10k steps a day are not enough

mostafa1975
mostafa1975 Posts: 6 Member
edited November 13 in Fitness and Exercise
Take care. 10k steps a day may be not enough to create calorie deficit.
I have done even 15k steps with low pace without exercise and measure the total burned calories in a day by jawbone up3 and surprisingly I didn't reach even the default estimation by MFP.
Other days I made less steps but with some exercises and I passed my estimation.
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Replies

  • SonyaCele
    SonyaCele Posts: 2,841 Member
    i don't do 10K steps to create a calorie deficit, i do it for health and fitness purposes. And yeah its probably not even enough for that , its just a bare minimum, its better than nothing and a motivation to get sedentary people up and moving . I'd like to get up to 15-20K a day for just an average day, but being in a desk job, its hard for me to find the time. It takes a few hours of walking to get 20K.
  • mostafa1975
    mostafa1975 Posts: 6 Member
    Totally right. Anyway 10k is better than nothing.
    Just warning people who is planning to loose weight using that only. This is not going to help.
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
    Take care. 10k steps a day may be not enough to create calorie deficit.
    I have done even 15k steps with low pace without exercise and measure the total burned calories in a day by jawbone up3 and surprisingly I didn't reach even the default estimation by MFP.
    Other days I made less steps but with some exercises and I passed my estimation.

    I don't note the estimate calorie expenditure for exercises because it's inaccurate, but I have noticed that during periods when I walked considerably more than 10K steps it had no effect on weight loss. I walk and do other exercise for health, not weight loss.
  • Verdenal
    Verdenal Posts: 625 Member
    edited February 2016
    Totally right. Anyway 10k is better than nothing.
    Just warning people who is planning to loose weight using that only. This is not going to help.

    True. Many people will need something more rigorous: strength training and vigorous cardio. As I just wrote, walking alone was never sufficient for me. But creating a calorie deficit in the diet is the principal thing.

    Note: If walking counts as a rigorous activity for an individual then it will qualify as exercise, but I usually need to exert myself to the point where I'm breathless and sweaty to get a real benefit. Walking is simply not that hard for me; even extended walks (over 10 miles) don't seem to make a difference in terms of weight loss for me. I'm just sore afterwards and saw a lot of interesting things during the hike.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    Totally right. Anyway 10k is better than nothing.
    Just warning people who is planning to loose weight using that only. This is not going to help.

    Well, it sorta matters how much those people are planning on eating every day before we can say where they will hit a calorie deficit, no?
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    you lose weight in the kitchen.

    you exercise for fitness.
  • you lose weight in the kitchen.

    you exercise for fitness.

    Exactly! Thank you for putting this out there.
  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
    10k steps, depending on your stride, is probably between 3 and 6 miles. Closer to the former if you are just kinda shuffling along pacing around type walking, closer to 6 if you're really out walking briskly.

    Calories from that will depend on size and efficiency, but probably fall somewhere between 200-400 kcal/10,000 steps. For me it works well, knowing that I tend to walk with a stride that averages 2,200 steps per mile to assume 4.5 miles, or approx 350 kcal for 10,000 steps. I add that to BMR and then add exercise.

    So let's say I have a 15,000 step day and also ride my bike for 2 hours at 230w average power. My expenditure I then estimate at

    1800 (BMR) + 1.5 * 350 (calories from steps) + 1800 (calories from 2hr cycling) = 4,125 kcal.

  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Too many pizzas?
  • brb_2013
    brb_2013 Posts: 1,197 Member
    Totally right. Anyway 10k is better than nothing.
    Just warning people who is planning to loose weight using that only. This is not going to help.

    Well then I'm a special snowflake!
    I earn 500 calories extra (average) when I manage to hit 10k steps throughout the day. It's not jogging, it's me taking an extra trip upstairs to get a toy a kid forgot, or having to quickly traverse the room to stop an argument. Those extra calories are the only extras I really burn beyond my basic bodily functions.

    So I'm sorry, but your well meaning advice is not applicable to every person- it is applicable to you.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Take care. 10k steps a day may be not enough to create calorie deficit.
    I have done even 15k steps with low pace without exercise and measure the total burned calories in a day by jawbone up3 and surprisingly I didn't reach even the default estimation by MFP.
    Other days I made less steps but with some exercises and I passed my estimation.

    No amount of exercise is enough if your diet is not controlled

    And your jawbone is an HRM isn't it? If so then it is not measuring calorie burn from ambling along because that's not steady state cardio
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    Does your stride length change that significantly with pace of walking? @L_Master
  • Alatariel75
    Alatariel75 Posts: 18,219 Member
    As others have said, I get 10k for fitness and general health, not the deficit. Calories are controlled through food, not exercise.
  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Does your stride length change that significantly with pace of walking? @L_Master

    Not within a reasonable range. I.e. if I am doing uninterrupted walking I primarily seem to control speed from cadence. "Default" if I'm outside walking is right in at 3.5mph, at roughly 120 spm (7,200/hr). which is 2' 6.7" stride length. If I walk at 4mph briskly I get there by upping cadence towards 130, and if I walk along slower cadence drops a bit.

    Where it gets different is for much of the steps an activity tracker measures, which is moving around casually on the job or around the house. When I'm moving around like this, I often have a slightly different gait that feel less hip driven and more 'ambling', and using this stride I've noticed individual strides are about 20-30% shorter.

    I tend to play it safe, going with the lower estimate of distance traveled per step, unless I know I did a significant amount of regular walking, in which case I use the midpoint.
  • L_Master
    L_Master Posts: 354 Member
    brb_2013 wrote: »
    Totally right. Anyway 10k is better than nothing.
    Just warning people who is planning to loose weight using that only. This is not going to help.

    Well then I'm a special snowflake!
    I earn 500 calories extra (average) when I manage to hit 10k steps throughout the day. It's not jogging, it's me taking an extra trip upstairs to get a toy a kid forgot, or having to quickly traverse the room to stop an argument. Those extra calories are the only extras I really burn beyond my basic bodily functions.

    So I'm sorry, but your well meaning advice is not applicable to every person- it is applicable to you.

    Admittedly we don't know weight. But if we assume you have an absolutely HUGE stride length, something like 3' 0", you might be walking 5.5 miles in that time. That's a really, really generous estimate though. I'd guess probably 99% of people have shorter natural strides than that, so more likely you're walking between 4-5 miles.

    5.5 miles and 500 calories would be 90 calories a mile, which is a reasonable estimate if you're around 200lbs.

    At the more realistic 4.5 miles that would be closer to 400 kcal, and for a smaller woman something like 250-300 kcal would be the most likely probability.

    My hunch would be that your tracker is being a little generous to you, but if you're a larger person and extreme walking outlier that 500kcal number is within the realm of possibility, if not probability.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    L_Master wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Does your stride length change that significantly with pace of walking? @L_Master

    Not within a reasonable range. I.e. if I am doing uninterrupted walking I primarily seem to control speed from cadence. "Default" if I'm outside walking is right in at 3.5mph, at roughly 120 spm (7,200/hr). which is 2' 6.7" stride length. If I walk at 4mph briskly I get there by upping cadence towards 130, and if I walk along slower cadence drops a bit.

    Where it gets different is for much of the steps an activity tracker measures, which is moving around casually on the job or around the house. When I'm moving around like this, I often have a slightly different gait that feel less hip driven and more 'ambling', and using this stride I've noticed individual strides are about 20-30% shorter.

    I tend to play it safe, going with the lower estimate of distance traveled per step, unless I know I did a significant amount of regular walking, in which case I use the midpoint.

    So how can you say steps impacts on distance travelled to that extent? eg ambling along to walking at pace doubles the distance travelled

    not being picky just confused
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    L_Master wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Does your stride length change that significantly with pace of walking? @L_Master

    Not within a reasonable range. I.e. if I am doing uninterrupted walking I primarily seem to control speed from cadence. "Default" if I'm outside walking is right in at 3.5mph, at roughly 120 spm (7,200/hr). which is 2' 6.7" stride length. If I walk at 4mph briskly I get there by upping cadence towards 130, and if I walk along slower cadence drops a bit.

    Where it gets different is for much of the steps an activity tracker measures, which is moving around casually on the job or around the house. When I'm moving around like this, I often have a slightly different gait that feel less hip driven and more 'ambling', and using this stride I've noticed individual strides are about 20-30% shorter.

    I tend to play it safe, going with the lower estimate of distance traveled per step, unless I know I did a significant amount of regular walking, in which case I use the midpoint.

    So how can you say steps impacts on distance travelled to that extent? eg ambling along to walking at pace doubles the distance travelled

    not being picky just confused

    "depending on your stride" - I think he means that my stride might be twice yours. or vice versa. ;)
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    L_Master wrote: »
    10k steps, depending on your stride, is probably between 3 and 6 miles. Closer to the former if you are just kinda shuffling along pacing around type walking, closer to 6 if you're really out walking briskly.

    Calories from that will depend on size and efficiency, but probably fall somewhere between 200-400 kcal/10,000 steps. For me it works well, knowing that I tend to walk with a stride that averages 2,200 steps per mile to assume 4.5 miles, or approx 350 kcal for 10,000 steps. I add that to BMR and then add exercise.

    So let's say I have a 15,000 step day and also ride my bike for 2 hours at 230w average power. My expenditure I then estimate at

    1800 (BMR) + 1.5 * 350 (calories from steps) + 1800 (calories from 2hr cycling) = 4,125 kcal.

    No - it was that bit I was confused by - I inferred from that the suggestion that my pace would impact on distance travelled
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    L_Master wrote: »
    10k steps, depending on your stride, is probably between 3 and 6 miles. Closer to the former if you are just kinda shuffling along pacing around type walking, closer to 6 if you're really out walking briskly.

    Calories from that will depend on size and efficiency, but probably fall somewhere between 200-400 kcal/10,000 steps. For me it works well, knowing that I tend to walk with a stride that averages 2,200 steps per mile to assume 4.5 miles, or approx 350 kcal for 10,000 steps. I add that to BMR and then add exercise.

    So let's say I have a 15,000 step day and also ride my bike for 2 hours at 230w average power. My expenditure I then estimate at

    1800 (BMR) + 1.5 * 350 (calories from steps) + 1800 (calories from 2hr cycling) = 4,125 kcal.

    No - it was that bit I was confused by - I inferred from that the suggestion that my pace would impact on distance travelled

    Oh, right. No idea then by what he means.
    I don't think my foot stride changes that much during walking.

    I've got a foot pod, could test that some day. But I'd have to walk somewhere. Ugh.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    Well that depends really...on how much you're eating!

    If 10k steps are more than you normally do and you eat at deficit you will lose weight.

    10k for me is around 4 1/2 miles, it depends on the stride length which differs for each of us.

    Personally 10k is easy, I always push on to get 15-17k a day. I like to eat more so I'll work harder so I can! :smile:

    I once read someone say that 12k is for wanting to lose and 10k for maintaining weight.

    Anything that gets us up and moving is good for our heart health. :smile:
  • tkphotogirl
    tkphotogirl Posts: 245 Member
    edited February 2016
    I get a minimum of 10k steps during my commute and lunchbreak, which for me is around 4 miles. Eating at a modest deficit, very little other exercise, 33lbs down so far. I get a good couple of hundred calories out of my 10k steps. I don't walk to lose, I walk to ensure that I maintain a reasonable level of activity around my desk job.
  • ScubaSteve1962
    ScubaSteve1962 Posts: 609 Member
    edited February 2016
  • nubian101
    nubian101 Posts: 17 Member
    I am also a special sort of snowflake! Started just after Christmas, 10k steps a day using my misfit shine, calories limited to 1200 by weighing and counting food here, down 13lb in just over a month, an inch of each thigh and off my hips,. Sure seems to be working for me!
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    nubian101 wrote: »
    I am also a special sort of snowflake! Started just after Christmas, 10k steps a day using my misfit shine, calories limited to 1200 by weighing and counting food here, down 13lb in just over a month, an inch of each thigh and off my hips,. Sure seems to be working for me!

    Of course you're going to lose weight at 1200 calories a day
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
    10,000 steps a day burns about 430 or so calories for me. If I didn't eat those back I'd be loosing close to a pound a week.
  • middlehaitch
    middlehaitch Posts: 8,486 Member
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    L_Master wrote: »
    rabbitjb wrote: »
    Does your stride length change that significantly with pace of walking? @L_Master

    Not within a reasonable range. I.e. if I am doing uninterrupted walking I primarily seem to control speed from cadence. "Default" if I'm outside walking is right in at 3.5mph, at roughly 120 spm (7,200/hr). which is 2' 6.7" stride length. If I walk at 4mph briskly I get there by upping cadence towards 130, and if I walk along slower cadence drops a bit.

    Where it gets different is for much of the steps an activity tracker measures, which is moving around casually on the job or around the house. When I'm moving around like this, I often have a slightly different gait that feel less hip driven and more 'ambling', and using this stride I've noticed individual strides are about 20-30% shorter.

    I tend to play it safe, going with the lower estimate of distance traveled per step, unless I know I did a significant amount of regular walking, in which case I use the midpoint.

    So how can you say steps impacts on distance travelled to that extent? eg ambling along to walking at pace doubles the distance travelled

    not being picky just confused

    I think it is a time/distance comparison?

    With speed of walking one tends to shorten steps, more steps are used to cover the same distance in a shorter time.

    When I started training for a 10k my speed couldn't increase until I learnt how to shorten my step accordingly. I was verging on shin splints trying to do my natural stride at a 4-4.5mph pace. It was fine for 3-3.5.
    My stride almost halves with speed and is just over my foot length. (Short legs, small feet)

    So ambling along gives me nearly double the distance I travel for the same number of steps when taken at a fast pace.
    The amble will obviously take a longer time though.

    Cheers, h.
  • mbaker566
    mbaker566 Posts: 11,233 Member
    you lose weight in the kitchen.

    you exercise for fitness.

    amen
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    nubian101 wrote: »
    I am also a special sort of snowflake! Started just after Christmas, 10k steps a day using my misfit shine, calories limited to 1200 by weighing and counting food here, down 13lb in just over a month, an inch of each thigh and off my hips,. Sure seems to be working for me!

    Of course you're going to lose weight at 1200 calories a day

    But that's the point many are trying to bring up. That whether 10k is enough steps will depend heavily on how much you are eating.


    Take care. 10k steps a day may be not enough to create calorie deficit.
    I have done even 15k steps with low pace without exercise and measure the total burned calories in a day by jawbone up3 and surprisingly I didn't reach even the default estimation by MFP.
    Other days I made less steps but with some exercises and I passed my estimation.

    OP - what did you set as your default activity level with MFP? I have mine set to sedentary. I don't use a FitBit but I typically get about 10k steps (per my phone) if I only walk, or about 17k steps if I go for a run later. Out of those 10k steps, about 8k are a deliberate 3 mile walk so I get about 300 calories for that. I agree if I had set my baseline activity level to 'lightly active' then I shouldn't be giving myself an additional 300 calories for walking. But maybe folks have their activity level set too high.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    Yes you lose weight in the kitchen but every additional calorie you burn is another penny in the jar. Not much when you look at it but over time it does add up. I did really well when I would run in the mornings and walk in the afternoon before dinner. Just not sure if it was the walking or the delay stating cocktails.
  • jrline
    jrline Posts: 2,353 Member
    10k is a good minimum daily goal
This discussion has been closed.