home because I could do it in my living room. When I started them I could barely get through them and was a sweaty hot mess. I've really felt a change in my fitness level from them and have added running and weight training in. Gotta start somewhere and I know how hard it is with little ones.

janjunie wrote: »

There was a thread like this before.....sorry I can't find it. but it basically said the extra calorie burn is minimal. Like under 50 extra calories burned minimal. I carry my 23 lb guy in a carrier a few times a week, but personally don't log it.

I suspect that was a thread I started! I would add that I am training for a walking marathon and therefore both log my exercise and also add in the fact that it is hiking carrying a 70lb load (I have twin toddlers). It may not seem like a lot and an awful lot of people look down their noses at people who walk for exercise but my 5 hour hike yesterday certainly felt like good exercise! I actually burnt an extra 800 calories by carrying the 70lbs (I have an app set up which gives me my general steps for the day and calories burnt based on time, distance and weight. When hiking I also wear my Garmin Vivosmart which had a HR monitor. This shows me the difference on calorie burn caused by carrying the extra weight (and terrain to a certain extent).

It's really hard to find ways to exercise when you have little ones to take care of and can't afford/don't have access to a gym/crèche/nursery etc. Walking is a great start- good luck with it!