Anyone else not logging exercise calories?

riccoismydog
riccoismydog Posts: 319 Member
edited December 24 in Food and Nutrition
Here's the thing.....
I don't have time anymore to check my HRM, (if I can even find it) ... to time my workouts at the gym, my bike rides, my dog walking my housework ect....
Even if I did I'm really bored of that. Sooooo, I'm not logging it anymore. If I work really hard (hours of sweat and feel fatigued) I eat more. If I don't work out, I eat at maintenance. If I work out a little, I don't care either way.

I feel a lot less obsessive this way. And I haven't put on twenty pounds. Quite the opposite. I'm toning up nicely (keeping protein levels high especially while weight training) I'm stronger, and I look better in jeans.

Anyone else out there not logging exercise calories with a vengence? Not worrying about whether to eat them back or not. Just eating a healthy amount of food for their general activity level and using the calorie counter as a real way to check their macro nutrients and micronutrients?

Replies

  • catjbaker
    catjbaker Posts: 2 Member
    Good advice.......... I'm not going to track my excercise anymore either since there is no way to change the setting. Weight Watchers has a setting you can choose not to add excercise to your calorie intake. I wish fitness pal had the setting... but, overall, this site is complete and provides good reports and analysis.

    Good job on your weightloss!
  • emilylacey1010
    emilylacey1010 Posts: 69
    I don't log mine I figure i wouldn't know they were gone if for
    MFP so why eat them back! I feel good knowing I burned something
    And eat less than my calories recommended.
  • litatura
    litatura Posts: 569 Member
    I log them, but I know that they are over-exaggerated so I don't use them.
  • IAmFranciscoB
    IAmFranciscoB Posts: 125
    I have a HRM which I use constantly, but I only log my runs. When I'm strength training I always check it stay within my zone, but I don't log my strength training at all.
  • jagwab
    jagwab Posts: 93
    I log my exercise but just for the minutes.
    My HRM broke and I know the calories are not even close to what actually burned.
    But logging them for the minutes does keep me accountable to myself
  • sl1ngsh0t
    sl1ngsh0t Posts: 326 Member
    I haven't gotten a HRM because I didn't want to become completely obsessed. I'm preoccupied with fitness and eating enough as it is. I'm using the MFP default settings exactly for this reason.
  • SandyAnnP
    SandyAnnP Posts: 252 Member
    I do log my exercise calories but most days I try not to use them all.
  • mshelly68
    mshelly68 Posts: 3 Member
    I am new to the site and nearly fell for the increase in cal consumption ....argggg.....luckily my friend said to ignore it . I won't be putting my exercise down either . It gets too confusing .
  • Cherbear67
    Cherbear67 Posts: 245 Member
    I have never logged my exercise or calories.. I just log in for my weight change and read things around here and get some idea..
  • iWaffle
    iWaffle Posts: 2,208 Member
    The only thing I log is cardio and even that I just add a low-ball figure. I just put in 250 calories for running 25 minutes at 5 mph on an incline. No HRM or any such exact guess at calories burned. I'm sure it's over 300 but I don't think squeezing every last calorie out into more food consumed is necessary. I don't log strength training at all or try to eat more to compensate for it. I've even adjusted my goals to maintenance and I've still lost a pound since then. If I'm losing too much I'll eat more on my cardio days, if not then it's just fine as is. I don't think you have to log everything perfectly unless you're 5'0" and have a tiny window between your TDEE and BMR. It might make a difference to them but it's a wast of time for me.
  • sandrajune72
    sandrajune72 Posts: 492 Member
    I am new to the site and nearly fell for the increase in cal consumption ....argggg.....luckily my friend said to ignore it . I won't be putting my exercise down either . It gets too confusing .

    It seems you don't understand how MFP works. Lots of people here eat their exercise calories back and are very successful with it (me included!) Perhaps you should search the forums for further advice. Hundreds of us can't be wrong!
  • minijen100
    minijen100 Posts: 5
    totally agree. so many people on here ( even with my small friends list) are so obsessive over logging everything down. what the hell did they do before this site. lol i think logging can be useful tool but not to rely on it.
  • wolfi622
    wolfi622 Posts: 206
    Well, in defense of folks that obsess over logging everything - bully for them. It can really act as motivator and keeping you focused.

    That said, I decided just this morning to stop logging exercise. I reached my goal weight a few weeks ago and am trying to shift to maintenance mode. So I changed my goals to match my general activity level and such (still tweaking my macros to favor protein). I will still do the same workouts - resistance and cardio, but no longer track them explicitly . I think the more laid back/general approach will help me stay at a maintenance level since I would tend to drift toward continuing to lose weight (which I should not do).
  • dnunny
    dnunny Posts: 125
    I do log them, but I don't know how accurate it is. I don't have a HRM. I do my exercise in the pool-so I need a water-proof HRM. I generally eat them back-not all because, as I said, I don't know how accurate it is.
  • wftiger
    wftiger Posts: 1,283 Member
    I log them but I never eat any back. I mainly log just to keep myself on track. Then I can go back and run reports to show which days I was a slacker. I have just found that I have to keep myself on a very short leash or I will wander off. Hence, very few "cheat" days and no crap food in the house. If it is here I eat it. If I don't track everything I don't lose and if I slack on the exercise I want it to stand out.
  • LMKI1
    LMKI1 Posts: 2
    Please help, I exercise 5 times a week, running and cycling which I log, for walking or anything else I do not bother, however, for the past four weeks I have not lost any weight, whilst some of the weekends I have gone over 1200, I generally do not eat my exercise calories and stick to 1200. Every week Iam always under my net calories weekly goal. Is the reason I am struggling because I am not eating enough calories?
  • MsRoxyPepper
    MsRoxyPepper Posts: 109 Member
    I found that I originally I was eating only a few exercise cals back, than it creeped up to most/all. This week I reset my goals and starting NOT logging exercise cals. For me I can't see those green cals available.

    Hopefully this will work to get me past this platuea and loosing again.
  • rainlover711
    rainlover711 Posts: 74 Member
    I don't log my exercise because it always changes my food goals, and I have my food goals set exactly where I want them.
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