am i cheating by counting cooking and cleaning as cardio?

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  • tigersword
    tigersword Posts: 8,059 Member
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    I think you know the answer. If it feels like cheating, it's because it is.
  • alisahaggard
    alisahaggard Posts: 29
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    If you're counting and it still losing the expected weight, then it's clearly fine. If not, well, then it isn't.
  • Dan112358
    Dan112358 Posts: 525 Member
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    I would be pretty cautious about including this as cardio because there are way too many factors that could affect your caloric burn. In addition to this, mfp already allots you extra cals based on your indicated activity level. You can't call yourself "active" and then also log those calories as exercise on top. If you have a fitbit or some other cal tracking device, you may have better luck with this. I just assume my daily activities (housework, cooking, yardwork) are all part of my daily life. Now when I do 45 minutes of cardio, those are getting logged!

    Eta: yesterday I did burn 6 calories doing 326 minutes of "clicking mouse, right index finger". What a great burn and yes, I ate those exercise calories back.
  • jovz10
    jovz10 Posts: 531 Member
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    no if your activity level is set to sedentary...
  • tistal
    tistal Posts: 869 Member
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    Check this site out. I do alot of these moves when I am cleaning. My kids laugh at me while I vacuum! :)

    http://www.cleanmomma.com/
  • jsapninz
    jsapninz Posts: 909 Member
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    Knock yourself out if you aren't eating back your "cals burned"...but I suspect you are, so:

    MFP takes your normal daily activity into account (and no, sedentary does NOT mean NO activity (that is what BMR is)). So since cooking and cleaning are daily acitivity you should NOT be counting it because you are not doing something above and beyond your normal routine. Besides, you should always err on the conservative side.
    My rule of thumb: if I don't have to put on my work out clothes for it, IT DOESN'T COUNT.

    If you want to be accurate, get a Hear Rate Monitor. Average estimators are crap anyway and tend to over estimate your burns.

    The only person you are cheating is yourself.
  • wildcata77
    wildcata77 Posts: 660
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    I agree that it helps me to see it from a motivation level. However, I also have my lifestyle set as "sedentary". If you have your lifestyle set above that level, I would avoid counting normal daily tasks as exercise.

    At first I counted EVERYTHING...now I try to only count cooking/cleaning when I know I've worked really hard, like done a deep clean on the kitchen, or when I fold laundry and I stand up to do and bend down each time to pick up something to fold. I try to only count times I really feel like I'm exerting myself to clean as calorie burns.

    GL with your journey!
  • microburst20
    microburst20 Posts: 130
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    I count my cleaning if I do 30 continuous minutes but not if I just pick up things for 5 minutes. That being said, I have an office job where I am required to sit and a commute so I chose sedentary for my activity rate. Also I log shopping as walking leisurely pace. Before I started MFP I didnt consider that to be a workout but after 2 hours of shopping and then lugging the sfuff in I was too tired to do a regular workout and a lot more hungry. This has been working for me so far. Part of the problem with being overweight is we kick ourselves everytime we think we didnt do something the way someone else does it.
  • SkettiGurl
    SkettiGurl Posts: 186 Member
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    I work full time at a desk job so my husband does most of the cooking and we have a cleaner so I definitely count the cleaning and cooking (and gardening) if I do it for more than an hour but I only count an hour as I think the calories are too high. But I only count it because it's not a regular thing.
  • leannems
    leannems Posts: 516 Member
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    I really think it depends. If you do this same cooking/cleaning on days you work out, and you never counted it before, then you might end up eating extra calories that you never tracked before and weren't eating before. If you were successful without tracking them, then tracking them now might hinder that (alternatively, if you weren't successful before, you may need to track them to make sure you're eating enough).

    If you're doing above-normal cleaning (breaking a sweat), then I don't think tracking would be cheating. I typically do not track routine housework (I have a fitbit that gets my movement anyway) but will track heavy duty stuff, particularly when I break into a sweat.
  • bgunn38
    bgunn38 Posts: 3
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    It depends on how long and how vigorous the activity is. If you work up a sweat and your heart rate has increased for so many beats per second, by all means, count it as cardio.
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
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    I know from experience that just counting ANYTHING helps keep up motivation. If I stopped counting - i would lose all track and then just give up.

    I think its fine to count cooking/cleaning as cardio - just not too much! its not the same as running a mile - but you are definitely moving! Maybe make it fun (and more cardio) by dancing while cooking and cleaning!

    Just don't lose motivation and if counting is what helps you do that the GO FOR IT!!

    Good Luck!!

    Please, please, please, explain to me how cooking or cleaning is the same as running a mile?
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,376 Member
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    I count it only if it is different than what I do on a daily basis...I have my settings as sedentary so it is not already calculated in that part but I don't count it if all I did that day was a sink of dishes & a load of laundry but if I scrub the house for more than 30 minutes of constant movement then I count it for sure....As long as you aren't counting it twice b/c your settings are set to active....I think that is just fine. HTH! :)
  • hottiebikerchick
    hottiebikerchick Posts: 187 Member
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    If I break a sweat, I count it!:bigsmile:
  • sunshineshica
    sunshineshica Posts: 277
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    The bigger question would be how has logging cooking and cleaning as cardio and it being your only form of exercise been helping your weight loss? if it's helping your weightloss than continue to do it. If not, than you should probably think of putting something else into your routine.
  • Chagama
    Chagama Posts: 543 Member
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    Just my opinion, but I wouldn't count it. Even a sedentary lifestyle assumes you are doing some moving around during the day, so a lot of basic activities are counted. Unless you are really exerting and getting your heartrate raised, you are probably double counting.

    I also always want to err on the side of underestimating calories burned and overestimating calories eaten. I'm sure I make enough mistakes along the way that I want to build in a little buffer, and not assume I can eat more.

    Of course, the best way to tell is to try it. If you appear to be hitting your goals but not seeing the corresponding weight loss, it may be because you are double counting and not really burning as many calories as you think you are.
  • mrmanmeat
    mrmanmeat Posts: 1,968 Member
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    If you have to ask it's probably cheating

    Ding.
  • downinaggieland98
    downinaggieland98 Posts: 224 Member
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    You cook and clean in your normal everyday life. In my opinion, cooking and cleaning doesn't count. Especially if you're eating back your exercise cals.

    This!
  • u2fergus
    u2fergus Posts: 422 Member
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    I don't know if I'd call it "cheating," but this is what I do know. I used to count every little thing I did as exercise calories, and eventually my weight loss slowed to a crawl. When I stopped doing this, started counting ONLY intentional exercise calories and made sure my HRM wasn't overestimating my calorie burns, I immediately started losing weight again. I don't know if that's the answer for you, but it definitely was the answer for me. :ohwell:
  • autumnk921
    autumnk921 Posts: 1,376 Member
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    I know from experience that just counting ANYTHING helps keep up motivation. If I stopped counting - i would lose all track and then just give up.

    I think its fine to count cooking/cleaning as cardio - just not too much! its not the same as running a mile - but you are definitely moving! Maybe make it fun (and more cardio) by dancing while cooking and cleaning!

    Just don't lose motivation and if counting is what helps you do that the GO FOR IT!!

    Good Luck!!

    Please, please, please, explain to me how cooking or cleaning is the same as running a mile?


    This person put - It is NOT the same as running a mile....I just wanted to point that out.

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