Activity Log... Trash or Treasure?

Hope I'm posting this in the right place!

All right... *takes a deep breath*

Ever since I've been here, I have been entering -accurately, mind you! - ALL my activities in the Activity Log. All 24 hours. This is pretty easy to do, and it isn't as time-consuming as most people might think.

One of the reasons I've been doing this is because it is very difficult to determine what my average activity is... some days are much busier than others... there is no set schedule for me. I may be running from sun up to sundown one day, and sitting at a desk another day... I may be very physically busy for an hour, then sit for an hour, then get back up again (I am very fidgety). No two days are alike.

Now, based on the activity log, my expenditure can run pretty much 2000-2400 calories a day (depending on the exercise).

However, having checked out some messages and information here and there, I see all these people saying to disregard the activity log!

Which brings me to the following questions:

Is the activity log accurate?
Am I supposed to believe the activity log?
Am I supposed to even use the activity log?
And if not, what is the point of the activity log?

I'm frustrated, because I love using the blasted thing, and I thought for certain I was getting an accurate daily count of expenditure.

Please help me to understand, folks... thanks tons...

I havent sen the posts about disregarding the activity log.  Personally, I log every time I go to the gym for cardio or weights, and I have light activity set to cover my walking, though sometimes I may go beyond that.  But it probably averages out with the days that I am more sedentary.  For me, I've been losing ~1.5lbs a week, which is about what I should be losing if I go by the numbers. 

Bottom line: If it's working for you, then don't worry.  It's probably accurate for you.  Somtimes things will work for some people and not others.

I've run into problems when I try to log every little thing I do; cleaning the house, ironing, etc. I just don't burn enough extra for these to really count for me.

However, I always log my gym time; weights, jogging, long walks, etc. When I end up sweaty then I know it was a real workout.

I posted a question like this yesterday and didn't get a whole lot of responses.  But I did get told to log only exercise, not every little thing.  Bummer, because when I did log all activities, my calorie expenditure sky rocketed!!

Yeah but definately only log gym time or work out time.  I have sedentary to cover my daily stuff just cause most of the time I am sitting behind my desk.

I guess I would ask you if you have been seeing results that you find favorable? If you like using it and you are seeing results, then heck who cares what others say? :)

I think what many of us forget is that counting calories ALWAYS a game of estimation. This is true when feeding ourselves (ever notice the disclaimer about individual variations in serving sizes on nutritional charts etc), and also true with working out.

Some will say a HRM is a better indicator of calories burned. It probably is, but many may find it something they aren't interested in (don't like wearing it, expense, etc).

In the end we are probably off on our calorie expenditure, intake every single day. Some days will be closer, and some days we may be way off (like when we eat at a restaurant with unposted nutritional info). What I believe matters is the overall trend in our eating. Most days do you eat under your calorie expenditure (or over if you are tyring to gain)? If so, then you're good.

If you are stuck at a weight you want to change then maybe look into some other options (HRM) or talking to a clinician about measuring your basal metabolic rate.

Otherwise, do what works for you :)

Do i really need to include the sitting at work in activity log?

Sitting - Light Office Work - In General, 8 hrs=> 1,238 cal

because, that bumps up my calorie burn..

to my understanding...

I enter seditary to get what I burn just exsisting and carrying on with normal life.  For me that includes cooking, cleaning, showering, working 8 hours, going to my kids games...all of that. 

What I add to that is any work outs I do...such a taking a walk or getting on my bike.  That is all I enter as extra.  Granted, I should  most likey switch to light activity, but I like the lower amount burned because I am fairly sure that I mess up on my calories at times and I cover my butt so to speak...

thanks kae, that was nicely put

Thanks for your responses... I really appreciate people taking the time out to tell me what they do.

Since no one answered the questions:

Is the activity log accurate?
Am I supposed to believe the activity log?

I will assume the activity log is worthless, and I might as well use a spreadsheet, or scratch my exercise on a piece of paper, since no one seems to trust the activity log totals.

I know how much I exercise every day, and exactly how many calories the exercise burns. I don't need a log to know what I've burned in regard to exercise.

Maybe they could save some space on this website and just put in what classifies as exercise, and ditch things like studying, sleeping, and watching television!!!

(Sorry if I sound a bit irritable; some of my more recent career "incarnations" ...I was a director of technology for a web-based company, before that a webmaster for that company, before that a programmer. So, I get a little anal retentive about wastefulness, usefulness, functionality, etc.)

When I've done what a lot of you do, which is just call myself sedentary or light and only count my exercise, I get light-headed and weak from lack of calories.  You're right; I should have gone with my earlier calculations before joining the site, when I worked out my BMR!

Thanks tons, guys, much love!

I dont know whether to use it either. When I log everything, my calorie expenditure is close to 2800 a day... that seems a little too good to be true. Probably because when I log everything that I do I am walking for close to 5 hours average (outside the gym) a day, and 2 of those hours I am carrying a full backpack. But everyone here said to only log your diliberate excercise... so now I am at 2100 a day.

I have no idea how much to eat to be honest.

I love the activity log.  Sure, it's an estimate, but everything on here is somewhat of an estimate.  I still think it gives me a good idea of what I'm supposed to be doing calorie deficit wise, and it has been instrumental in my weight loss so far.

So, just a quick note, in my opinion, if you are logging everything you do for 24 hours, you cannot add this to the expenditure tool.  The expenditure is calculating 24 hours of whatever.  Technically, even with activities like exercise, to be accurate, you'd have to subtract 1 expenditure hour (expenditure/24) from this to be completely accurate.

I don't think you should disregard it if you like it, just make sure you use it correctly.

I assumed it was averaging my activities based on the activity level I entered..I do enter when I do something extra...like Sunday I spent several hours painting my front door...can't believe how many calories that burns! *lol* I should take up painting houses as a second job!

yeah i think plaidpooka is totally right. I think yes it does work, and no you shouldn't disregard it entirely, but i do think it is a ruff estimate. Whatever it tells me i've burned i always minus 300 calories from just be sure because somehow i think 'reading' for 3 hours doesn't burn 400 calories.

Also, are you separating all your exercises out? For example, i walk my dog 2 times a day for 6-15 minutes each time, but i dont lump my walking time into 21 minutes total. You should separate it into being one time at 6 minutes, one at 15, etc. Hope that helped somewhat?! The activity log irritates me sometimes as well.

In my opinion the activity log is not worthless. If people misunderstand its use and start adding calories for things like "light sleeping" when they have set their activity level as sedentary, then it won't be helpful for those people, sure, as it will give them way too high a result.

Used correctly, I think it gives a very good estimation.

I set my activity level at light and don't include any housework, walking up stairs, walking to the station or the lighter yoga classes I teach, only long walks, bike rides, my (strenuous) yoga practice and the more strenuous classes I teach.

And yes, I believe the activity log, but I realise it has its limitations. and can only ever be an estimate.

the problem with an activity log, as I see it, and then adding that to your bmr is double adding a lot of calories, I believe.

your bmr is about 65-75% of your TOTAL calorie consumption.  so, if you go to the gym for 90 minutes, and the cardio machine says you burned 600 calories, for example, part of that 600 is already factored into your bmr, so you are double counting.

If you log everything you do, then, in my opinion, you are double counting a lot, and you will a high and inaccurate calories burned for the day.

the activity log adjusts calories, i think, for what you put in your setting.

for example:

if I put in sedentary, and my cals burned for the day are 1,600

and if i do water aerobics and it says i burn 300 cals

the total for the day on your account home page would not show 1900 (300 + 1600), instead, it adjusts for the overlap and will show 2100...

(those are fake #'s to illustrate the point.)

Wow, united2gether...

A nice, simple explanation... I understand now. That makes sense!

(Although I am beginning to believe sitting, watching television and the like should be removed if they are not supposed to count ...)

But your explanation makes sense and at least I can work around around it...

And what you brought up, Manewell, is also a concern. I'm just going to not bother with the activity log. :-)

I can't help myself... Type A personality wants to do everything perfectly, even when it comes to weight loss...

Thanks again, and thanks to everyone who responded!  You're the best!

Finally! I get it! Sheesh!

Blackthorne the Dense

there is an alternative...

keep your own log of activities and account to 24 hours, in which case you would want the sleeping and sedentary activities too; which is possibly why they are available...

...skids back in...

i *think* it is important to realize that all of these calculators are estimates only and just a way of guestimating what we burn...

an hours worth of water aerobics will burn more in a heavier person who is less fit than in a slimmer person who is closer to their goal and more fit.  As we become more fit, our muscles and cardiovascular system become much more efficient and it takes more energy & effort to burn as many calories (just seems so dang unfair; sad, but true :(

so, what am I saying... I use a variety of estimate sources.  Here's another couple calculators I use:

http://www.nutritiondata.com/tools/calories-b urned

http://www.caloriesperhour.com/tutorial_BMR.h tml

If you look up calories burned here on the website, when you are signed into your account, it will estimate the calories burned for you based on your information and it will be different than the numbers it gives me.

Also, take food.  Even the foods are estimates.  For example; an apple that is newer and riper is different than an old drier apple in calories.  Same with bananas.  It can make a difference how ripe stuff is...  And even in processed foods, depending how well ingredients are mixed in... 

But, I *think* it's ok to take the estimate and not fret the minor numbers that may vary because there is no way to be exact.

So, how do we know if we're on the right path?

We compare one month to the next to help eliminate the ups & downs from other fluctations like water weight from dehydration, salt retention, etc.... 

For example, i always gain water 10 days b4 ttom and lose it for 3 days.  So day 4 is my lowest tweight of the month after I use the restroom and b4 I eat....   

So, I compare that day to the prior month and see if the amount I lost matches the deficits I thought I was calculating... based on how I did the calculators, estimated exercised, measured food, etc... 

And for me, it's worked so far.  If not, then time to doublecheck that stuff and consider if i've hit a plateau... which we all do eventually.

Also, as we get closer to our goal, the weight loss will come off more slowly as we begin to convert body fat to lean muscle, the body adjusts, etc...

but we can do it... we just need to understand what we're doing and allow enough time so that normal fluctuations even out over time...

Hope this helps :)  Cheers,