Opinions Please

Mystikskys
Mystikskys Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Question does anyone else feel like this site over estimates calories for walking? I walk all day at work 8 hour shifts out sode in the heat or cold which ever lol but I'm also getting in and out of cars , driving and riding as well so I normally just log it as walking 2.5 mph for 1 hour but it says that I'd have burned 1800 calories which I feel is too high so I've been changing it to a burn of 500 . What do you guys think ??

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Just put yourself as very active and don't log that as walking... it's not exercise, it's just your normal activity. 1800 calories for 1 one hour walk, you must have entered something wrong).
  • etscher
    etscher Posts: 41 Member
    It depends on how much you weigh...but that is really high. Make sure that all of your inputs (height, weight) are correct, and that you are logging the exercise properly - that you are putting in 60 if it asks for minutes.

    For me, a 5'6" female at 185, walking for 20 minutes burns 106 calories (per MFP).

    What do you have your activity level set at? If you have a job that requires you to walk all day, instead of tracking it as separate exercise, change your activity level, which will adjust your allowable caloric intake.
  • fithealthygirl
    fithealthygirl Posts: 290 Member
    Umm there's no way that's correct...if I log 1 hour of walking at 3mph, MFP says I burned 200 cals. Maybe check your settings?
  • Xaudelle
    Xaudelle Posts: 122 Member
    Just put yourself as very active and don't log that as walking... it's not exercise, it's just your normal activity. 1800 calories for 1 one hour walk, you must have entered something wrong).

    This.

    Your normal daily activity is not exercise.

    Configure your TDEE and eat accordingly.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    Question does anyone else feel like this site over estimates calories for walking? I walk all day at work 8 hour shifts out sode in the heat or cold which ever lol but I'm also getting in and out of cars , driving and riding as well so I normally just log it as walking 2.5 mph for 1 hour but it says that I'd have burned 1800 calories which I feel is too high so I've been changing it to a burn of 500 . What do you guys think ??

    That is all part of your daily activity which is already account for (when you picked sedentary, lightly active, etc). Which one did you select?

    I would also double check that entry. Recently I had noticed that there seemed to be two different MFP entries for the same speed of walking, one would give you a likely correct calories burn, the other a hugely inflated one. I thought it had been fixed but it sounds to me like that one might be the one you are using. MFP is usually decent when it comes to estimating walking calories. They are pretty well researched and fairly accurate. 1800 calories for an hour at 2.5 mph, something is seriously wrong.
    I'd also say 500 is too high.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I just checked your diary - you are using one of the entries that were not working properly. The ones that have the word cut off like pa instead of pace seem to be an issue. Check again, there should be a second entry with similar wording for the same pace and it will give you a far lower burn.

    Use the one that says "Walking, 2.5 mph, leisurely pace", not the "Walking, 2.5 mph, leisurely pa"
  • hortensehildegarde
    hortensehildegarde Posts: 592 Member
    I don't think you'd burn 500 calories walking 2.5 miles either, more like 250, adjusted a bit for your current weight. Go look at some calorie estimates for how much you'd burn walking 2.5 miles on other sites, should help you get a better idea.

    I have zero guess where 1800 calories for 2.5 miles walked would come from, but unless you are an elephant or were carrying a ton that sounds like it can't possibly be correct.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
    I don't think you'd burn 500 calories walking 2.5 miles either, more like 250, adjusted a bit for your current weight. Go look at some calorie estimates for how much you'd burn walking 2.5 miles on other sites, should help you get a better idea.

    I have zero guess where 1800 calories for 2.5 miles walked would come from, but unless you are an elephant or were carrying a ton that sounds like it can't possibly be correct.

    It was a glitch or something. I reported it to MFP the end of last month and thought it had been fixed. If I search, I can no longer find the wrong entries listed in their database, but it seems OP can. She may be using it from her frequent list that she added before the glitch was fixed.
  • asciident
    asciident Posts: 166 Member
    I use the correct entry that says "Walking, 2.5 mph, leisurely pace" (not cut off). If I put in 60 minutes, it's less than 500 calories. Make sure you use good entries or correct the calorie calculations. You can try other calculators to verify what MFP says.

    Walking is actually one of the few areas of cardio that MFP generally gets pretty close if you use the right entries and correctly enter pace.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    I have a Wii Fit Meter, which records my calorie burns for walking. I use those.
  • Mystikskys
    Mystikskys Posts: 6 Member
    Thanks everyone I think I've got it figured out I didn't realize there were multiple options for the same activities I choose a different one and it comes up as 300 burn for 60 mins of walking 2.5 which is much more believable lol thanks for all the help!
  • WBB55
    WBB55 Posts: 4,131 Member
    Thanks everyone I think I've got it figured out I didn't realize there were multiple options for the same activities I choose a different one and it comes up as 300 burn for 60 mins of walking 2.5 which is much more believable lol thanks for all the help!

    The only thing I would caution about this is to remember whether or not it's factoring in your BMR. During that same hour, you probably would have burned 50-70 calories anyway if you'd just been sitting on your couch. So REALLY, in my mind, the walking was only 250 or so EXTRA calories.

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