Should I log this?

SierraMC15
SierraMC15 Posts: 17 Member
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Every Thursday for about 4 hours I have an organic chemistry lab. This is about 4 hours of standing, preparing solutions, walking around the lab, etc. after lab is over everyday I'm literally sweating and sore from the days activities. I do not wear a fitness watch or anything like that to track the steps or exercise. This is only on Thursdays so I feel like it doesn't fit into my daily calorie burn. Should I log this as an ecersize and if so, what should I log it as? I thought about maybe food preparation or cleaning or something. I just know for a fact I'm burning more calories during this time period but don't necessarily know if I should log it. If I'm totally wrong please don't be ugly about it ! I am clueless about most things fitness related. Any suggestions would be great!

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    edited February 2019
    Sure, you could log it. My first thought was cleaning, too.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    I would log it, but also be hesitant of using the calorie amounts generated by the exercise calorie estimators. If you put that you did 4 hours of anything, it's going to probably come out to a lot more calories than you actually reasonably burned.
  • FL_Hiker
    FL_Hiker Posts: 919 Member
    edited February 2019
    Lol been there done that, I hated orgo lab just because you couldn’t sit!!! I never logged it... it just never occurred to me.
  • BrianSharpe
    BrianSharpe Posts: 9,248 Member
    I wouldn't, at least without knowing how many steps you walked or some other similar metric. Sweating isn't necessarily indicative of burning an appreciable amount of additional calories. Similarly soreness just indicates lack of adaptation.

    FWIW 10,000 steps is roughly 5 miles, and you burn an additional 30 calories for every hundred pounds of body weight for each mile walked. It's probably less than you think.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I personally wouldn't, especially if it's just one day per week.
  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    cfredz wrote: »
    i wouldnt log it. i dont log any of my activity because youre not supposed to eat back exercise calories if you are in a deficit

    Um, yes, you are. That's the way MFP works.

    e19blum4ol59.jpg
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    cfredz wrote: »
    i wouldnt log it. i dont log any of my activity because youre not supposed to eat back exercise calories if you are in a deficit

    If you're using MFP as designed you are.
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,463 Member
    No, it’s just part of your daily activity level.
  • cfredz
    cfredz Posts: 292 Member
    I personally dont use MFP calculations, i use an IIFYM calculator. MFP calculations have never made sense to me...
  • JeromeBarry1
    JeromeBarry1 Posts: 10,179 Member
    edited February 2019
    If you have yourself as sedentary, the standing for 4 hours is exercise.
    https://www.juststand.org/the-tools/calorie-burn-calculator/

    If you have yourself as lightly active, it isn't.
  • cfredz
    cfredz Posts: 292 Member
    https://instagram.com/p/BtkkvNjAZtb/embed/
  • jesspen91
    jesspen91 Posts: 1,383 Member
    Are you able to have your phone in your pocket during these labs? You could use it to count your steps if you don't want to get an activity watch.
  • smolmaus
    smolmaus Posts: 442 Member
    cfredz wrote: »
    I personally dont use MFP calculations, i use an IIFYM calculator. MFP calculations have never made sense to me...

    They're two different calculations. TDEE (Total daily energy expenditure) includes an estimate for exercise x-times per week averaged out over every day and the NEAT (Non-Exercise activity thermogenesis) method has you add those exercise kcal as they happen. It's not complicated.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    I wouldn't log it because it is part of my weekly routine and regular life. I would just use it as a nice buffer that I may burn a few extra calories that day.
  • apullum
    apullum Posts: 4,838 Member
    I would not log it separately unless you have a good way of calculating your calorie burn during this activity. Just because you feel tired doesn't mean you burn a lot of calories. Instead, I would just see whether your weight behaves as expected over the next few weeks. If you're losing faster than you should be, then you can adjust your eating accordingly.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    smolmaus wrote: »
    cfredz wrote: »
    I personally dont use MFP calculations, i use an IIFYM calculator. MFP calculations have never made sense to me...

    They're two different calculations. TDEE (Total daily energy expenditure) includes an estimate for exercise x-times per week averaged out over every day and the NEAT (Non-Exercise activity thermogenesis) method has you add those exercise kcal as they happen. It's not complicated.

    This^

    Also, you have different kinds on people - those that will exercise on a regular basis - and those that intend to exercise. MFP is great for those who intend to exercise (but sometimes don't).
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