Calories earned from walking

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GrandadMike2014
GrandadMike2014 Posts: 13 Member
in Getting Started
I started with MFP yesterday. Yesterday I walked just over 10,000 steps (iPhone Steps) and it rewarded me with 465 Calories (Which I did not use). This seems like a lot of calories for walking just over 4 miles doesn't it ? Also, should I really use these "exercise" calories ? I will pretty much walk 10,000 steps most days and will also be going to the gym 3 or maybe 4 times a week (where I usually burn 450 calories). So, should I take any notice of the calculated calories from walking and should I aim to use all my exercise calories earned please ?
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  • queenliz99
    queenliz99 Posts: 15,317 Member
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    Need stats. Height, weight, and age. 465 calories sound about right.
  • aubned92
    aubned92 Posts: 64 Member
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    I use mine most days... :) But I'm in-maintenance and I don't want big deficits
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,114 Member
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    465 sounds reasonable. Many choose to eat a portion of those calories back. Not eating them can lead to eating too little, and eating all of them can lead to eating too much (if the numbers are inflated in some way - everything is an estimate), so I tend to eat back around half. Happy medium.
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
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    That sounds about right, I've often earned that and more from just walking or doing housework.

    I eat back about half of my workout calories. I used to eat them all back! I still lost but at a slow rate. Now I've adjusted my food (what I eat, what time, more veggies, etc) I don't feel as hungry so don't need to eat them all. I also sometimes save them for when I know I have a meal our or a session coming up.
  • nossmf
    nossmf Posts: 9,809 Member
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    Depends in part on your settings. Are you setup for "sedentary" or "lightly active"? Sedentary assumes you don't do much walking at all, so those cals are bonus. Lightly active assumes a certain minimum level of walking and/or standing, so you can ignore those cals.

    That said, I used to dutifully record walking calories and gleefully eat those calories back each day, but my weight gradually went back up despite staying "under calories" when logging. So I don't record walking calories at all anymore, and my weight is going back down to where it should be once again. I only record non-standard cals, like weight lifting, running or yardwork (snow shoveling, mowing lawn, etc).
  • GrandadMike2014
    GrandadMike2014 Posts: 13 Member
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    queenliz99 wrote: »
    Need stats. Height, weight, and age. 465 calories sound about right.

    Yeah I put in all the necessary stats. I just reckon 465 calories from walking 4 miles sounds a lot.
  • GrandadMike2014
    GrandadMike2014 Posts: 13 Member
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    sllm1 wrote: »
    465 sounds reasonable. Many choose to eat a portion of those calories back. Not eating them can lead to eating too little, and eating all of them can lead to eating too much (if the numbers are inflated in some way - everything is an estimate), so I tend to eat back around half. Happy medium.

    This is good as I HAVE to go to a meeting down the local pub tonight so was wondering if I can have two pints of Guiness? (Roughly 400 Cals). Sounds like I can !
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,867 Member
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    What do you have your activity level set to? If it werer me and I was consistently walking 10,000 steps per day, I'd set my activity level appropriate to that rather than logging it and eating back calories (yes, MFP is designed to eat back exercise calories).

    Also keep in mind that even an activity level set to sedentary is going to include up to about 5,000 steps per day...so even if you were set to sedentary you'd want to cut your estimate in half.

    The more physically demanding the exercise is, the more important it is to feed that activity for recovery, etc...for me personally, walking a few miles is great general activity, but it's not particularly demanding for me so I wouldn't worry a whole lot about feeding that activity...although when I first started out, it was about all I could do, and yes, I did utilize those calories (adjusted for estimation error and general activity level).
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
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    It does seem a lot as that is more than the average 4 mile running burn. What are your stats?
  • GrandadMike2014
    GrandadMike2014 Posts: 13 Member
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    singingflutelady wrote: »
    It does seem a lot as that is more than the average 4 mile running burn. What are your stats?

    5ft 10in Male, 45 Years Old, 13st 12lb
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
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    That's curious about the activity level. I have mine at sedentary because I work at a desk all day then after work have either college or a work experience which again involves sitting down. Yet I manage to average 15,000 steps a day.
  • GrandadMike2014
    GrandadMike2014 Posts: 13 Member
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    GillianLF wrote: »
    That's curious about the activity level. I have mine at sedentary because I work at a desk all day then after work have either college or a work experience which again involves sitting down. Yet I manage to average 15,000 steps a day.

    Really ? My 10,000 steps come from walking the dog twice a day plus obviously any other walking I do during the day. If you sit for 8 hours a day at work and then sit again for another 3-4 hours at night I struggle to see how you would fit in 15,000 steps/6 miles of walking !
  • GrandadMike2014
    GrandadMike2014 Posts: 13 Member
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    cwolfman13 wrote: »
    What do you have your activity level set to? If it werer me and I was consistently walking 10,000 steps per day, I'd set my activity level appropriate to that rather than logging it and eating back calories (yes, MFP is designed to eat back exercise calories).

    Also keep in mind that even an activity level set to sedentary is going to include up to about 5,000 steps per day...so even if you were set to sedentary you'd want to cut your estimate in half.

    The more physically demanding the exercise is, the more important it is to feed that activity for recovery, etc...for me personally, walking a few miles is great general activity, but it's not particularly demanding for me so I wouldn't worry a whole lot about feeding that activity...although when I first started out, it was about all I could do, and yes, I did utilize those calories (adjusted for estimation error and general activity level).

    I am set to sedantry as I have a desk job. The walking is from two walks a day with the dog plus any other walking that i do. When I signed up it asked if my job was sedantry or moderate or active (from memory those were the options), I said Sedantry as I drive 1 hr to work, sit behind a desk for 8 hours, then drive 1 hr back home. It then asked me about exercise and I said 3-4 times a week at 60 minutes. It then set me a steps challenge of 10,000 steps a day.

    As I said, yesterday was day 1 and I didn't touch the 465 calories earned from walking. Just the 1,500 Calories that I was set as daily goal.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    GrandadMike2014 wrote: »
    I started with MFP yesterday. Yesterday I walked just over 10,000 steps (iPhone Steps) and it rewarded me with 465 Calories (Which I did not use). This seems like a lot of calories for walking just over 4 miles doesn't it ? Also, should I really use these "exercise" calories ? I will pretty much walk 10,000 steps most days and will also be going to the gym 3 or maybe 4 times a week (where I usually burn 450 calories). So, should I take any notice of the calculated calories from walking and should I aim to use all my exercise calories earned please ?

    Here's a list of activity levels based on steps

    http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/

    You are definitely above sedentary. If you changed your activity level in MFP you might get a couple hundred calories. I think that would be a safe number of calories to eat back especially since 1500 is already rather low for a man (a tall one at that).
  • GrandadMike2014
    GrandadMike2014 Posts: 13 Member
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    TeaBea wrote: »
    GrandadMike2014 wrote: »
    I started with MFP yesterday. Yesterday I walked just over 10,000 steps (iPhone Steps) and it rewarded me with 465 Calories (Which I did not use). This seems like a lot of calories for walking just over 4 miles doesn't it ? Also, should I really use these "exercise" calories ? I will pretty much walk 10,000 steps most days and will also be going to the gym 3 or maybe 4 times a week (where I usually burn 450 calories). So, should I take any notice of the calculated calories from walking and should I aim to use all my exercise calories earned please ?

    Here's a list of activity levels based on steps

    http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/

    You are definitely above sedentary. If you changed your activity level in MFP you might get a couple hundred calories. I think that would be a safe number of calories to eat back especially since 1500 is already rather low for a man (a tall one at that).

    That's great thanks. I will try and change activity level now.
  • GrandadMike2014
    GrandadMike2014 Posts: 13 Member
    edited January 2016
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    Changed to Low Active and it has given me an additional 230 Cals a day. Thanks
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    It doesn't really matter what your activity setting is because MFP adjusts the cals from steps based on your activity setting. The higher your setting, the fewer cals you earn back. It all evens out by the end of the day.
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    I'd say it's about right. A good general rule to follow is 100 calories per 1 mile. Of course this changes based on your stats and fitness level, but for someone just starting out, it's a good guideline. So 465 calories for just over 4 miles is pretty spot on.
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
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    GrandadMike2014 wrote: »
    GillianLF wrote: »
    That's curious about the activity level. I have mine at sedentary because I work at a desk all day then after work have either college or a work experience which again involves sitting down. Yet I manage to average 15,000 steps a day.

    Really ? My 10,000 steps come from walking the dog twice a day plus obviously any other walking I do during the day. If you sit for 8 hours a day at work and then sit again for another 3-4 hours at night I struggle to see how you would fit in 15,000 steps/6 miles of walking !

    Its not easy at all! I got a Fitbit last October. Today is at 23,081 steps but Tuesday is always my best day as I walk to college from work. I have learned a load of tricks to up the step count. In the morning I dont get on the bus at the nearerst stop, I walk to the third stop and get off a stop early, I also take the stairs now and never really take the lift. I'm up 16 flights of steps so it really counts! I try to go for a 20-40 minute walk on lunch and coming home I get off the bus a stop after where I live and walk home which is up a steep hill. I never use the toilet on the floor I'm on, I go to another floor, taking the stairs, even at home. So yeah I really have to work for it! When I first got the Fitbit I was only getting 4000-6000 steps a day.
  • GillianLF
    GillianLF Posts: 410 Member
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    GrandadMike2014 wrote: »
    TeaBea wrote: »
    GrandadMike2014 wrote: »
    I started with MFP yesterday. Yesterday I walked just over 10,000 steps (iPhone Steps) and it rewarded me with 465 Calories (Which I did not use). This seems like a lot of calories for walking just over 4 miles doesn't it ? Also, should I really use these "exercise" calories ? I will pretty much walk 10,000 steps most days and will also be going to the gym 3 or maybe 4 times a week (where I usually burn 450 calories). So, should I take any notice of the calculated calories from walking and should I aim to use all my exercise calories earned please ?

    Here's a list of activity levels based on steps

    http://www.fitnessforweightloss.com/rate-your-activity-level-based-on-steps-per-day/

    You are definitely above sedentary. If you changed your activity level in MFP you might get a couple hundred calories. I think that would be a safe number of calories to eat back especially since 1500 is already rather low for a man (a tall one at that).

    That's great thanks. I will try and change activity level now.

    This thread has me thinking that I might change my activity level too. It was definitely more sedentary when I joined MFP. Its very interesting!

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