Should I eat calories from step?

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saw1969
saw1969 Posts: 19 Member
edited March 2016 in Health and Weight Loss
Started afresh AGAIN today. I'm 5ft 2in and 189lbs and rising. My joints ache, I'm fatigued and really need to do something but just can't get going. I'm work in an office and rarely exercise. MPF has set me a goal of 1330 calories to lose 1lb a week and I'm struggling to stick with this. I've upped my calories today to 1400 and am tracking my steps as exercise but was wondering if I should eat the calories burned from this given MFP set me 1330 to loss 1lb?

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  • jacquifrench304
    jacquifrench304 Posts: 131 Member
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    Maybe lose a bit over half a pound instead of a whol pound, 1330 is hard , even with MFP set to sedentary it will not add step calories until you get over about 3k steps, try eating half of them for a few weeks if you lose too quick eat more of them .
  • saw1969
    saw1969 Posts: 19 Member
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    My iPhone calculates all steps and reduces the calories. I've just checked out my Tdee and it says 1660 to maintain. I'm starting to think it will be impossible to lose this weight with starving myself!
  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I synced my steps up with MFP for a couple weeks and ate back most of those calories, and I gained. But that's me.

    I did find it interesting though that I could have days where I got 10500 steps in, and it would count that as say, 300 calories. While other days I could have slightly less steps - like 10000, and it would give me more calories than the 10500 day. I don't know if it detects some form of intentional exercise when you are using a lot of steps at once?
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    Depends how accurate your logging is. Keep in mind that MFP doesn't take exercise into account though, so in theory, you are supposed to eat your exercise calories back. But it's easy to overestimate calorie burns and underestimate food calories.
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    A certain amount of steps should be inlcuded in your activity level, so no don't eat them, if you do a lot of steps you may want to increase your activity level to light active or active instead of sedentary.
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
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    I walk around 13-15 miles 4 days a week and I still don't use them. Instead I upped my activity level from sedentary to lightly active (I had a coworker doing the same job and honestly probably walking less initially set their's up to highly active... no.). In short, walking is good for you and you should do it, but to err on the safe side I wouldn't log them. They don't burn an incredible amount of calories and you may end up overestimating your calorie burn and over-eating.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    If you have an activity tracker synced to your account, then yes you're supposed to eat them back. It's bringing you to your true activity level.
    vivelajackie wrote: »
    I walk around 13-15 miles 4 days a week and I still don't use them. Instead I upped my activity level from sedentary to lightly active (I had a coworker doing the same job and honestly probably walking less initially set their's up to highly active... no.). In short, walking is good for you and you should do it, but to err on the safe side I wouldn't log them. They don't burn an incredible amount of calories and you may end up overestimating your calorie burn and over-eating.

    13-15 miles is way beyond lightly active.
  • vivelajackie
    vivelajackie Posts: 321 Member
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    I err on the side of cautious. I'm also balancing out my 3 day weekends where I'm not very active at all. :P If I were lifting heavy things and building up a sweat, perhaps I'd up it to active, but I find the calorie allotment I receive is fairly true to course with my TDEE calc (which is around 2300 with MFP's NEAT estimate of 2000). Even if I worked a normal job I would still probably underestimate my calorie burn from activity level. Never to the point where I'm feeling repressed by my intake but you know, I'm safe.
  • rileysowner
    rileysowner Posts: 8,239 Member
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    saw1969 wrote: »
    My iPhone calculates all steps and reduces the calories. I've just checked out my Tdee and it says 1660 to maintain. I'm starting to think it will be impossible to lose this weight with starving myself!

    You can lose weight without starving yourself. At this point you need to focus on what foods leave you feeling fullest longest while meeting your calorie goal. If possible, I know it is difficult when your joints hurt, get out walking at as brisk a pace as you can handle. That will burn a bit more calories, and will also be good for your joints and energy level. I know it seems counter intuitive, but as someone who works with a lot of seniors those who get our for a walk even though there arthritis is a problem (not saying your joint pain is arthritis as you didn't say) all tell me it helps, and that is what I have read as well. Activity helps, even something as simple as a walk. As you lose weight you should find this gets easier, and you can walk further and faster, and perhaps get into other activity. Getting our for a walk will also help your mental state and motivation. The difficulty is getting our for those first walks, but you can do this, and eating at your calorie goal will help as well.
  • meganmoore112
    meganmoore112 Posts: 174 Member
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    What I did was set my MFP account to lose one pound a week and chose sedentary. I'm relatively small (5'2", 140) so it gave me 1200. I sync my Fitbit and DO eat back my calories, which varies from 200 to 400 per day. I'm losing an average of 0.7 pounds per week.
  • saw1969
    saw1969 Posts: 19 Member
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    Thanks for your comments. I read another post earlier and someone had said they had set to 1200 - same height and weight as me - but eats steps calories and is losing 2lb per week. I know we are all different but I might give that a go and see how I get on.
  • emmaprocopiou
    emmaprocopiou Posts: 246 Member
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    I started at 4'11" and over 165lbs. My legs ached I felt heavy and thought I would never lose weight, that was Nov 2015 now March 2016 I've nearly lost 30lbs, today got into a size 10 uk dress ( was a 14 ) and my legs and back don't ache. I got a Fitbit in Dec and started walking, I found it difficult to even get 5000 steps now I average over 15000, would be more.
    I eat 1210 to lose 1lb a week and if I didn't have the exercise cals from steps I wouldn't know what I would do. Often I eat to my goal but I know because of the walking I have more to fall back in if I'm hungry
  • beth1079
    beth1079 Posts: 12 Member
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    My MFP is set to 1200 but I eat back all my step calories from my Fitbit. When I first got my Fitbit I only averaged 4000 steps a day. Being able to eat more was great motivation for me to move more. I have steadily lost between 1-2 lbs a week with a total loss of 16 lbs so far.
  • kissedbythesunshine
    kissedbythesunshine Posts: 416 Member
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    Be careful with the iPhone steps. When I'm out on a jog it counts them accurately. When I'm in the house or walking up the driveway, etc, it has given me double counts. I can walk 10 steps and it'll say I walked 15-20. For that reason I don't eat back the step calorie adjustment.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,996 Member
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    saw1969 wrote: »
    My iPhone calculates all steps and reduces the calories. I've just checked out my Tdee and it says 1660 to maintain. I'm starting to think it will be impossible to lose this weight with starving myself!

    I've lost over 30 pounds and am only hungry right before meals :)

    I eat back about 50% of the calories I've earned from exercise per MFP. My FitBit is less generous with exercise calories, and I eat back all of those.
  • sault_girl
    sault_girl Posts: 219 Member
    edited March 2016
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    I eat back most of my "earned" calories from my fitbit *if* I'm hungry for them. There are plenty of days I'm under. And there are some days that I'm over. But I'm never very successful if I get really strict about it.

    Edit: for example, I will have walked about 25,000 steps today by the day's end, and as of right now I have 1460 calories left to eat. I probably won't be having a huge dinner tonight, so I expect I'll have an extra 500 calories left over.

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