Counting steps for exercise

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coalz
coalz Posts: 308 Member
in Getting Started
If I have my iPhone step tracker synced to my MFP app, do I not enter my walks as exercise? Cause the app already takes those steps into the equation of calories burned right? I'm also confused how the more I walk it seems to add how may calories I can consume? Should I try & stick to the beginning 1,200 or should I be eating more according to amount of exercise & calories earned? Also can someone please tell me why 10,000 steps seems to be the magic number? Lots of beginner questions I know. I'm sure the answers are obvious I just seems to be having a hard time wrapping my head around it. Appreciated anyone who can shed some light for me. Thanks!

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  • GillianSmith2
    GillianSmith2 Posts: 387 Member
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    if your app is already synced to mfp then no you dont need to add it again or you will get double the amount.
    I personally think of walking as something i do to keep me healthy and do not eat back those calories. If i do extra exercise i would only eat back a small amount of those calories as the estimated burn tends to be quite high. I am not sure why 10,000 steps is the recommended amount.
    Everyone is different so try things out for a few weeks and see how it goes, you can soon change things that are not working.
    Good luck :)
  • Nicklebee93
    Nicklebee93 Posts: 316 Member
    edited March 2016
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    The reason why it's adding more is because you gain "net" calories. You're burning extra calories and because you're at the bare minimum of calories you can add some back if you'd like (probably like half).

    I'm not too sure about the app so i'm of no help there. But if it's synced and adding back net calories i would assume you wouldn't need to do anything else. But understand MFP seems to over estimate calories burned. My aerobic exercise says i burn upwards of 300 calories. But since i already eat about 1,300-1,500 calories i ignore my net calories and don't eat anything else.

    So if you eat 1,200 calories + 200 calories burned (for example) you could probably get away with eating back another 100 calories.
  • coalz
    coalz Posts: 308 Member
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    That makes total sense! Thanks for laying it out for me.
  • snowflake930
    snowflake930 Posts: 2,188 Member
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    10,000 steps is a general figure for 5 miles. However, I have had a fit bit for over 3 years, have a short stride, and take a little over 12,000 steps for 5 miles.
  • coalz
    coalz Posts: 308 Member
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    Ooh I got super short lil legs. I better take that into consider too.
  • designer410patlee
    designer410patlee Posts: 6 Member
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    I try not to eat back those earned calories because It seems to defeat the whole purpose
  • chulipa
    chulipa Posts: 650 Member
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    I use the app pacer to count my steps and it is synct to mfp but i never eat those calories back if you are walking alot then maybe you can eat some but remember if you are set at sedentary that include you walking up to 5000 steps so how can you figure out the difference anyway so i dont. The only time i add excercise is if i go to the gym but only use those calories if i go out so you can say i bank them but most of the time they are never used but are there if you need them
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,016 Member
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    It doesn't defeat the purpose if you are using mfp for your calorie goal. Mfp does not include exercise when it figures your deficit. If mfp gives you 1200 calories that includes your deficit. If you exercise that will increase the deficit you already have so you should eat the additional calories it gives you. It is hard to know how accurate those calorie estimates from exercise are so most people will eat back about half. If you are eating at 1200 calories a day and you add a lot of exercise then you are increasing your deficit and your net calorie intake could be too low. If you are eating 2000 calories a day you may not need the exercise calories, but at 1200 or 1300 you should at least eat some of them back.

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