can I add my pedomitor steps?

faithwithroses
faithwithroses Posts: 17 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
According to my pedometer, I walked 4 miles today with just housework and general waling. This is about 313 Calories a t a very slow 2mph pace. Can I add this in?
Thank you

Replies

  • SheilaG1963
    SheilaG1963 Posts: 298 Member
    I had the same question. I just add it under my own exercises. I wish MFP had a place to log steps!
  • auzziecawth66
    auzziecawth66 Posts: 476 Member
    I think you could if you had your calorie goal setting at sedentary otherwise I probably wouldn't.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Even at sedentary that's a normal days walking. Unless you went out and briskly walked 4 miles as intentional exercise then it doesn't count. There's a big difference between taking a brisk walk for an hour getting your heart rate up and general walking around the house, etc that doesn't cause a significant increase in heart rate.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    You can. Just manually put in the time and calories burned in whichever "walking" pace you did. That's what I do when I remember to bring my ipod with me, because it has a nike+ pedometer in it.
  • auzziecawth66
    auzziecawth66 Posts: 476 Member
    Even at sedentary that's a normal days walking. Unless you went out and briskly walked 4 miles as intentional exercise then it doesn't count. There's a big difference between taking a brisk walk for an hour getting your heart rate up and general walking around the house, etc that doesn't cause a significant increase in heart rate.

    I was actually contemplating about this the other day, how different people would view their own amount of daily activity differently as lightly active vs sedentary etc. Would be kinda cool if there was an actual guideline like if you take under x amount of steps a day you should set yourself at such and such an activity level.
  • faithwithroses
    faithwithroses Posts: 17 Member
    what is the point of a pedometer then? If you cannot use the steps from that, than what do you use them for? I know with WW, you where a special pedometer that calculated points walked. You then could add in the extra points to your day.
  • sharon_moyer
    sharon_moyer Posts: 177
    I don't see why you couldn't add your pedometer steps because you were doing some form of walking when those steps were counted.
  • AnnaVee84
    AnnaVee84 Posts: 345 Member
    are you eating back all of your exercise cals? it might be an overestimation of cals burned, that's where i would be concerned.

    keep it up!
  • SherryTeach
    SherryTeach Posts: 2,836 Member
    The point of a pedometer is to remind you to move more. I challenge myself to get at least 10,000 steps a day. It doesn't matter to me if it "counts" against my calories. I record treadmill workouts and walks in the neighborhood, which I track with Nike +.
  • twirlybird
    twirlybird Posts: 6 Member
    Hi. There are several apps that sync with mfp.com. my favorite is fitbit. The standard pedometer is 60$ and it resets itself,. I have the 1st gen fitbit - does steps, stairs, calorie burned and sleep. It syncs with mpf so I don't have to remember to log exercise. Pricy, but crazy accurate and worth it.
  • Amy911Gray
    Amy911Gray Posts: 685 Member
    In some article I read (in the 575 days I've logged straight), I read that it is a good idea to log in any exercise so that you can go back at some point and measure how far you have come.

    Go ahead and log those steps (2000 steps=1 mile). Challenge yourself to a step challenge in one day. Once you meet that "day", try going faster. Get those steps in less time. Work up a great pace...then increase the step challenge and repeat. That's how I got to 6 miles in 87 minutes. I'm not consistent yet, but I keep on walking it...

    There is a little known fact to walking---it trims your legs AND your waist! :)
  • auzziecawth66
    auzziecawth66 Posts: 476 Member
    I don't see why you couldn't add your pedometer steps because you were doing some form of walking when those steps were counted.
    .

    It depends on how you set your calorie goal. If you set yourself at lightly active etc its already counting the calories you would burn thro daily activity (what you would get off your pedometer) so if you added the pedometer burn on top of that you would lessen your daily deficit and slow your weight loss.

    Eta: I have nothing against using a pedometer as a gauge or a way to lose weight. I lost about 30 pounds just by upping my daily steps. Daily 'regular' activity can plan a huge part in a healthy lifestyle.
  • kcaffee1
    kcaffee1 Posts: 759 Member
    I can see both sides of the argument being presented about counting your pedometer steps. I use a compromise, personally for my "daily" exercise. Gym time is ALWAYS counted, no matter what I do. So is the time between the car and my classes. (Yes, I do this daily, but under a non-school situation, this exercise would not happen, so it gets counted.) However, the time I spend cleaning around the house, or the walking I do between rooms, to the mail box, or where ever AROUND the house, I do not count. (Cleaning gets lumped weekly into a small time capsule, and added when I actually get around to vacuuming.)

    So, perhaps you can look at your activities, and figure out which ones you do every day, day in and day out, and which ones happen more sporadic or cyclically, and only add the days you have the extras? That way you don't have as high of a chance of over-estimating your calorie burns against your deficit.

    Just my two cents worth (and, not worth too much more.)
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    It's assumed the average person walks 5,000 to 6,000 steps a day in their normal life. Over that could be exercise if it wasn't just wandering around. At my old job I walked up to 20,000 steps a day but it was leisurely walking from my desk to shipping multiple times through a 12 hr shift. It really didn't amount to something I'd call exercise and I managed to pile on about 20 lbs while I was at that job.

    If you want to log your steps as an incentive to do more then it's probably a good idea. If you want to log them to have a way to eat more then it probably isn't. I have no real idea what good a pedometer is other than as a motivator to move more.
  • ladyrider55
    ladyrider55 Posts: 316 Member
    My Advice to faithwithrose: I'd say if you want to add it in, do it. Who are you hurting? The one that told you can't add that as exercise? Forget them! This is your Plan, Your Lifestyle Change...do what keeps you reaching for your Goal. :smile:
  • faithwithroses
    faithwithroses Posts: 17 Member
    You guys all have great points and arguments. I think from the information I have gathered, I am NOT going to add the daily walking in. It will only be to my advantage not to. I think I would be cheating myself, as the calculations already figure in my daily normal walking. I lost 1.6 pounds from yesterday!!!!!!!! I am so happy!!!
    Thanks all of you!!!!!
  • DWF65203
    DWF65203 Posts: 10
    I have the fitbit zip with my activity level set at sedentary (I am a lawyer and sit down all day). If I walk much over 6000 steps it will add some calories for me. I don't necessarily eat them back, but I like using it to get a slightly better idea what my calorie expenditure is per day.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
    The researchers that use steps as a marker for activity level generally use 5000 (or so) as a marker for the definition of "sedentary" for their studies. I know on days I don't purposefully work activity into my day, I can get through the day on less than 4000, but I've been aiming for 7-8000 with a goal of 10k in the summertime.

    If you've got your activity set at sedentary, I might consider adding any steps over 5000 as some kind of added exercise. If you regularly are above 5000 you might change your activity level to "lightly active" but then you would not log walking, and you would not eat any of it back. If you have already set your activity level at lightly active, then those steps are included in the calculations MFP did and you should not add any more.

    They say its about 2000 steps a mile. I wouldn't necessarily claim you did a 4 mile walk, though. That really does burn different calories from being on your feet for that many steps around the house. I might log it as light housecleaning.

    And, sadly, the average American woman does not regularly go over 5000 steps, so it's more than likely that many of us are not as active as we put down in our goals.
  • GrannyGwen1
    GrannyGwen1 Posts: 212 Member
    :flowerforyou:
  • QuilterInVA
    QuilterInVA Posts: 672 Member
    Unless you lie in bed all day on the other days, no you can't log in your normal daily walking steps. Of you could and then you'd be back complaining you aren't losing because you ate them back. Exercise raises your heart beat for a prolonged period.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    I realize it's an old thread but it was bumped so heck.

    If you walk 4 miles a day around your house, I'd increase your general activity in the settings, but that's about it.
  • jillianbeeee
    jillianbeeee Posts: 345 Member
    I can only tell you what I do and what works for me. I put on my pedometer before I exercise in the am, when I am walking or running. I log those. Then I leave it on and try to make sure I am over 10,000 steps for the day. I don't log those because I think those are already counted in as normal daily activity. I do add mowing the grass (push mower), working in the yard or anything I normally dont do on a daily basis or anything that makes me sweat lol This works for me. Good luck!
  • Seasidedebbie
    Seasidedebbie Posts: 85 Member
    I place my pedometer count in the exercise comment section.

    I only count my walking if it is above my daily activities.

    My goal is 6000 steps 5 days/week and 10,000 steps 2 days/week. It is hard for me to get 10,000 steps on days that I work.
  • JeffGDDG
    JeffGDDG Posts: 252 Member
    I think these things we use are all tools or guidelines. Add it in for a while and if you aren't losing as much as you'd like then stop adding it. Or don't add it in and if you feel like you are losing too fast then add it in. Find what works for you.
  • txteadrinker
    txteadrinker Posts: 40 Member
    Any movement is burning calories! In my (very humble) opionion, saying that you can't "count" pedometer steps is like saying that it doesn't count to put pennies in a savings account. I wear a pedometer every day and my baseline for a day is around 6,000. I've measured my stride and know that I have to walk about 2250 steps to walk a mile, so anything over 6,000, I count but at a slow pace. I do have to do some intentional walking, some of it a a pretty brisk pace, to get to 10,000 steps so I sure do count it. But, anything we do is really our own marker to see how we have progressed, so it's sure personal preference whether to count it or not. Both my savings account and my health have benefited from tiny additions!
  • sushil_kv2004
    sushil_kv2004 Posts: 3
    i think this post helps how to add steps or calories:
    http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/300784-can-i-convert-my-pedometer-steps-into-calories-

    specially this one if you want to add steps :

    http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/10704-can-i-track-additional-measurements-or-change-the-default-measurements-
  • 2essie
    2essie Posts: 2,849 Member
    If you had a fitbit it would add them in automatically because it sycs with mfp (not suggesting you get one) so I would say you can add them in.
  • 1debbie123
    1debbie123 Posts: 19 Member
    If you have an EAP program (Employee assistance program) some are offering the Fitbit free and program ....look into it ...3 to 5 business days to receive ...good luck

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