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Is it worth recording the calories burned walking in a day?
normusmc
Posts: 6 Member
I use my gear watch to record my steps, it gives an estimate of how many calories I burned. Granted, there's no such thing as an accurate calorie counter, but it's something. Now, Do you guys record the calories burned towards your net? Is it worth recording?
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Replies
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I log in my walking, but I don't eat the calories I earn. I don't 100% trust how many calories I burn.
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Unless you're making a special effort to walk more than you usually would, no, you shouldn't record them.0
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Does MFP already take into account based on your level of activeness how many calories you would be burning in a day?0
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I only log an actual walk. Anything during the day is in my activity level.0
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duplicate
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10-4, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!0
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I do
I'm set to sedentary on here as I have a desk job, my fitbit automatically adjusts that for all my steps and I manually log exercise classes and gym sessions based on my HRM readouts
And I use the MFP calorie method0 -
The "sedentary" setting uses 120% of BMR as the caloric baseline to account for your daily activities.0
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brianpperkins wrote: »The "sedentary" setting uses 120% of BMR as the caloric baseline to account for your daily activities.
But then mfp makes adjustments to the fitbit or other activity tracker it, so yes I would log it0 -
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If the standard is not walking, then yes count walking. just kidding. Carry on.0
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If you use a Fitbit or the like and the MFP method on sedentary you should let the Fitbit add calories (IME it's quite accurate).
I think the OP is asking something different--should he log ALL the steps his watch counts. I wouldn't, as part of that is in your MFP calculation already. What I'd probably do if the count is pretty consistent is use it to adjust activity. For example, if you are regularly getting 7,000-8,000 steps, you should be on lightly active, not sedentary. If you are getting less than 5,000 steps, sedentary is correct. If regularly above 15,000 or so, maybe active.
In the alternative, if you are usually around, say, 8,000 but sometimes have huge days, you could log the excess steps. But if your weeks average out at a typical level I think it's easier to include it in activity level and use the tool just to encourage you to keep up your activity generally.0 -
I only log my treadmill walking and I wear an HRM while I do it. I try not to eat back all of those calories in a day but sometimes I do go over
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I only log specific attempts at exercise - so if I go for a 30-40 minute walk, as my fitness activity for the day, I log it. But routine walking around the house, shopping, work, etc, no I don't track it. I figure it like this - I walked routinely while I was at my heaviest, those steps didn't make me thinner, so i'm not going to track them now either. Just my take on it.0
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I log mine, however I also do not use the calories I burn. I also keep track of the miles I walk and the average speed. This is purely motivational for me - and its working!0
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indianwin2001 wrote: »
But then mfp makes adjustments to the fitbit or other activity tracker it, so yes I would log it
Double count if you want.0 -
MFP counts daily activity in your activity level, so don't log things that are part of your normal day.
Extra workouts should be logged.0 -
I use IIFYM,so for me it doesn't matter.brianpperkins wrote: »
Double count if you want.
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I log when i walk for exercise, an hour everyday when i walk at a good pace, i don't record general walking ie to and from college etc0
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brianpperkins wrote: »
Double count if you want.
It actually doesn't double count if your using a Fitbit or something similar that syncs with MFP.
I have my activity level set at Sedentary. MFP thinks at sedentary my daily burn should be about 1900. However, Fitbit tracks my activity and with logged exercises puts my average daily burn around 2400. Which is about 200 calories under what my estimated TDEE (based on loss/intake data for the past 4 weeks). That means my average adjustment is around 500 calories. So, in cases like mine, I'm not "double counting", but just getting extra calories for the stuff I did beyond what MFP predicted.
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As for the OP: Unless your watch syncs with MFP and updates based on what you did beyond what MFP thinks, then the answer is NO. The reason I say this, is because unless it does the adjustment that factors in what MFP already accounts for, you will be double dipping so to speak.0 -
Sometimes I record them and sometimes not. What I have been doing lately is trying to hit the 10000 step goal and then only counting anything past that.0
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shadow2soul wrote: »
It actually doesn't double count if your using a Fitbit or something similar that syncs with MFP.
I have my activity level set at Sedentary. MFP thinks at sedentary my daily burn should be about 1900. However, Fitbit tracks my activity and with logged exercises puts my average daily burn around 2400. Which is about 200 calories under what my estimated TDEE (based on loss/intake data for the past 4 weeks). That means my average adjustment is around 500 calories. So, in cases like mine, I'm not "double counting", but just getting extra calories for the stuff I did beyond what MFP predicted.
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As for the OP: Unless your watch syncs with MFP and updates based on what you did beyond what MFP thinks, then the answer is NO. The reason I say this, is because unless it does the adjustment that factors in what MFP already accounts for, you will be double dipping so to speak.[/quote
Thank you Shadow--You answered the OP's question and you are correct about the fitbit (and Garmin which also syncs with MFP)0 -
thanks for all your feedback. very informative.0
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If I specifically do my 4 mile or more walk for exercise, then I count it and eat 1/2 the calories back, otherwise I just count my gym workouts and eat 1/2 those calories back. I'm "lightly active" on MFP.0
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Just walking around doing you day to day should be included in your activity level...if you're set to sedentary change it to light active if you walk around a lot and get a lot of steps in.
The only time I ever logged walking was when it was a deliberate form of exercise and I was going at a walking workout pace for a certain duration...generally at least an hour and at least 3 miles in one session.
Just walking around in general should be included in your activity goals...even if you're set to sedentary, there's some amount of moving around already included in your calorie goals.0 -
Very helpful!!0
This discussion has been closed.
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