Steps, activity level, calories?

judywalsh97

I currently have my activity level at sedentary and use my phone step tracker (samsung health) to count my steps. Im wondering if my method and reasoning is sound.

On a good day (30min walk to college each way, sitting 90% of the work day) i get 10-12k steps but I log the 60 mins of walking as excersise in MFP, getting about 280 extra calories which I would use (i try not to use all of them due to the inaccuracy). The app gives a notification if over 10 mins of walking is detected. The calorie count from samsung health is higher than MFP so i always use the MFP values.

Some days I dont leave home or get driven to college so would be in the 1-3k step range.

I like to get 10k steps a day so would it be best to up my activity level, and if so to what, or stay at sedentary and log the bouts of walking if i know i wont hit the 10k everyday?

I also track any extra exercise from the gym.

janejellyroll

The activity level is designed to reflect your regular daily activity, not intentional exercise.

So if I were you, I would choose sedentary (because it sounds like your job and lifestyle is) and then log my walks.

At the end of the day, if you choose to up your activity level and not log the walking, some people find that also works for them. The important thing is that you be consistent with the method you choose to avoid double-counting activity. Pay attention to your real life results and if you find yourself losing faster or slower than expected (assuming you are currently trying to lose weight), then you can make adjustments.

middlehaitch

Just seconding @janejellyroll.
Real life results are key.

Also keep in mind that the sedentary setting in MFP allows for 3500-5000 steps. (Personally I think it is 3500, but I have seen posts that say it is 5000)

Cheers, h.