Thoughts on logging "exercise"

cwolfman13 · August 2017

artanis50 wrote: »

I've seen some people logging things such as vacuuming, doing laundry, making the bed, etc as "exercise" and I don't see the point. I mean I do all those things too. Always have. But I still got fat doing them so I don't think they should count as exercise calories.

What do you think?

It's one of the reasons there are so many threads about "it's not working" and "why am I not losing"

Even a sedentary activity level setting is going to account for some general house work and whatnot...

The only time I ever considered logging anything like that was when I was doing way more than normal...like spending the day working on the landscaping or the semi annual deep clean of the house...stuff that was well beyond the ordinary...but even then, I just chalked it up to deserving a couple of beers and some pizza...

toxikon · August 2017

I only log intentional exercise, not chores and the like. I do log my daily lunchtime walks as long as they're longer than 20 minutes. The extra calories give me a bit more wiggle room for dinner.

JadeQuetzal · August 2017

SezxyStef wrote: »

PS not sure who flagged my post as abuse

Not it.

Anyway, that's the whole thing. To each their own. If they are using it as an excuse to eat more, they're only hurting themselves. So unless someone is reaching out for advice, there is no reason to go critiquing logging choices

SezxyStef · August 2017

JadeQuetzal wrote: »

SezxyStef wrote: »

PS not sure who flagged my post as abuse

Not it.

Anyway, that's the whole thing. To each their own. If they are using it as an excuse to eat more, they're only hurting themselves. So unless someone is reaching out for advice, there is no reason to go critiquing logging choices

I don't just responded to a forum inquiry.

candilc9 · August 2017

I like to log stuff like mowing the lawn, working in the garden, dancing, etc., so that when there are changes in weight loss, energy, satiety, etc. I can pinpoint what I did/didn't do, what changed. I also log strength exercises, steps per day and generally try to keep moving, even if it's marching in place while watching YouTube! Little things add up and when I stop doing something little, it sometimes has an overall negative effect, so I try to compensate with a comparable level of activity. Works for me!

1bjray1 · August 2017

I am one of those that tries to record everything for myself since I went back to being sedentary after hip surgery.
I haven't gotten much over 3000 steps yet. But I am out of wheelchair, walker, and not using cane unless the ground is uneven.
I am doing PT twice a week and work with a trainer. I try to exercise on my own. But sometimes steps are difficult for me since still in pain. Getting better.
I am on 1400 calories but stick to that and don't use the exercise points.

Rooskie73 · August 2017

I do log cleaning the house if it is a deep clean that includes washing windows. I also count mowing because of all of the steps I am taking. I have arthritis in my spine and fibromyalgia, so I don't do those things that often. Now on my good days, I am going to the gym. Thank goodness for good days.

JaydedMiss · August 2017

Bonus calories. I really dont see a point but all the power to them if they want to, Just seems to me thats counted in your base activity level, And the more side "exercise" you log, The more factors into possibly overestimating your calorie burns and slowing down/halting your losses.

Adc7225 · August 2017

I think it depends. Last night I needed to get 4K steps to reach my step goal so when I got home I made a point to, I'll say putter around the house. I changed my bed, hung up some clothes, made busy work of doing household chores - like walking items to hang up to the closet one at a time. While, for me this didn't register on my FitBit for some, something like this is a workout.

GrumpyHeadmistress · August 2017

My very rough judgement as to what to log is "does this activity require me to change clothing?". Swimming, running, gym - that's exercise. Mowing the lawn, putting the bin out, housework - that's included in my daily calories.

izzybelle2013 · August 2017

When I mow the grass, I walk it. So I put that in as exercise - it is an acre. Also, I clean houses, and on the days I work very hard cleaning someone else's house, I put that in too. Believe me, it is exercise. The kicker is, though, that MFP takes the exercise calories off of my daily allotment. So if I am on a 1200 calorie day, and do 200 calories worth of exercise - MFP tells me I have 1000 calories left. So, in the end, I guess it doesn't matter after all.

KelGen02 · August 2017

I don't log exercise, I let my fitbit and Map my Walk adjust for "ACTIVE" steps. I see the difference in the adjustment from when days I hit my step goal with just everyday normal steps vs the step adjustment I get from actually working out with Zumba/Treadmill/jogging etc. I can hit my step goal but that doesn't mean I logged ACTIVE minutes therefore I am not getting the adjustment in calories burned as I do when I actually work out. I don't eat back exercise calories, but even if I did I certainly wouldn't eat back calories that I supposedly burned while doing every day every day life. And before anyone yells at me for not eating back my exercise calories, I do not weigh and measure every morsel I put into my mouth. (I did in the beginning to get an eye for what a serving size looks like) so I leave those burn calories alone to offset any logging errors. It works for me, I've loss 71lbs doing this over the past 8 months so I must be doing something right.

Doesn't MFP/FitBit already take into account daily calorie burns anyhow? I mean we burn calories when we sleep so I would have to assume these apps already know these things?? Lord knows I am no expert!

Graelwyn75 · August 2017

No, I never log such things as unless they are extra strenuous or out of the ordinary routine, I do not consider them as worth logging. I only log my actual workouts and have my activity level set to lightly active to cover my walking and any other more routine movement.

MelanieCN77 · August 2017

Someone on my feed was regularly logging things like "8 hours of activity including cleaning" and then "12 hours of breastfeeding." I politely asked about it and got defriended.

JeromeBarry1 · August 2017

"Doing those things" didn't make you fat. Eating too much did. I log mowing the grass, which I did while obese. I log automobile maintenance, which I did while obese. I know I purchased my treadmill while obese and used it a few times while obese. I even occasionally rode my bike while obese. Those things didn't make me obese. Come to think of it, I've been the doer of laundry, dishes, food prep, and floor vacuuming in my home for the past about 10 years since my wife's health troubles became severe. During most of those years I remained obese because I ate too much. Logging these activities now simply tells me when to stop eating.

melissaulmen · August 2017

I do not count those items as exercising.
If someone else does, that is fine with me. They might not have as much success if they are eating back calories that are already calculated depending on their exercise level.

My step counter syncs with MFP. In the morning it guesses I am going to earn an extra 400 calories. By the end of the day, it adjusts and I only have 200 earned extra calories.

My fitness tracker said I burned 2349 calories yesterday, with the extra 200 earned calories, MFP calculates that I burn 2149 calories per day with a lightly active lifestyle.

NextPage · August 2017

I don't log housekeeping but I also log my workouts so I can look back and see if I'm meeting by fitness goals. I used to, but no longer, adjust my daily calories up based on calories burned during work outs. Washing the dishes or doing laundry isn't going to increase my lung capacity for hiking or improve my body composition so what's the point?

macclone · August 2017

I have my setting at lightly active. My Apple Watch today says I worked out and burned 630 calories. MFP added 174. I assume the others are part of the "formula" so I don't add my actuals.

tomteboda · August 2017

When I started losing weight here, I was suffering badly with untreated lupus, arthritis, and pericarditis. I barely moved. I began walking a little at a time, only 10 minutes at first. People said "that's not exercise" but I set myself at sedentary and logged anyway to have a record and accountability. I added in housework.. 10 minutes here, 30 there... I logged it all out kept me accountable. I thought the calories burns were a little high so I just cut them in half every day manually. This system worked very well for me ; I lost 80 lbs at the rate predicted by my net calorie deficit (1/2 exercise calories), counting slow walking and housework and gardening.

I switched to using a step counter, which really does the same thing. I mean, the counter doesn't care if I'm out walking my dog or putting away laundry. I now am down 115 lbs and get an average of 15,000 steps a day.

If you log "activity level" as higher than sedentary, or use automatic adjustments from a step counter of any sort, you are really doing the same thing people who count their daily activities as exercise are doing.. You're just doing it automatically.

Thoughts on logging "exercise"

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