Walking as a form of Cardio.

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13

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  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    How many of you do this as a part of your working out?

    Reason I ask is because I am a Postman, today I wore my HRM while I did my round and was shocked at the results, in 3 hours and 8 mins it registered that I burned 1231 calories, now in theory that is great if that's true and I wear a strap so I am taking it as true but I'm not sure if I should be eating an extra 1231 calories back.

    It don't feel like I've done 1231 calories worth of exercise, ok, a lot of the time was spent walking up and down stairs with a bag on my back but still, when I do kettlebells or Insanity I know I have busted my nuts, it didn't feel like that at work so I am unsure if walking really is useful as a cardio exercise and if they are calories I should be eating back or not.

    I know this sounds like a really stupid question but the thought of eating an extra 1200 calories a day is something I really don't want to get wrong.

    Maybe I'm wrong on this but you probably want to subtract out the calories you would burn while just sitting around--at least, that is what some have said. For example, if you normally burn 150 calories just sitting or laying about, then you would want to subtract 450 from the total on your HRM and that would be only an extra 800 calories you should eat. Depending on your size, walking can burn a lot of calories--especially if carrying a pack like a mailman does.
  • Melissa22G
    Melissa22G Posts: 847 Member
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    I choose prancercise.

    prancercise-o.gif
  • SanteMulberry
    SanteMulberry Posts: 3,202 Member
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    I choose prancercise.

    prancercise-o.gif

    She seems to be using ankle weights--not good for knees and ankles. :frown:
  • treagal
    treagal Posts: 264 Member
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    I say yes it is accurate. I wouldn't eat back all the calories though...maybe save 20-30 percent. Lots of up and down stairs is a good workout. I prefer going on a 2-3hour walk over going for a 45minute run. Burns a lot of calories an is better for the knees.
  • meadow_sage
    meadow_sage Posts: 308 Member
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    I would make it easy...set your "normal daily activity" setting to active and don't count any of it. It's part of your job, it even lists mailman as an example of people who should use that setting. Also, I don't understand why people would think that 1200 calories is
    an overestimate on being active for three hours. That is only 400 calories per hour and with steps that is easily doable. No the heart rate monitor is not precise or perfect but if you put the right information in it....it's close.
  • meadow_sage
    meadow_sage Posts: 308 Member
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    I choose prancercise.

    prancercise-o.gif

    She seems to be using ankle weights--not good for knees and ankles. :frown:

    My trainer said the same thing....ankle weights bad.
  • Binkie1955
    Binkie1955 Posts: 329 Member
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    Walking is meaningful cardio so I don't doubt your statistics at all. I had a summer job in college reading electric meters for a local utility and walked a lot and dropped weight every summer. eating back the calories is kind of a myth. I'm low carb so I eat when I'm hungry and count carbs, not calories. if you're going to eat bad (starch, sugar, bread, fruit) calories, you're not doing yourself any good. but if the calories you're thinking about are fats and proteins than you simply satiate hunger and stop.
  • meadow_sage
    meadow_sage Posts: 308 Member
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    How many of you do this as a part of your working out?

    Reason I ask is because I am a Postman, today I wore my HRM while I did my round and was shocked at the results, in 3 hours and 8 mins it registered that I burned 1231 calories, now in theory that is great if that's true and I wear a strap so I am taking it as true but I'm not sure if I should be eating an extra 1231 calories back.

    It don't feel like I've done 1231 calories worth of exercise, ok, a lot of the time was spent walking up and down stairs with a bag on my back but still, when I do kettlebells or Insanity I know I have busted my nuts, it didn't feel like that at work so I am unsure if walking really is useful as a cardio exercise and if they are calories I should be eating back or not.

    I know this sounds like a really stupid question but the thought of eating an extra 1200 calories a day is something I really don't want to get wrong.

    Maybe I'm wrong on this but you probably want to subtract out the calories you would burn while just sitting around--at least, that is what some have said. For example, if you normally burn 150 calories just sitting or laying about, then you would want to subtract 450 from the total on your HRM and that would be only an extra 800 calories you should eat. Depending on your size, walking can burn a lot of calories--especially if carrying a pack like a mailman does.

    YES to this ^^^^ When you raise your heart rate through exercise and burn calories....all of those calories aren't extra, only the ones above and beyond your normal are. Thank you for pointing that out.
  • marc_s_johnson
    marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
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    Thanks for all the great replies, it's been very helpful, I think I will just up my activity level and make sure I eat all those calories daily,if I keep losing weight (when I dont want to) then I will just gradually raise the calorie level.

    To the guy that said this is getting silly, no its not, all I see on these pages re eating back your exercise calories is that you should eat a percentage of them and not always all of them, there's nothing silly about it but thanks for your input.
  • tarotlou
    tarotlou Posts: 47
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    My excerise is walking and I don't have Hr monitor if I do a mile in 15 mins I count that as 90 calories and a mile in 20 mins I count that as about 80 cals. I walk anywhere between 5 to 10 miles a day with a rest day. It's working for me and I eat all my excercise calories back. That is the main reason that motivates me to walk as I am on 1200 and and I'm really hungry when I don't walk. My job is sedentary I walk to the back of the garden and sit taking phone calls. Years ago I didn't count calories and joined a ramblers group lost weight and toned up. So I believe in the power of walking lol
  • joolsmitchell
    joolsmitchell Posts: 53 Member
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    [quote Really though, you have what I'd call a pretty active job and that should be reflected in your activity level when you set your profile up. If you've included that activity already as part of your job and thus your activity level, you wouldn't eat those calories back...only "exercise" calories that are above and beyond your day to day hum drum. If you set yourself as sedentary you would eat those back...but really you should just change your activity level to reflect what you actually do.
    [/quote] THIS
  • rmarshalla
    rmarshalla Posts: 103 Member
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    I am a waitress and my shifts are very fast-paced and busy. Wearing my HRM on a Friday night will tally upwards of 3000 calories (I monitor it for curiosity's sake at least once a month :P), but I do not count this/log this as exercise. It is my job, it is normal activity.

    I don't eat extra calories, I just make sure to stay really hydrated.

    I wouldn't eat back your burned calories from walking at work unless you feel physically hungry or unusually tired. Or maybe eat a healthy snack like natural peanut butter on toast, or oats, or some fresh fruits and veggies.

    That's cool you're a postman :)
  • rmarshalla
    rmarshalla Posts: 103 Member
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    [quote Really though, you have what I'd call a pretty active job and that should be reflected in your activity level when you set your profile up. If you've included that activity already as part of your job and thus your activity level, you wouldn't eat those calories back...only "exercise" calories that are above and beyond your day to day hum drum. If you set yourself as sedentary you would eat those back...but really you should just change your activity level to reflect what you actually do.
    THIS
    [/quote]

    THIS! :D
  • marc_s_johnson
    marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
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    I am a waitress and my shifts are very fast-paced and busy. Wearing my HRM on a Friday night will tally upwards of 3000 calories (I monitor it for curiosity's sake at least once a month :P), but I do not count this/log this as exercise. It is my job, it is normal activity.

    I don't eat extra calories, I just make sure to stay really hydrated.

    I wouldn't eat back your burned calories from walking at work unless you feel physically hungry or unusually tired. Or maybe eat a healthy snack like natural peanut butter on toast, or oats, or some fresh fruits and veggies.

    That's cool you're a postman :)

    Thank you, this is just the sort of thing I was looking for, wow, 3000!!! hope the tips are good.
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
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    You'd be able to use "VERY active" for your TDEE.
  • krhn
    krhn Posts: 781 Member
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    How many of you do this as a part of your working out?

    Reason I ask is because I am a Postman, today I wore my HRM while I did my round and was shocked at the results, in 3 hours and 8 mins it registered that I burned 1231 calories, now in theory that is great if that's true and I wear a strap so I am taking it as true but I'm not sure if I should be eating an extra 1231 calories back.

    It don't feel like I've done 1231 calories worth of exercise, ok, a lot of the time was spent walking up and down stairs with a bag on my back but still, when I do kettlebells or Insanity I know I have busted my nuts, it didn't feel like that at work so I am unsure if walking really is useful as a cardio exercise and if they are calories I should be eating back or not.

    I know this sounds like a really stupid question but the thought of eating an extra 1200 calories a day is something I really don't want to get wrong.

    Hello fellow postie... I too am a postman albeit a part time one but with regards to burning 1200 calories...I think that's about right but maybe a bit less (closer to the 1000 mark) I personally say I burn 800 calories per day doing my own round taking between 3-4 hours ... Doing 4 hours of very slow pace walking burns 600-800 calories so if you add that with holding a bundle of letters and the movement of posting them, that's about right in calories ... I eat all my calories back since my caloric goal is already in a deficit so I don't need to drop my calories any further!
  • moreORless50
    moreORless50 Posts: 261 Member
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    i weigh 11 stone if i walked 3mph for 3 hrs 8 mins i would burn 722 cals
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
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    How many of you do this as a part of your working out?

    Reason I ask is because I am a Postman, today I wore my HRM while I did my round and was shocked at the results, in 3 hours and 8 mins it registered that I burned 1231 calories, now in theory that is great if that's true and I wear a strap so I am taking it as true but I'm not sure if I should be eating an extra 1231 calories back.

    It don't feel like I've done 1231 calories worth of exercise, ok, a lot of the time was spent walking up and down stairs with a bag on my back but still, when I do kettlebells or Insanity I know I have busted my nuts, it didn't feel like that at work so I am unsure if walking really is useful as a cardio exercise and if they are calories I should be eating back or not.

    I know this sounds like a really stupid question but the thought of eating an extra 1200 calories a day is something I really don't want to get wrong.

    WHAT DID YOU SET YOUR ACTIVITY LEVEL AT?
    If you have it set at ACTIVE... like it suggests for a mailman.... you do not add it in. MFP already has figured you burn x# of calories a day working. ... then they split it between the 7 days.

    How long have you been doing this? How has it been working for you so far? If you have been at it for a month or more and are seeing a steady loss, I would leave it.

    Check with your HRM. Some are not accurate with certain activities.
  • marc_s_johnson
    marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    How many of you do this as a part of your working out?

    Reason I ask is because I am a Postman, today I wore my HRM while I did my round and was shocked at the results, in 3 hours and 8 mins it registered that I burned 1231 calories, now in theory that is great if that's true and I wear a strap so I am taking it as true but I'm not sure if I should be eating an extra 1231 calories back.

    It don't feel like I've done 1231 calories worth of exercise, ok, a lot of the time was spent walking up and down stairs with a bag on my back but still, when I do kettlebells or Insanity I know I have busted my nuts, it didn't feel like that at work so I am unsure if walking really is useful as a cardio exercise and if they are calories I should be eating back or not.

    I know this sounds like a really stupid question but the thought of eating an extra 1200 calories a day is something I really don't want to get wrong.

    Hello fellow postie... I too am a postman albeit a part time one but with regards to burning 1200 calories...I think that's about right but maybe a bit less (closer to the 1000 mark) I personally say I burn 800 calories per day doing my own round taking between 3-4 hours ... Doing 4 hours of very slow pace walking burns 600-800 calories so if you add that with holding a bundle of letters and the movement of posting them, that's about right in calories ... I eat all my calories back since my caloric goal is already in a deficit so I don't need to drop my calories any further!

    Hiya, I measured it around 800 the second day, I have been off for a while so maybe ai was just shocking my heart again but itbseemed to settle down on the second day.
  • marc_s_johnson
    marc_s_johnson Posts: 107 Member
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    How many of you do this as a part of your working out?

    Reason I ask is because I am a Postman, today I wore my HRM while I did my round and was shocked at the results, in 3 hours and 8 mins it registered that I burned 1231 calories, now in theory that is great if that's true and I wear a strap so I am taking it as true but I'm not sure if I should be eating an extra 1231 calories back.

    It don't feel like I've done 1231 calories worth of exercise, ok, a lot of the time was spent walking up and down stairs with a bag on my back but still, when I do kettlebells or Insanity I know I have busted my nuts, it didn't feel like that at work so I am unsure if walking really is useful as a cardio exercise and if they are calories I should be eating back or not.

    I know this sounds like a really stupid question but the thought of eating an extra 1200 calories a day is something I really don't want to get wrong.

    WHAT DID YOU SET YOUR ACTIVITY LEVEL AT?
    If you have it set at ACTIVE... like it suggests for a mailman.... you do not add it in. MFP already has figured you burn x# of calories a day working. ... then they split it between the 7 days.

    How long have you been doing this? How has it been working for you so far? If you have been at it for a month or more and are seeing a steady loss, I would leave it.

    Check with your HRM. Some are not accurate with certain activities.

    Hi, I left it set at lightly active which is what it was on when I was on anual leave, I never moved it to the mailman setting as I wanted to add it as exercise, I only measured my round for 2 days but have been on MFP for 195 days now and have lost all the weighr I want to lose hence why Im trying to be so anal about it.

    The difference between lightly active and the mailman setting is something like 140 calories, I know I burn more than that a day in one delivery which is why I wanted to measure it because I dont want to keep losing weight now.

    My HRM is a polar one with a strap which picks up my heart beat, you can see it getting higher and lower as I do more intense speeds so I trust it and its not a random wrist watch one that guesses due to the time you are taking, when setting it up you have to enter your weight and height so I trust it a bit more than the cheap ones out there.

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