exercise calories

lilpixiesue
lilpixiesue Posts: 6
edited November 12 in Fitness and Exercise
I 'earn' quite a lot of exercise calories just from living my day to day life - i walk about 4 miles a day just doing school runs etc...
Do i count these? And eat them? Or does this count within my 'lightly active' lifestyle?

Just wondering whether other people count walking around as part of your day (rather than as designated exercise) as exercise and eat the extra calories.

My weight loss is so slow and its so hard I just want to find what works.

Replies

  • KPainter70
    KPainter70 Posts: 152
    If the walking is part of your daily routine and not specifically exercise, I'd probably adjust your lifestyle setting to moderately active and go with that.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I would think you're more than "lightly" active if you're walking 4 miles a day!

    If it's something you've been doing before MFP, I'd count it as normal daily activity, but I'd also bump the activity level up to active or very active.
  • LaurenMichelle004
    LaurenMichelle004 Posts: 80 Member
    Agreed with everyone on here. If its something you do everyday, then adjust your lifestyle accordingly. Otherwise count it as exercise. But, either way, yes you should eat the calories. :)
  • militarydreams
    militarydreams Posts: 198 Member
    In my mind 4 miles of walking means a tastey snack :laugh:
  • lilpixiesue
    lilpixiesue Posts: 6
    thanks for all the quick replies!

    the thing is some days I don't do as much as that (if i go to a friend's nearby for coffee while my son is at preschool, rather than walk the mile home and back there!) so i am reluctant to change my lifestyle as I don't think I am moderately active ALL the time, if you see what I mean?

    It is something i was doing before MFP, although i do now make sure i walk it rather than jumping on a bus which i sometimes used to do!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    If it's something you do more days than not, adjust your activity levels. Alternately, if it happens less than, say, four days a week, strap and HRM on and count it as exercise.

    I don't think the question of whether you did it before is actually relevant - activity is activity, it burns calories.

    If you do decide to add it as exercise, do make sure you're estimating as accurately as possible. Use an HRM, or aim for about 100 cals per mile as an estimate. The MFP estimates can be very over the top for walking!
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