Tracking steps as minutes

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Had thus on the fitness board but very little responses so hoping I can figure this out here...
I've given up trying yo keep my fitbit and mfp properly synced! 😒. Disconnected and reconnected umpteen times. Can't be bothered now.
So I'm just entering in my daily steps manually. I'd just like second opinions to make sure I'm not overestimating.

So today I logged eg 17000 steps. (it was a busy day! Plus 2 big dog walks)
I can't log the steps on mfp so I logged it as the 147 minutes shown on my fitbit, as a moderate 147min 12.5km per hour walk from the mfp selection.
... When I cycled to and from work, I tucked my fitbit into my trouser leg. Hope that's not cheating? But only 12 mins there and 12 back at a brisk pace. (think it logs about 1k steps each way).
I'm trying to keep my diet simple: 1700 calories and 10k steps per day. Hopefully 1lb per werk
I entered very little activity on mfp setup.
Thanks.

Replies

  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,070 Member
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    Why not just change your activity level to Active - that accounts for about 10000 steps per day.
  • sharonlep
    sharonlep Posts: 50 Member
    edited May 2019
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    So change the activity and carry on with 1700 but don't track any exercise?
    I get that but I do like to see my day to day activity and food consumption together. I think it gives me a better picture of everything I do, not just what I put in my mouth - if that makes sense. :)
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,070 Member
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    sharonlep wrote: »
    So change the activity and carry on with 1700 but don't track any exercise?
    I get that but I do like to see my day to day activity and food consumption together. I think it gives me a better picture of everything I do, not just what I put in my mouth - if that makes sense. :)

    No the activity level change will increase your baseline calories so you wouldn't be on 1700 still (if that's what it gave you for sedentary). You could still track your exercise and just change the calorie burn to 1 calorie.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,982 Member
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    I lost my fitbit and since then have been logging in minutes. I knew I had a 20 minute mile, so use the "Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace" entry.
  • Maxxitt
    Maxxitt Posts: 1,281 Member
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    You might be over-estimating the 12.5km/hour a bit for dog walks if your dog is like mine and stops frequently to closely examine the foliage :)
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
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    sharonlep wrote: »
    Had thus on the fitness board but very little responses so hoping I can figure this out here...
    I've given up trying yo keep my fitbit and mfp properly synced! 😒. Disconnected and reconnected umpteen times. Can't be bothered now.
    So I'm just entering in my daily steps manually. I'd just like second opinions to make sure I'm not overestimating.

    So today I logged eg 17000 steps. (it was a busy day! Plus 2 big dog walks)
    I can't log the steps on mfp so I logged it as the 147 minutes shown on my fitbit, as a moderate 147min 12.5km per hour walk from the mfp selection.
    ... When I cycled to and from work, I tucked my fitbit into my trouser leg. Hope that's not cheating? But only 12 mins there and 12 back at a brisk pace. (think it logs about 1k steps each way).
    I'm trying to keep my diet simple: 1700 calories and 10k steps per day. Hopefully 1lb per werk
    I entered very little activity on mfp setup.
    Thanks.

    It looks like you're getting good advice about your other questions, so I'm going to touch on this.

    Yes, it's "cheating." Your Fitbit thinks you're walking unless you tell it otherwise. Bikes are one of the most energy-efficient forms of transportation ever invented, you burn a lot less calories riding a mile than walking a mile. Bikes can be fantastic exercise and everything, but they're different from walking in enough ways that putting your Fitbit on your ankle doesn't make sense. For example most people have a faster riding than walking cadence, so it's likely to think you're running. You sit down while riding a bike.