What am I really burning?

starzluv94

Ok so I walk a mile to and from work every day, and the exercise tracker says I burn like 200 something calories round trip. Thats great but I also have to carry a change of clothes, my lunch, I usually bring a book to work to read when its slow. I am pretty sure my bag can weigh 10 or more pounds depending on the size of book I am reading.

Plus on the weekends I go up to visit the BF who lives 30 something miles away( i dont have my car anymore so i take the bus and spend two days with him) so I have to carry my back pack which has two days worth of clothes plus pajamas, toiletries, book, ect.

I cant imagine that walking a mile with all this extra weight is only burning 200 something calories. Is there a way to count and track what the added weight does in terms of calories burned. I want to get credit for everything I do gosh darn it!

Thanks for the help!

randall774

focus more on diet and think of calories burnt through exercise as a bonus.

meshashesha2012

if it's something that you do everyday then you should be accounting for it in your TDEE.

plus if this is something that you did before MFP and it wasnt helping you lose weight then, why expect it to count now, especially if you're eating back your "exercise" calories

toomuchsweetness

I disagree with Randall completely.. Log the 200 and think of the added weight as calories lost as the bonus part.

sdirbder

There is a walking with extra weight option. I would say it depends how difficult it is for you, how fast you are going, and what is your heartrate.

randall774

I disagree with Randall completely.. Log the 200 and think of the added weight as calories lost as the bonus part.

i meant it in the sense that, if it was something she did before she started dieting, then i wouldnt stress about adding those cals in her diary as its part of her normal daily activity.

hottiebikerchick

I guess you could buy an HRM to tell you exactly whay you are burrning every moment :bigsmile:

secretlobster

Buy a HRM if you really need to know, but I don't even burn 200 calories if I RUN a mile. I think 200 is an over-estimate.

TheKitsune6

Yeah... it's more like 100 per mile on average. That's being generous too I think.

pastryari

Do you typically carry a purse around with you every where you go? Because for most women, that is some good weight right there and you would never think to add that to "exercise" cals being burned. People get too focused on every which way they can possibly squeeze out a few more calories and call them exercise. I would just log your walk, focus on your diet, and call it a day.

KatieJane83

Yeah, I burn about 100 cals per mile I RUN, I wouldn't necessarily say 200 is an underestimate.

TrainingWithTonya

If it is part of your normal daily activity, then it should have been figured in with your activity factor when you set up your account and, therefore, should not be counted again as exercise calories. That being said, the standard estimation is 100 calories per mile either running or walking, regardless of the weight of the person or the weight of anything being carried. Your speed and % grade of the walk may change it slightly, but the averages are still about 100 calories per mile.

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16 years Certified Personal Trainer and Group Exercise Instructor
9 years Certified Sports Nutritionist
Bachelors in Exercise Physiology with a Minor in Nutritional Science
ACSM Certified Clinical Exercise Specialist
NSCA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist

Dauntlessness

I guess you could buy an HRM to tell you exactly whay you are burrning every moment :bigsmile:

It drives me bananas when I don't know the exact amount of calories I'm burning. MFP can underestimate and overestimate...same with treadmills and other machines. HRM is the way to go.

sofaking6

Agree with the above poster...I weight @150, and walking a 15 minute mile would burn about 70 calories for me (per the treadmill, I don't have an HRM)

mfpcopine

focus more on diet and think of calories burnt through exercise as a bonus.

Agreed.

stephl81

I agree with everyone but it depends on what your life style was before you starting with MFP.

If walked everyday to and from work before you started trying to lose weight then you would need to include that as part of your daily activity and work out more.

OR

If this is new for your and you started adding in the walking to and from work to get in extra exercise then you would need to buy a HRM to accuratly track your calories burned.

wackyfunster

My advice: spend more time focusing on nutrition and fitness than on 10 calories/hr of walking. Eating one less bite of food or eating 200 cals of veggies or protein instead of refined grains or fat will have a much larger impact on your results.

stephl81

OR just try your best and forget the rest!

sorry i couldnt resist.

randall774

glad someone agrees with me

kristi321

If you want to avoid the yo-yo cycle and really change your lifestyle, then don't worry about every single calorie you burn. At work I use a stability ball chair at my desk, I park my car on the other end of campus, and I do other little things to keep moving. It's my life now not a diet or temporary fix until the fat is burned. In my opinion proper nutrition is the most important key. Exercise supports it by feeling good and staying focused on your goals.

starzluv94

I have added the walking as of a little over two weeks ago. Up until this point my home life has been sedentary. I work at a hospital so I'm mostly active at work, but we do get a lot of down time so I sitting at my computer a lot. I know that with out the added weight it would be a lot easier.

I was just curious. Thanks to everyone for posting I really appreciate the support!