Exercise Calories Question
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damerson05
Posts: 5 Member
I'm fairly new to MFP, but I understand this app is designed for you to eat back your fitness calories....
I clean homes occasionally and I went to log the fitness calories and it seems WAAAY too much! Yes, I sweat and yes it's several hours at a time, so I logged half the time...yet, it still seems to be more than I'd think.
I'm not really in great shape, but I'm trying to get myself more excited about fitness and I want to do log things properly!
Any advice on this?
I clean homes occasionally and I went to log the fitness calories and it seems WAAAY too much! Yes, I sweat and yes it's several hours at a time, so I logged half the time...yet, it still seems to be more than I'd think.
I'm not really in great shape, but I'm trying to get myself more excited about fitness and I want to do log things properly!
Any advice on this?
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Replies
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Maybe eat half back and see how things go over a few weeks?2
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if you ran a marathon for 3 hours would you consider it weird that you would get extra calories to eat that day?4
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What did you log it as ?0
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Well, hey - this sounds more like an "Activity Level" question. Did you set up your profile as "Active" or "Sedentary"? If you set up your account with an appropriate activity level, you would not also log your job as exercise calories. If you said you were sedentary, go back and fix that. Then log your intentional exercise on top of that.4
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Second what autumnblade said. You should only be logging intentional exercise, or get an activity tracker and set them up together and use the numbers it gives you.1
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damerson05 wrote: »I'm fairly new to MFP, but I understand this app is designed for you to eat back your fitness calories....
I clean homes occasionally and I went to log the fitness calories and it seems WAAAY too much! Yes, I sweat and yes it's several hours at a time, so I logged half the time...yet, it still seems to be more than I'd think.
I'm not really in great shape, but I'm trying to get myself more excited about fitness and I want to do log things properly!
Any advice on this?
Some people do find MFP's burns a little high (and others find them spot on), and there can be a wide range in the physical effort put into a task that the number simply can't determine. Unfortunately there's some trial and error in getting your exercise calories squared away! I think half is a fine place to start, and if you find yourself fatigued or super hungry eat a bit more. Then after a few weeks, let your results guide you - if you are losing too fast, eat something more than half; if you are losing slower than expected, eat less. Good luck!5 -
autumnblade75 wrote: »Well, hey - this sounds more like an "Activity Level" question. Did you set up your profile as "Active" or "Sedentary"? If you set up your account with an appropriate activity level, you would not also log your job as exercise calories. If you said you were sedentary, go back and fix that. Then log your intentional exercise on top of that.
But the OP said she cleans houses occasionally so I disagree that they should change their activity status upwards. I'd keep it the same and log the hours of cleaning when they actually happen. Occasionally can mean once a week, month or year. No need to up the activity level for anything less than 3-4 times+ a week, imho.10 -
autumnblade75 wrote: »Well, hey - this sounds more like an "Activity Level" question. Did you set up your profile as "Active" or "Sedentary"? If you set up your account with an appropriate activity level, you would not also log your job as exercise calories. If you said you were sedentary, go back and fix that. Then log your intentional exercise on top of that.
But the OP said she cleans houses occasionally so I disagree that they should change their activity status upwards. I'd keep it the same and log the hours of cleaning when they actually happen. Occasionally can mean once a week, month or year. No need to up the activity level for anything less than 3-4 times+ a week, imho.
Yes, it's usually just once a week. Sometimes twice, sometimes none.1 -
damerson05 wrote: »I'm fairly new to MFP, but I understand this app is designed for you to eat back your fitness calories....
I clean homes occasionally and I went to log the fitness calories and it seems WAAAY too much! Yes, I sweat and yes it's several hours at a time, so I logged half the time...yet, it still seems to be more than I'd think.
I'm not really in great shape, but I'm trying to get myself more excited about fitness and I want to do log things properly!
Any advice on this?
Some people do find MFP's burns a little high (and others find them spot on), and there can be a wide range in the physical effort put into a task that the number simply can't determine. Unfortunately there's some trial and error in getting your exercise calories squared away! I think half is a fine place to start, and if you find yourself fatigued or super hungry eat a bit more. Then after a few weeks, let your results guide you - if you are losing too fast, eat something more than half; if you are losing slower than expected, eat less. Good luck!
Thanks - great advice! I need to remember I'm not on a deadline or anything...just need to figure it out as I go!2 -
autumnblade75 wrote: »Well, hey - this sounds more like an "Activity Level" question. Did you set up your profile as "Active" or "Sedentary"? If you set up your account with an appropriate activity level, you would not also log your job as exercise calories. If you said you were sedentary, go back and fix that. Then log your intentional exercise on top of that.
Thank you - I only clean maybe once a week, but I'll check on settings and see if I need to adjust anything. I appreciate your response!0 -
If you'd like more specific feedback, you can share your height, weight, the specific exercise logged, time, and calories. Then our wiser members can weigh in.0
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If you'd like more specific feedback, you can share your height, weight, the specific exercise logged, time, and calories. Then our wiser members can weigh in.
Sure -
I'm female 5'7" 200 lbs, I logged house cleaning - light and slow pace (I cleaned for 4 hours, but just logged 2, because of the amount of calories it showed). I clean about once a week. For 4 hours it was 700+ calories, for 2 it was 450.0 -
damerson05 wrote: »If you'd like more specific feedback, you can share your height, weight, the specific exercise logged, time, and calories. Then our wiser members can weigh in.
Sure -
I'm female 5'7" 200 lbs, I logged house cleaning - light and slow pace (I cleaned for 4 hours, but just logged 2, because of the amount of calories it showed). I clean about once a week. For 4 hours it was 700+ calories, for 2 it was 450.
Since it's a light and slow pace and is only once a week I personally wouldn't log it as exercise or change your activity level.
If it was one hour of really intense work for the same calorie output instead of four hours of lighter work would you log it?
(My opinion - long duration light activity is just as significant as short duration harder exercise as regards energy expenditure.)14 -
damerson05 wrote: »If you'd like more specific feedback, you can share your height, weight, the specific exercise logged, time, and calories. Then our wiser members can weigh in.
Sure -
I'm female 5'7" 200 lbs, I logged house cleaning - light and slow pace (I cleaned for 4 hours, but just logged 2, because of the amount of calories it showed). I clean about once a week. For 4 hours it was 700+ calories, for 2 it was 450.
Since it's a light and slow pace and is only once a week I personally wouldn't log it as exercise or change your activity level.
If it was one hour of really intense work for the same calorie output instead of four hours of lighter work would you log it?
(My opinion - long duration light activity is just as significant as short duration harder exercise as regards energy expenditure.)
I honestly wouldn't log it. I have a fitbit so I know my steps but I don't log anything extra even if I have 30,000+ steps in a day unless I actually exercised such as running, weightlifting, or rock climbing. Our house flooded last week and I did an entire day of cleaning water and mud out of our garage and sunroom and I didn't even think to log it as exercise.
Would you log 30 minutes of light cleaning? Because 3 to 4 hours of cleaning once a week averages out to 30 minutes a day which, to me, really just is day to day activities.
No but I think the OP logging a reasonable calorie adjustment for four hours of activity over and above her usual level is very sensible.
It's not her normal day to day activity as the OP states, it's an occasional very high activity day. Just like an intuitive or mindful eater would do - on a day when you do more/move more you eat more.12 -
You don't log exercise and activity because it is virtuous or sexy or sounds good.
You log your activity in order to figure out your caloric expenditure.
If the activity is NOT already included in your selected activity setting, it should be logged, assuming you're trying to log accurately.
A sedentary activity level envisions something like 3500 steps or less than 45 minutes of non sitting / lying down activity in a day. It represents, on MFP, an Activity Factor of 1.25
30,000 steps exceeds the activity factor of 1.8 which is what MFP's very active setting translates to.
Calories spent are calculated by multiplying your per minute burn by the duration. The decision to log weightlifting, an activity that burns anywhere from 3.5x to 6x your BMR during a minuscule portion of your day, and not 30K steps of walking--an activity likely burning 3.0+ x your BMR for over 5 hours--leaves me perplexed.
A larger deficit (which is what you attempt to create when you intentionally under-log your activity) MAY or MAY NOT be a suitable goal for each individual depending on their purported deficit, current stats, and logging habits.18 -
You don't log exercise and activity because it is virtuous or sexy or sounds good.
You log your activity in order to figure out your caloric expenditure.
If the activity is NOT already included in your selected activity setting, it should be logged, assuming you're trying to log accurately.
A sedentary activity level envisions something like 3500 steps or less than 45 minutes of non sitting / lying down activity in a day. It represents, on MFP, an Activity Factor of 1.25
30,000 steps exceeds the activity factor of 1.8 which is what MFP's very active setting translates to.
Calories spent are calculated by multiplying your per minute burn by the duration. The decision to log weightlifting, an activity that burns anywhere from 3.5x to 6x your BMR during a minuscule portion of your day, and not 30K steps of walking--an activity likely burning 3.0+ x your BMR for over 5 hours--leaves me perplexed.
A larger deficit (which is what you attempt to create when you intentionally under-log your activity) MAY or MAY NOT be a suitable goal for each individual depending on their purported deficit, current stats, and logging habits.
OP, I'd recommend that you listen to @PAV8888 The voice of reason 👍😀5 -
Never mind. Should have read ahead!0 -
damerson05 wrote: »If you'd like more specific feedback, you can share your height, weight, the specific exercise logged, time, and calories. Then our wiser members can weigh in.
Sure -
I'm female 5'7" 200 lbs, I logged house cleaning - light and slow pace (I cleaned for 4 hours, but just logged 2, because of the amount of calories it showed). I clean about once a week. For 4 hours it was 700+ calories, for 2 it was 450.
Since it's a light and slow pace and is only once a week I personally wouldn't log it as exercise or change your activity level.
If it was one hour of really intense work for the same calorie output instead of four hours of lighter work would you log it?
(My opinion - long duration light activity is just as significant as short duration harder exercise as regards energy expenditure.)
I honestly wouldn't log it. I have a fitbit so I know my steps but I don't log anything extra even if I have 30,000+ steps in a day unless I actually exercised such as running, weightlifting, or rock climbing. Our house flooded last week and I did an entire day of cleaning water and mud out of our garage and sunroom and I didn't even think to log it as exercise.
Would you log 30 minutes of light cleaning? Because 3 to 4 hours of cleaning once a week averages out to 30 minutes a day which, to me, really just is day to day activities.
You weren't more tired and/or hungry after 8 hours of dealing with a flood? I sure would have been! If not that day, then the day after.3 -
You don't log exercise and activity because it is virtuous or sexy or sounds good.
You log your activity in order to figure out your caloric expenditure.
If the activity is NOT already included in your selected activity setting, it should be logged, assuming you're trying to log accurately.
A sedentary activity level envisions something like 3500 steps or less than 45 minutes of non sitting / lying down activity in a day. It represents, on MFP, an Activity Factor of 1.25
30,000 steps exceeds the activity factor of 1.8 which is what MFP's very active setting translates to.
Calories spent are calculated by multiplying your per minute burn by the duration. The decision to log weightlifting, an activity that burns anywhere from 3.5x to 6x your BMR during a minuscule portion of your day, and not 30K steps of walking--an activity likely burning 3.0+ x your BMR for over 5 hours--leaves me perplexed.
A larger deficit (which is what you attempt to create when you intentionally under-log your activity) MAY or MAY NOT be a suitable goal for each individual depending on their purported deficit, current stats, and logging habits.
Yes, there seems to be this weird dichotomy here among some that it is ok to log exercise in a gym but not cleaning (that goes above and beyond normal everyday cleaning that is already accounted for in one's activity level.)
It's like "man's work" has more value than "women's work" and thus the former deserves to be logged and the latter does not.10 -
kshama2001 wrote: »You don't log exercise and activity because it is virtuous or sexy or sounds good.
You log your activity in order to figure out your caloric expenditure.
If the activity is NOT already included in your selected activity setting, it should be logged, assuming you're trying to log accurately.
A sedentary activity level envisions something like 3500 steps or less than 45 minutes of non sitting / lying down activity in a day. It represents, on MFP, an Activity Factor of 1.25
30,000 steps exceeds the activity factor of 1.8 which is what MFP's very active setting translates to.
Calories spent are calculated by multiplying your per minute burn by the duration. The decision to log weightlifting, an activity that burns anywhere from 3.5x to 6x your BMR during a minuscule portion of your day, and not 30K steps of walking--an activity likely burning 3.0+ x your BMR for over 5 hours--leaves me perplexed.
A larger deficit (which is what you attempt to create when you intentionally under-log your activity) MAY or MAY NOT be a suitable goal for each individual depending on their purported deficit, current stats, and logging habits.
Yes, there seems to be this weird dichotomy here among some that it is ok to log exercise in a gym but not cleaning (that goes above and beyond normal everyday cleaning that is already accounted for in one's activity level.)
It's like "man's work" has more value than "women's work" and thus the former deserves to be logged and the latter does not.
If you are referring to my post, I was asked what I would do so I explained that's what I would do. I'm really not understanding your gender roles, I'm a woman and a mom and I exercise, but why would you consider that "man's work"? I'm not really understanding that at all.
I'm trying to understand the pushback about logging amounts of cleaning that cannot be considered ordinary that I have seen in this thread and many others over the years.1
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