Steps vs. Exercise! I'm confused!

Nanoo2013
Nanoo2013 Posts: 32 Member
edited November 23 in Health and Weight Loss
I have my activity level set to "lightly active" because I go to the gym 4 or 5 days a week. I recently found out that "lightly active" is considered to be 5,000-7,499 steps. When my cardio is under 5,000 steps, does this mean I should not count the calories burned from the exercise and add them to mfp? If that's the case, when is it ok to consider them extra calories? Hopefully this makes since to you! Thanks!

Replies

  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    MFP's activity setting = your every day activity - cooking, errands, walking the dogs etc. Then you add exercise.
  • Nanoo2013
    Nanoo2013 Posts: 32 Member
    So if my step counter is only around 5,000 on average, should I set my activity level to sedentary and only count calories burned after 5,000 steps?
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    What are you using to count your steps?

    ~Lyssa
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Nanoo2013 wrote: »
    I have my activity level set to "lightly active" because I go to the gym 4 or 5 days a week.

    Activity level is everything but exercise—including work, commuting, housework, yardwork, and child care:
    Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job)
    Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. teacher, salesman)
    Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman)
    Very Active: Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter)

    Then you log the gym separately. Work = activity level; workouts = exercise.

    As for steps, connect your activity tracker (if applicable): http://www.myfitnesspal.com/apps?app_category=activity_trackers In the MFP app, go to More/Menu > Steps and select your device.
  • Nanoo2013
    Nanoo2013 Posts: 32 Member
    Oh ok. I thought I had to factor in exercise when selecting my activity level. Thanks!!!!!
  • minties82
    minties82 Posts: 907 Member
    5,000 steps would be a terribly lazy day (for me), definitely sedentary in my books.
  • Nanoo2013
    Nanoo2013 Posts: 32 Member
    minties82 wrote: »
    5,000 steps would be a terribly lazy day (for me), definitely sedentary in my books.

    Awesome! Thanks for your "positive" feedback!
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    Yeah 5000 or less is sedentary.

    What ever your using to count steps, can it be connected to mfp to automatically adjust it? So you don't have to think.

  • Nanoo2013
    Nanoo2013 Posts: 32 Member
    Right now my iPhone is my step counter which I really only wear at the gym. I had it synced with mfp but after a couple of days it stopped counting for some reason. I'm going to get a Fitbit!
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    Nanoo2013 wrote: »
    Right now my iPhone is my step counter which I really only wear at the gym. I had it synced with mfp but after a couple of days it stopped counting for some reason. I'm going to get a Fitbit!

    So when you said you got 5k steps, that was just for the gym session?

    So how many steps do you get all day excluding gym sessions? That's the number you need to determine if your sedentary or lightly active.

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Nanoo2013 wrote: »
    Right now my iPhone is my step counter which I really only wear at the gym. I had it synced with mfp but after a couple of days it stopped counting for some reason. I'm going to get a Fitbit!

    When you connect a Fitbit and enable negative calorie adjustments in your diary settings, MFP adjusts your daily calorie goal to TDEE minus deficit.

    You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • Nanoo2013
    Nanoo2013 Posts: 32 Member
    I bought s Fitbit last night and it's been adding steps I haven't taken! I read that it's normal but I'm not sure I'm ok with that....
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    Nanoo2013 wrote: »
    I bought s Fitbit last night and it's been adding steps I haven't taken! I read that it's normal but I'm not sure I'm ok with that....

    What model Fitbit?

    How many extra steps. An extra step every now and then isn't going to change much.
  • Nanoo2013
    Nanoo2013 Posts: 32 Member
    Charge HR. Just after midnight while I was laying down it gave me 146 steps and this morning it gave me another 120 or so within 3 minutes of me checking it. I went into the app and switched it to dominant even though it's on my non dominant wrist. I read that this may help. We'll see!
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Nanoo2013 wrote: »
    Charge HR. Just after midnight while I was laying down it gave me 146 steps and this morning it gave me another 120 or so within 3 minutes of me checking it.

    120 steps is within the acceptable margin of error.

    http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/I-just-woke-up-Why-does-my-tracker-already-show-that-I-ve-burned-calories
    Your tracker may register movements or restlessness as steps when you're wearing it while you sleep. The number of steps typically measured during these periods is minimal, and should not offset your overall fitness progress.

    The only way to gauge the accuracy of your Fitbit burn is to enable negative calorie adjustments in your diary settings, trust your Fitbit for several weeks, then reevaluate your progress. I get "steps" drying my hair, and miss steps pushing a shopping cart. But I lost the weight—and kept it off.
  • Nanoo2013
    Nanoo2013 Posts: 32 Member
    Thank you so much!!!
  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    Does the charge hr base its mfp adjustment on steps done or heart rate/calories burned?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Merkavar wrote: »
    Does the charge hr base its mfp adjustment on steps done or heart rate/calories burned?

    Good question... I've always wondered that. I think you may be able to turn the HR monitor OFF, and have it just count your steps??

  • Merkavar
    Merkavar Posts: 3,082 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    Merkavar wrote: »
    Does the charge hr base its mfp adjustment on steps done or heart rate/calories burned?

    Good question... I've always wondered that. I think you may be able to turn the HR monitor OFF, and have it just count your steps??

    Because I have a surge and that seems to be based on heart rate not steps.

    But it's a little hard to check since normally increased heart rate is the result of increased steps for me.


  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
    I would not worry about the sleep activity at all. My Flex misses steps while I'm walking (it records lower mileage than my GPS states I've walked), and it also sometimes picks up some while I'm driving, but it generally all balances out.
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