Steps and calories

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FitterFifteen
FitterFifteen Posts: 75 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi guys,

I've just discovered the pedometer function on the iPhone and set it to link in with mfp.

However it's now giving me 'extra' calories to eat back.

Now should I take any notice of this or ignore it? My activity level is set at sedentary if that helps.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    If you are using a calorie goal given by MFP, it's designed for you to eat your exercise calories back. If you are being given calories, it means you're actually more active on that day than the activity level that you chose (sedentary).
  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    How many steps does it say you're registering in an average day?

    I'm not familiar with that particular iPhone feature, and whether or not it even syncs to MFP. But even a "sedentary" lifetsyle assumes a certain amount of movement/number of steps in a given day. Even if it does automatically sync, it would only adjust your calories if your daily activity varies greatly (in either direction) from that base amount.
  • ashleyg2688
    ashleyg2688 Posts: 29 Member
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    I don't have a pedometer on my iphone :/
  • KT_3009
    KT_3009 Posts: 1,042 Member
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    ashleyg2688 wrote: »
    I don't have a pedometer on my iphone :/

    Same :neutral: I wish I did though aha!!
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    Depends on how it syncs with MFP. If you're getting those extra calories due to exercise, then yes, that's a fairly accurate estimate of how much to eat back. If you're just getting those extra calories from a normal day, you may have your calorie goal set to low. Of course, this is dependent on HOW they sync up. If your iPhone is just giving you a base amount of calories burned but MFP is assuming they're extra, then you ignore it. But if you're entering a calorie goal in that iPhone app and it's accounting for it, then you probably would. I don't know anything about iPhones, so I have no idea how that app actually works.
  • FitterFifteen
    FitterFifteen Posts: 75 Member
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    Hi guys,
    It's in with the health app - not sure if this is a 5s onwards...

    But I'm averaging about 8k steps per day at the moment.

    I have sedentary set because my job is very much varied day to day depending on whether I'm in the office or doing site work.
  • dubird
    dubird Posts: 1,849 Member
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    FitterFifteen wrote: »
    Hi guys,
    It's in with the health app - not sure if this is a 5s onwards...

    But I'm averaging about 8k steps per day at the moment.

    I have sedentary set because my job is very much varied day to day depending on whether I'm in the office or doing site work.

    Is there a setting in your phone app for entering daily calories? You might check out the Help link at the top of the page, there's lots of questions and answers for syncing iPhones, and that might help you figure out what settings you should be using.
  • Abby2205
    Abby2205 Posts: 253 Member
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    8,000 steps is more than sedentary so yes, these are extra calories that you can eat if you want to.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
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    Sedentary for me is around 2500 steps

    I hit 8-10000 I get an additional 350-450 calories

    And yes I eat them

    But I use a fitbit and judge over time if my weight is as expected ...I don't know how accurate a phone pedometer can possibly be
  • FitterFifteen
    FitterFifteen Posts: 75 Member
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    I don't have the option to set negative calories, it seems the app may not be comparable with that...?

    I think I'll aim to eat back about 50% of the value it gives and track that over a month and see where it leads me.

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