When should work count towards my exercise calories?

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chelebevs
chelebevs Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a nurse in a busy newborn ICU. I work 12 hour shifts where I am on my feet at least 70-80% of my day. I walk about 40% of that time. I set my profile based on light activity. On work days I cannot make it on the 1390 calories it gives me. I am thinking I should add in some level of activity calories on work days but I do not know what would be an correct amount. Any ideas?

I just think that if I am around the house and do housework I get to add calories so shouldn't the same apply for my work? But I don't want to add in so many that I do not lose weight.

Replies

  • gemma247
    gemma247 Posts: 44 Member
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    hey, yeah i do a simalar job, i just put 30-60 mins of walking as for my days of work :) its excercise at the end of the day xx
  • Scarlettdawn764
    Scarlettdawn764 Posts: 856 Member
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    I am curious about this as well. I work straight nights in a Toyota car factory. Ten hours every night spent walking all over the place pulling, pushing, lifting, and tugging on carts and containers of car parts, taking them from point A to point B. There has to be some calorie burn in that.
  • jacksamjack
    jacksamjack Posts: 146 Member
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    I think that you should invest in a pedometer - that way you will have an idea of how much you actually walk!!
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    i would change your activity setting, instead of logging it as exercise.
  • dez_yaoichan
    dez_yaoichan Posts: 454
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    id say the problem is you're on LIGHT activity! you should be listed as normal-very active to reach your goals. unless you list as not active, you should never log your work unless its overtime.
  • mmuzzatti
    mmuzzatti Posts: 706 Member
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    I don't count them...some do...such as mowing the lawn or yard work in general and even sex! Those are bonus ones that I feel I use to make up for any cheating I do on my food like a cookie here or a chip...anyway I think you can get a pedometer and use that towards your number or just as bonus ones...it's all how you feel you want to keep your score.

    Enjoy and get out there!
  • Jess5825
    Jess5825 Posts: 228
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    I'm kind of the same deal. I work as an lvt (animal nurse) in the ER of a specialty hospital 3 10 hour shifts and in surgery one 10 hour shift. So I'm on my feet all day, I had chosen lightly active, but with my bodymedia, realized I was burning a lot of calories at work, so I changed it to active, but it only changed my calorie goal to 1240 instead of 1200. I've just recently started to try and eat my exercise calories, but I'm curious about this too. On a day I workout and am very busy at work I can burn 3300 calories per day (that includes my workout)
  • ladylu11
    ladylu11 Posts: 631 Member
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    very good question! I was wondering the same thing about my job as well so I invested in a Polar FT4 and found that I burn an average of 100 calories per hour when I am working.
  • chelebevs
    chelebevs Posts: 6 Member
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    If your heart rate monitor tells you you burn 100 calories an hour--do you add that amount back in to your day? And can you still lose weight that way?

    I chose light activity because on days off I am a graduate student and that is an appropriate level for those days.
  • ladylu11
    ladylu11 Posts: 631 Member
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    If your heart rate monitor tells you you burn 100 calories an hour--do you add that amount back in to your day? And can you still lose weight that way?

    I chose light activity because on days off I am a graduate student and that is an appropriate level for those days.

    I have it set to light activity right now. I usually only give myself half of the calories back. For example, if it says I burn 600 calories, I will only put in 300. I do not want to give myself too much (just in case). I'm certainly no expert though. still trying to figure some stuff out for myself.
  • geekymom57
    geekymom57 Posts: 176 Member
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    If your heart rate monitor tells you you burn 100 calories an hour--do you add that amount back in to your day? And can you still lose weight that way?

    I chose light activity because on days off I am a graduate student and that is an appropriate level for those days.
    What do you the majority of the week, i.e., grad student or nurse? If you're mostly working weekends, for example, then you would probably set your activity level based on the other 5 days a week, and add in extra calories on work days as "exercise."

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