Steps vs exercise calories

xcaranicolex

hey everyone, I'm using a fitbit hr for step counting and was wondering how accurate my exercise calories are. For example today so far I'm at about 14000 steps and it's given me an additional 1200 calories to eat. Granted I don't eat them all back but it seems like a lot. I have my activity set to sedentary so the steps should (in theory) give me calories based on my actual activity any given day. Could someone else give me an example of their steps to exercise calories for comparison?? Thanks!

codycsweet

I'm betting you activity level is set to sedentary, which is why you are getting such a huge amount of additional calories.
My level is set to lightly active I'm just shy of 11,000 steps right now and I have an additional 690 calories allowed from Fitbit. If you are generally over 10k steps before adding in exercise you are considered active.
I usually have mine set to active but since I'm off for the summer my steps vary greatly depending on the day.
You can enable the negative adjustments and for days u are less active MFP will remove ur calories for the day but noting below 1200.

I hope this helps

xcaranicolex

Perfect thanks

Christine_72

I've just recently changed my setting from sedentary to lightly active, and I have to work a lot harder to get in the positive.

I'll post a few days of what my fitbit has given me. I'm 5'8 and 143lbs, age 43.

Thursday- 26,805 steps, an extra 1,091 calories

Wednesday- 23,898 steps, an extra 814 calories.

It's only 10:30am here, I'll update later when I hit 14,000 steps

cld111

I can give you some of my stats too:

I'm 5'6, 131 pounds, 38 years old. I'm set at sedentary and I have negative calorie adjustment set.

Saturday: 18.5k steps --> 861 extra calories
Sunday: 20k steps --> 885 extra calories
Monday: 18k steps --> 830 extra calories
Tuesday: 15k steps --> 742 extra calories
Wednesday: 22k steps --> 1,017 extra calories

Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday also included Fitness Blender workouts, so those extra calories also include that (about 200 for each day.)

1200 extra calories does seem like a lot for 14k steps, but I think it's based on your height/age/weight which may be completely different from the rest of us. It's good to dig into it to make sure though. For what it's worth, I find my Fitbit to be very accurate.

Christine_72

The amount of calories OP gets will depend greatly on their height and weight too.

Protranser

5'9 male, 186 lbs, 37 years old. MFP is set to sedentary, negative calories enabled
Monday (Jogging morning and walking evening) 23413 steps -> 1691 calories
Tuesday (walking morning and evening ) 20873 steps -> 1140 calories
Wednesday (Jogging morning and walking evening) 19798 steps -> 1266 calories
Today (walking morning and evening) 20302 steps -> 1098 calories

There was an update for the android app today, and since that update, I'm now seeing two fitbit calorie adjustments instead of my usual one. One is listed for 554 calories, one is listed for 1098 calories. The website shows only 1098 calories for exercise, but the phone app is doing 1098 + 554. Dunno why that is...

Liftng4Lis

Do you have negative calorie adjustments enabled?

Protranser

Yes, I do have negative calorie adjustments enabled.

Additionally, if I look at previous day entries, they're all just showing 1 fitbit calorie adjustment (as expected). Only today's seems to be showing 2. I hope it doesn't happen again for tomorrow. The amount of calories I have available for my budget on the phone app is higher than the budget available on the website, so i'm going to use the website to track for the rest of the day.

rosebette

OP, are you getting 1400 additional calories for exercise, or is that what your fitbit is showing at the end of the day (or MFP is giving you for calorie goal after syncing with fitbit)? With the fitbit HR, the calories shown are your TDEE, your burn for the entire day, not "exericse calories."

Marilyn0924

Protranser wrote: »

5'9 male, 186 lbs, 37 years old. MFP is set to sedentary, negative calories enabled
Monday (Jogging morning and walking evening) 23413 steps -> 1691 calories
Tuesday (walking morning and evening ) 20873 steps -> 1140 calories
Wednesday (Jogging morning and walking evening) 19798 steps -> 1266 calories
Today (walking morning and evening) 20302 steps -> 1098 calories

There was an update for the android app today, and since that update, I'm now seeing two fitbit calorie adjustments instead of my usual one. One is listed for 554 calories, one is listed for 1098 calories. The website shows only 1098 calories for exercise, but the phone app is doing 1098 + 554. Dunno why that is...

If you're averaging over 10k steps daily, you should set your activity level to lightly active. You are definitely NOT sedentary!

codycsweet

Also your activity steps for the day will have an affect
For example on Saturday when I do a zumba class and not much else even though I hit 10k will be a different calorie adjustment than if I am active all day and hit 10k without exercise

Protranser

Marilyn0924 wrote: »

If you're averaging over 10k steps daily, you should set your activity level to lightly active. You are definitely NOT sedentary!

I beg to differ I'm only moving around 2 of the 24 hours in a day, I'd say that's pretty sedentary (compared to someone who spends 8+ hours of the day on their feet)

I can see your point about lightly active. Maybe I'll set it to that, but it wont really change my calorie budget afaik. My first few weeks of using MFP I set it to "active" (because, hey, I thought I was!) and the amount of calories I was allowed to eat each day is basically the same as it is now at sedentary.

JanetMMcC

The sedentary &c settings are based, if I remember aright, basically on one's "workday." I have a desk job, which makes me sedentary. If I didn't make myself get moving off the job, I'd have 2000-3000 steps a day.
Today I got in 13,150 steps (the last 5000 at the gym and walking home from the gym), and was credited with 437 calories.
I'm 5-6, 154 pounds (4 to goal, though I may decide to go for another 5 or 10), 63 years old.

Merkavar

Marilyn0924 wrote: »

Protranser wrote: »

5'9 male, 186 lbs, 37 years old. MFP is set to sedentary, negative calories enabled
Monday (Jogging morning and walking evening) 23413 steps -> 1691 calories
Tuesday (walking morning and evening ) 20873 steps -> 1140 calories
Wednesday (Jogging morning and walking evening) 19798 steps -> 1266 calories
Today (walking morning and evening) 20302 steps -> 1098 calories

There was an update for the android app today, and since that update, I'm now seeing two fitbit calorie adjustments instead of my usual one. One is listed for 554 calories, one is listed for 1098 calories. The website shows only 1098 calories for exercise, but the phone app is doing 1098 + 554. Dunno why that is...

If you're averaging over 10k steps daily, you should set your activity level to lightly active. You are definitely NOT sedentary!

With a fitness tracker thing attached does it matter?

It will adjust up or down based on his actual steps.

Christine_72

Here tis'

14,562 steps, credited with 489 calories.

Flookbird

I'm 5'7 and weigh 140lbs. I'm set to lightly active as I'm a teacher and when I'm at work I do around 8k steps a day with no additional effort (that's pretty hard now I'm off work though!)

In a typical working week fitbit has given me the following adjustments:

Monday - 11k steps > 259 kcals
Tuesday - 12k steps > 376 kcals
Wednesday - 14k steps > 455 kcals
Thursday - 14k steps > 417 kcals
Friday - 14k steps > 531 kcals
Saturday - 10k steps > 267 kcals
Sunday - 17k steps > 443 kcals

As you can see from the above, a lot of it depends on the frequency of your steps as well as the amount. On the Sunday I didn't 'get going' until midday, whereas on a working day I'm up and about from 5am. So despite doing a lot more steps on the Sunday than the Wednesday, I got given fewer additional kcals. Hence I'm getting a lot less now I'm off work even though I'm doing the same number of total steps.

quackers82

That figure seems high . I aim for 30,000 to 40,000 steps a day . I'm sedentary , I have a desk job and all that walking is walking on purpose for exercise . I'm 6ft 3 male and 33. 30,000 steps give me about 1500 calories extra for the day . So if your getting 1200 of 14000 steps it seems over generous to me .

Flookbird

quackers82 wrote: »

That figure seems high . I aim for 30,000 to 40,000 steps a day . I'm sedentary , I have a desk job and all that walking is walking on purpose for exercise . I'm 6ft 3 male and 33. 30,000 steps give me about 1500 calories extra for the day . So if your getting 1200 of 14000 steps it seems over generous to me .

How do you find time for so many steps?! I only got over 30k twice and that was when I climbed a mountain and spent the whole day walking!

quackers82

Flookbird wrote: »

quackers82 wrote: »

That figure seems high . I aim for 30,000 to 40,000 steps a day . I'm sedentary , I have a desk job and all that walking is walking on purpose for exercise . I'm 6ft 3 male and 33. 30,000 steps give me about 1500 calories extra for the day . So if your getting 1200 of 14000 steps it seems over generous to me .

How do you find time for so many steps?! I only got over 30k twice and that was when I climbed a mountain and spent the whole day walking!

1 hour walk before work , lunch break 30 min walk , 1 hour walk when u get home , eat , another 1 hour walk , I walk the shops everyday for my food , then do another walk late evening for an hour , with mini walks fitted in around that when ever I can .

Flookbird

Wow, very committed! Well done you - I'd be exhausted!

cld111

Merkavar wrote: »

Marilyn0924 wrote: »

Protranser wrote: »

5'9 male, 186 lbs, 37 years old. MFP is set to sedentary, negative calories enabled
Monday (Jogging morning and walking evening) 23413 steps -> 1691 calories
Tuesday (walking morning and evening ) 20873 steps -> 1140 calories
Wednesday (Jogging morning and walking evening) 19798 steps -> 1266 calories
Today (walking morning and evening) 20302 steps -> 1098 calories

There was an update for the android app today, and since that update, I'm now seeing two fitbit calorie adjustments instead of my usual one. One is listed for 554 calories, one is listed for 1098 calories. The website shows only 1098 calories for exercise, but the phone app is doing 1098 + 554. Dunno why that is...

If you're averaging over 10k steps daily, you should set your activity level to lightly active. You are definitely NOT sedentary!

With a fitness tracker thing attached does it matter?

It will adjust up or down based on his actual steps.

Yup! I keep mine at sedentary even though I'm not because I know it'll adjust to my level of activity for the day.

editorgrrl

Marilyn0924 wrote: »

If you're averaging over 10k steps daily, you should set your activity level to lightly active. You are definitely NOT sedentary!

If (and only if) you enable negative calorie adjustments in your diary settings, choosing an activity level is entirely a matter of personal preference: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

Increasing your activity level gives you more calories to start with, then smaller adjustments. You're still eating your Fitbit burn (which is TDEE) minus deficit.

You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

StaciMarie1974

I have the Fitbit One - which of course does not use HR during cardio. But otherwise I'd assume technology to be at least similar.

Once I hit maintenance I learned that I needed to eat at/above my Fitbit TDEE or I kept losing weight.

My One is not wrist-worn though. The thing I'd worry about: getting extra 'steps' if you move your arms alot. Missing steps if you're holding a shopping card handle, or otherwise not swinging your arms in a normal walking motion. Not sure if those would be issues for you, or if so they might even cancel out.

xcaranicolex wrote: »

hey everyone, I'm using a fitbit hr for step counting and was wondering how accurate my exercise calories are. For example today so far I'm at about 14000 steps and it's given me an additional 1200 calories to eat. Granted I don't eat them all back but it seems like a lot. I have my activity set to sedentary so the steps should (in theory) give me calories based on my actual activity any given day. Could someone else give me an example of their steps to exercise calories for comparison?? Thanks!

StaciMarie1974

Ps-I'm set to lightly active and I tend to earn an extra 200-400 calories for hitting 11k-12k steps.

xcaranicolex

Hey everyone. I work as a nurse so no I'm definitely not sedentary but because on days off I am generally less active I like the idea of it adjusting based on my activity for that day rather than a generalized one. I enabled negative calories (what exactly does that mean btw?) as suggested and my stats are 5'1 and 133 lbs. If I am doing any exercise I record it differently so my steps should, in theory just be my daily movement. Right? Haha perhaps this explains my weight loss slowing down?

StaciMarie1974

Negative calories ONLY matters if you set your activity level higher than you actually need.

Lets say you set it to lightly active and MFP thinks you'll burn 2000 calories per day. But you take the day easy, binge watching your favorite show and you don't do much else. Fitbit may show you only burned 1750. If your MFP goal is based on the 2000, with a 500 calorie deficit MFP will tell you to each 1500. If you have negative calories enabled, you'll see a -250 from Fitbit, telling you to eat 1500-250 or 1250.

If you do not enable negative calories, you'll just see a 0 adjustment when you don't move enough. So you'd still think eating at 1500 was going to give you the desired deficit.

If you always get an adjustment greater than 0, then negative calories don't matter for you. Note: if you check early in the day you may see a negative. I often see this because I get the majority of my activity in the evening. But I know to move enough to balance it out.

JanetMMcC

Flookbird - I wonder if some of the variation in calories assigned by the tracker for the same number of steps has something to do with speed? More calories/step would make sense if, say, a higher percentage of steps were brisk or even running.

jaga13

xcaranicolex wrote: »

hey everyone, I'm using a fitbit hr for step counting and was wondering how accurate my exercise calories are. For example today so far I'm at about 14000 steps and it's given me an additional 1200 calories to eat. Granted I don't eat them all back but it seems like a lot. I have my activity set to sedentary so the steps should (in theory) give me calories based on my actual activity any given day. Could someone else give me an example of their steps to exercise calories for comparison?? Thanks!

That sounds very high to me. First off, it's been said on other threads that a sedentary person is assumed to take about 5000 steps a day, so if you shave that off, you're down to 9000 steps, which is about 4.5 miles. An average of 100 calories a mile would mean 450 extra calories. Maybe more if you are heavier and taller, but I really think 1200 is way too high. Even if you didn't subtract the 5000 sedentary steps, 14000 steps is about 7 miles (about 700 calories). Again *maybe* more depending on your stats.

Flookbird

JanetMMcC wrote: »

Flookbird - I wonder if some of the variation in calories assigned by the tracker for the same number of steps has something to do with speed? More calories/step would make sense if, say, a higher percentage of steps were brisk or even running.

That would make sense to me, but on non-working days I tend to get a higher percentage of my steps from on the spot jogging. Saying that, when I'm walking around at work I am pretty quick about it! I guess I'll just have to trust it to do its thing! I've maintained for 7 months using my fitbit calories as a guide - I tend to eat a few hundred below my goal, but I'm not very accurate with logging, understand that my swimming calories are probably overestimated and when I have a night out I don't log anything I eat/drink as I hope the deficit earned during the week will make up for it!

aniqa109

Can i just ask...arent your steps part of your daily movement and they arent counted as exercise so you dont eat back the calories ( if that makes sense)