Confused :/
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SamanthaLouiseMence
Posts: 663 Member
When I'm walking as your general daily exercise… my phone is counting my steps for me… but do I still need to log how long I've been walking and at what speed in my exercise option??
Sounds like a simple question, but I'm still not 100% sure on hiw this app works exactly
Sounds like a simple question, but I'm still not 100% sure on hiw this app works exactly
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Replies
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*as my general daily exercise sorry
Hate typos lol0 -
you don't count that. MFP already assumes you're walking around and doing things. This is why you select your "activity level" when you sign up.
Don't count anything unless it is intentional exercise (like a hard run, swim, circuit, etc.)1 -
Thankyou0
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I would personally set your exercise level to sedentary and sync whatever app you're using to count steps with myfitnesspal. Then it should adjust your calories in accordance to how many steps you take.2
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I'm not sure I quite understand the question. But if I have understood it then here:
I use an app on my phone as a pedometer. But it is not connected to MFP. So I have to manually enter my walking (with some speed and time such that the calories burnt are the same as on my pedometer app).rainbowbow wrote: »you don't count that. MFP already assumes you're walking around and doing things. This is why you select your "activity level" when you sign up.
Don't count anything unless it is intentional exercise (like a hard run, swim, circuit, etc.)
I think the OP said that walking is their general exercise. I think this means intentional but I'm not sure.
Walking is my only exercise and I do it quite intentionally. The activity level in MFP only includes walking as part of your routine like walking home from work or shopping. So OP, if you have included that already then, no, you don't include more walking. But if you walk as exercise, then you do.
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MichelleLei1 wrote: »I would personally set your exercise level to sedentary and sync whatever app you're using to count steps with myfitnesspal. Then it should adjust your calories in accordance to how many steps you take.
the problem with this advice is that using an app on your phone is not going to be indicative of proper calorie information like a fitness tracker is. Most people have their phones on them quite a bit, but 24/7? Doubtful.
I think it's usually best to estimate to your best ability your daily exercise level (use the app as a guide).
Less than 5,000 steps is sedentary
7,500 is lightly active
10,000 or more is considered active0 -
If walking IS intentional exercise, i.e., you are going on a 30 minute walk during your lunch break that is not necessary other than to get extra movement, you MIGHT log it. You mention your phone is counting your steps. If the app that is counting your steps is synced to MFP, you will not log the walk, because the app will automatically update your calories. If it's not sync'ed to MFP, then you could log it as exercise. To the point by rainbowbow, this does not apply if you're talking about walking around because you work retail or food service or walking to meetings in an office (those things should be accounted for in what you set your activity level, i.e, active/slightly active/sedentary).
Example, I have a Garmin vivofit that counts my steps (I do not sync it to MFP, because I think it gives too many calories). I work a desk job so I have sedentary as my lifestyle.
- If I have higher steps on a day because I had to walk to a building further away for a meeting, I do not log a 15 minute walk at moderate pace as exercise, it's just part of daily activity.
- If this weekend, I go for a 2 hour walk with my fiance at a leisurely pace, I might log it (sometimes I use those to just balance out a little bad logging). If I was logged in as a slightly active or active lifestyle, I would definitely not log this.
- If tonight, I walk on the treadmill (or outside) for 45 minutes at a brisk pace as a workout, then I will log it.
In comparison, if I worked retail and my step tracker said I covered 20 miles in my 8 hour shift (equivalent to 8 hours avg 2.5mph pace), I would not log that as exercise.
Hope that all makes sense and helps to answer your question.1 -
gebeziseva wrote: »I'm not sure I quite understand the question. But if I have understood it then here:
I use an app on my phone as a pedometer. But it is not connected to MFP. So I have to manually enter my walking
Manually? Like a savage? *Gasp*
Seriously, it depends on if you're doing the same amount of walking every day or if it varies from day to day. It's much more convenient to say "I'm a sloth at work" and just set your goals to sedentary or know that "I walk a frick ton all day" and set your lifestyle to active. If you're sedentary and get a wild hair and decide to walk around the park for a hour then just enter "Walk the dog, 60 minutes." Yes, even if you don't have a dog you can do this on MFP. This should give you some extra calories for the day.
TL;DR - Do whatever is the least amount of hassle for you most of the time.0 -
What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?1 -
What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Yes, when you walk deliberately you have to log it.0 -
What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Honestly I wouldn't. Even intentional walking isn't going to give you that much of an extra calorie burn. Personally I think I only burn like 100 calories after walking like 2 miles.0 -
What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Just don't log the steps taken during the walk if you're logging the walk as a separate exercise. If you want to log everything as steps, then don't log the exercise. Log the steps instead. Does that make sense?0 -
MichelleLei1 wrote: »What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Honestly I wouldn't. Even intentional walking isn't going to give you that much of an extra calorie burn. Personally I think I only burn like 100 calories after walking like 2 miles.
No no. I burn up to 400cals a day. This is my only exercise and it makes a BIG difference.2 -
What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Just don't log the steps taken during the walk if you're logging the walk as a separate exercise. If you want to log everything as steps, then don't log the exercise. Log the steps instead. Does that make sense?
Yea, kinda makes sense
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Thanks everyone 0
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I just want to say, if it's something you do every day i would look at my app with my overall daily steps and pick the right activity level. It's quick and easy and gets rid of the guess work.
I don't log most exercise because it is SO easy to over-estimate how many calories you're burning. It's one of the greatest deterrents to weight loss success.0 -
MichelleLei1 wrote: »What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Honestly I wouldn't. Even intentional walking isn't going to give you that much of an extra calorie burn. Personally I think I only burn like 100 calories after walking like 2 miles.
This is a screenshot of a day of intentional walking.
OP get a fitness tracker, sync it with mfp. No guess work then, set and forget.
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If your steps are adding calories, be cautious about adding calories on top of that for a walk. You might end up overestimating. I'd suggest doing it one way for a few weeks and see if you're losing as much as you should be (assuming your food tracking is good). If you aren't losing enough then you are overestimating the walks. I do see some people who way over estimate what walks burn, but you will only know by accurately logging your food and them seeing if you lose what you should.0
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Christine_72 wrote: »MichelleLei1 wrote: »What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Honestly I wouldn't. Even intentional walking isn't going to give you that much of an extra calorie burn. Personally I think I only burn like 100 calories after walking like 2 miles.
This is a screenshot of a day of intentional walking.
OP get a fitness tracker, sync it with mfp. No guess work then, set and forget.
25k steps in a day? Good grief Charlie Brown! Do you get to sit down at all?
ETA; Yes, my fitness tracker also logs my steps. If I start an activity on it then it counts the steps but doesn't add them to the calories since it's adding them to the activity. It's really the best of both worlds. I have my lifestyle set to sedentary and let it keep track of everything for me.0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »MichelleLei1 wrote: »What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Honestly I wouldn't. Even intentional walking isn't going to give you that much of an extra calorie burn. Personally I think I only burn like 100 calories after walking like 2 miles.
This is a screenshot of a day of intentional walking.
OP get a fitness tracker, sync it with mfp. No guess work then, set and forget.
25k steps in a day? Good grief Charlie Brown! Do you get to sit down at all?
ETA; Yes, my fitness tracker also logs my steps. If I start an activity on it then it counts the steps but doesn't add them to the calories since it's adding them to the activity. It's really the best of both worlds. I have my lifestyle set to sedentary and let it keep track of everything for me.
Haha no I'm always on the move! I must remember to use that spoiler option when I post pics so it doesn't take up the whole damn page
ETA: It just annoys the crap out of me when people poopoo walking as if it doesn't count, or is not worthy of a calorie burn :mad:2 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »MichelleLei1 wrote: »What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Honestly I wouldn't. Even intentional walking isn't going to give you that much of an extra calorie burn. Personally I think I only burn like 100 calories after walking like 2 miles.
This is a screenshot of a day of intentional walking.
OP get a fitness tracker, sync it with mfp. No guess work then, set and forget.
25k steps in a day? Good grief Charlie Brown! Do you get to sit down at all?
ETA; Yes, my fitness tracker also logs my steps. If I start an activity on it then it counts the steps but doesn't add them to the calories since it's adding them to the activity. It's really the best of both worlds. I have my lifestyle set to sedentary and let it keep track of everything for me.
Haha no I'm always on the move! I must remember to use that spoiler option when I post pics so it doesn't take up the whole damn page
ETA: It just annoys the crap out of me when people poopoo walking as if it doesn't count, or is not worthy of a calorie burn :mad:
Once you're getting around 10k a day you're knocking off a quite a few calories. Walking is a great exercise. It just takes up so much time.
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Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »MichelleLei1 wrote: »What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Honestly I wouldn't. Even intentional walking isn't going to give you that much of an extra calorie burn. Personally I think I only burn like 100 calories after walking like 2 miles.
This is a screenshot of a day of intentional walking.
OP get a fitness tracker, sync it with mfp. No guess work then, set and forget.
25k steps in a day? Good grief Charlie Brown! Do you get to sit down at all?
ETA; Yes, my fitness tracker also logs my steps. If I start an activity on it then it counts the steps but doesn't add them to the calories since it's adding them to the activity. It's really the best of both worlds. I have my lifestyle set to sedentary and let it keep track of everything for me.
Haha no I'm always on the move! I must remember to use that spoiler option when I post pics so it doesn't take up the whole damn page
ETA: It just annoys the crap out of me when people poopoo walking as if it doesn't count, or is not worthy of a calorie burn :mad:
oh, it can be. I just think people tend to overestimate how much they walk around.
I walked around a "whole lot" one day and it was 7,000 steps. LOL
Then there was the time i was in london for a day and walked 17,000 steps on uneven cobblestone the whole day (and two filghts) and had swollen ankles for 2 days!0 -
Christine_72 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »MichelleLei1 wrote: »What I mean is… during the day, I always have my phone on me, it's usually in my pocket, incase work or family need to contact me for anything, so it's always logging my steps anyway, just in this all, no others
Yet, my general daily exercise is walking, I'll decide to got for an hours walk and a mod pace a few times a day as my form of daily excesise as I don't always get the chance to do my DVD workouts, but when I'm doing these walks as my exercise… not just walking about, this app is still logging it, do I need to log the deliberate walking?
Honestly I wouldn't. Even intentional walking isn't going to give you that much of an extra calorie burn. Personally I think I only burn like 100 calories after walking like 2 miles.
This is a screenshot of a day of intentional walking.
OP get a fitness tracker, sync it with mfp. No guess work then, set and forget.
25k steps in a day? Good grief Charlie Brown! Do you get to sit down at all?
ETA; Yes, my fitness tracker also logs my steps. If I start an activity on it then it counts the steps but doesn't add them to the calories since it's adding them to the activity. It's really the best of both worlds. I have my lifestyle set to sedentary and let it keep track of everything for me.
Haha no I'm always on the move! I must remember to use that spoiler option when I post pics so it doesn't take up the whole damn page
ETA: It just annoys the crap out of me when people poopoo walking as if it doesn't count, or is not worthy of a calorie burn :mad:
I didn't mean to discount walking, and you're right that it can create a crazy calorie burn for some. But way too many people overestimate walking, and most people aren't walking 10 miles on the daily. Anyways I said I personally wouldn't count it, because as a petite woman I burn close to nothing walking. Depends on the person.1 -
I'm definitely not petite. I'm 5"8 and 147lbs.0
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Christine_72 wrote: »I'm definitely not petite. I'm 5"8 and 147lbs.
Haha be thankful. It's actually quite sad how much petite women burn. Like even though I have the bmr of a small child, I still want to eat the same as a fully grown man.0 -
MichelleLei1 wrote: »Christine_72 wrote: »I'm definitely not petite. I'm 5"8 and 147lbs.
Haha be thankful. It's actually quite sad how much petite women burn. Like even though I have the bmr of a small child, I still want to eat the same as a fully grown man.
True. I've seen some painfully low food calories and burns for short lite women.
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