Do you count your step calories?
ktilton70130
Posts: 211 Member
Do u all count your step calories? I walk 4-5 miles everyday before exercise so I am wondering since I am counting them into my exercise calories is causing me not to see a weight loss.
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Replies
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This is up to you, some days when I'm really hungry I count them but then other days when I'm trying to make a deficit I don't count them.3
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If you have a fitness tracker that's connected to MFP, then it's showing that you burned more than MFP expects for your activity level, and yes you should be eating them back. But if you aren't losing weight, you need to take a look at your logging first. Chances are you're eating more than you think.4
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No, unless it's purposeful exercise. If it's normal in my everyday routine I don't count it.5
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I don't count normal activity only exercise.2
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If you have a fitness tracker that's connected to MFP, then it's showing that you burned more than MFP expects for your activity level, and yes you should be eating them back. But if you aren't losing weight, you need to take a look at your logging first. Chances are you're eating more than you think.
I'm losing a lb a week. I count everything literally down to a mint. My weight loss has slowed so I'm trying to figure out the culprit or where perhaps I can do adjusting.
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Generally no. My phone will track my steps, but I don't have it on me every second of every day, and it won't give me any additional calorie tracking unless I get well over my goal. I have my goal through UA Record (synced with MFP) for 7,000 steps, but it doesn't start considering additional calorie burns until it gets over 10,000 steps. I will usually delete the additional burn figures if I do walk more one day versus another, but some days its a minimal calorie burn (20-30 calories) so I leave it alone. I generally stay within my food calories goal and don't eat back exercise calories when I'm in "loss mode", only when I'm in "maintain mode", so it just depends on the goal I'm currently chasing (right now I'm trying to lose a pound or two, I had two naughty weeks of eating everything not nailed down so I need to tighten up for a bit).
I think its best to only give yourself a calorie credit for purposeful exercise, and only cardio at that. Weight training is too hard to pinpoint and most people DRASTICALLY over-estimate their calorie burns for time in the gym/using weights. I think walking is great and good to have a step goal just to keep active and moving, but doesn't necessarily deserve a calorie credit to allow me to eat more.
Just my $0.02. Good luck!3 -
ktilton70130 wrote: »If you have a fitness tracker that's connected to MFP, then it's showing that you burned more than MFP expects for your activity level, and yes you should be eating them back. But if you aren't losing weight, you need to take a look at your logging first. Chances are you're eating more than you think.
I'm losing a lb a week. I count everything literally down to a mint. My weight loss has slowed so I'm trying to figure out the culprit or where perhaps I can do adjusting.
A pound a week is a perfectly fine rate to lose at, so I'd say you're doing well!
Generally if you weren't losing for several weeks you would look at your food diary first. Make sure you log every bite you take, weigh all foods and measure all liquids, double check that all entries are accurate, use the recipe builder over homemade/generic entries. After that, if everything is spot on and you still weren't losing, then you would cut back on the number of exercise calories eaten.1 -
ktilton70130 wrote: »If you have a fitness tracker that's connected to MFP, then it's showing that you burned more than MFP expects for your activity level, and yes you should be eating them back. But if you aren't losing weight, you need to take a look at your logging first. Chances are you're eating more than you think.
I'm losing a lb a week. I count everything literally down to a mint. My weight loss has slowed so I'm trying to figure out the culprit or where perhaps I can do adjusting.
A pound a week is a perfectly fine rate to lose at, so I'd say you're doing well!
Generally if you weren't losing for several weeks you would look at your food diary first. Make sure you log every bite you take, weigh all foods and measure all liquids, double check that all entries are accurate, use the recipe builder over homemade/generic entries. After that, if everything is spot on and you still weren't losing, then you would cut back on the number of exercise calories eaten.
ok, thanks. Ill stick with the lb a week at least I am not gaining, thanks2 -
Nope.0
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Hmmn interesting.. Although whilst I'm averaging 18,000 steps per day you're saying to not count the calories earnt?? I wear my polar loop all day everyday. I may spend a couple hours mowing lawns (we're on 30 acres and it's only a push mower not a ride on) but instead of putting in mowing as an exercise as such I just use my walking credits. Heck I could be sitting on my *kitten* all day long but I'm not so yes walking calories earn me exercise calories!5
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Nope0
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I usually only count calories from steps if I exceed my daily norm. I don't count the exercise from my normal daily routine. if that makes sense.1
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I set MFP to sedentary, wear a Fitbit and eat back any extra calories it gives me (and it lowers my goal if I don't move much at all). I also add in exercise like swimming, running etc., and as long as I tell my Fitbit when I started and finished the activity it doesn't double count. I reduce some of MFP's estimations (elliptical, stationary bike, yoga, pilates etc. all tell me I'm burning ridiculous amounts), but I always eat back the calories I have entered either myself or been told by my Fitbit.1
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I count all calories as part of my deficit but I eat a set amount of calories regardless of how many I burn.1
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I get about 15K steps a day at this point, but I only count the ones I get as a result of "deliberate excerise". I have 4-5 walks each day and I time each one and use my total steps for the walk to figure out how far I went in that time (to get my walking pace). Those are put in as "exercise". As someone else said, I put in when I walked, so my Garmin doesn't duplicate the calories burned from those walks.
Steps that I get outside of those walks aren't counted in my exercise (usually there's a small positive "Garmin Correction" value at the end of the day for any active calories I somehow missed).0 -
Terpnista84 wrote: »I count all calories as part of my deficit but I eat a set amount of calories regardless of how many I burn.
That is exactly what I do. I monitor my calorie consumption no matter what.1 -
I use my fitbit... it doesn't give me any extra calories unless I walk over 6 miles. O.o1
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I walk 5 miles a day before my other exercise routines and I just put it under cardio (mph) and add the time it took me 60-90 min or however long it takes and I never eat my exercise calories, I just upped my cals from 1300 to 1600 and I have been steady dropping weight (slowww process). I have garmin and I dont fuss with it, just track my distance.1
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I walk about 8 miles a day with my physically active job. I set my activity level to highly active and no longer allow the Fitbit to adjust my calorie goal. Spent too many months stuck in maintenance trusting the Fitbit.2
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Yes. but also count all my runs just as steps. It's all guess work anyway, right?1
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I use my fitbit to determine how much I burned everyday. So yes, I count my step calories. I try to get 15000-20000 everyday which works out to be between 2200 calories and 2600 calories (depending on if any of those steps were from running)0
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I set my activity level to sedentary on here, sync mfp with my fitbit and don't record exercise at all. I only go by the fitbit adjustment2
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ktilton70130 wrote: »If you have a fitness tracker that's connected to MFP, then it's showing that you burned more than MFP expects for your activity level, and yes you should be eating them back. But if you aren't losing weight, you need to take a look at your logging first. Chances are you're eating more than you think.
I'm losing a lb a week. I count everything literally down to a mint. My weight loss has slowed so I'm trying to figure out the culprit or where perhaps I can do adjusting.
If you've been losing steadily for a while and now it's slowing down, make sure you update your current weight on your MFP profile. Chances are it will result in a lowering of your allowable calories. I found this out the hard way after losing steadily for my first 8 months or so - despite having my scale synced to MFP.
It's worth a check. Good luck!0 -
ktilton70130 wrote: »
It's not that simple. A FitBit compares your actual activity VS. your activity level setting on MFP. You can enable negative adjustments also.
If you signed up for sedentary and walked 10,000 steps.....you get a positive adjustment. If you signed up for active and walked 3,000 steps.....you get a negative adjustment.
Activity trackers are great for figuring out maintenance. That's not to say they are exact. But you have a really solid idea after you've been using it awhile.3 -
Ok thanksbennettinfinity wrote: »ktilton70130 wrote: »If you have a fitness tracker that's connected to MFP, then it's showing that you burned more than MFP expects for your activity level, and yes you should be eating them back. But if you aren't losing weight, you need to take a look at your logging first. Chances are you're eating more than you think.
I'm losing a lb a week. I count everything literally down to a mint. My weight loss has slowed so I'm trying to figure out the culprit or where perhaps I can do adjusting.
If you've been losing steadily for a while and now it's slowing down, make sure you update your current weight on your MFP profile. Chances are it will result in a lowering of your allowable calories. I found this out the hard way after losing steadily for my first 8 months or so - despite having my scale synced to MFP.
It's worth a check. Good luck!
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I don't count any walking calories. I use them for when I go over from time to time and to cover my entries as I don't weigh anything.
Right now I have a ton of storage fuel
so I don't need extra fuel yet. I may change later if I begin feeling tired. 2 -
What have you got your MFP Activity Level set to?
https://www.verywell.com/how-many-pedometer-steps-per-day-are-enough-3432827
Activity Classification Based on Pedometer Steps for Healthy Adults
Dr. Tudor Locke's research established these categories:
1. Sedentary Lifestyle Index: Under 5000 steps per day is an indicator of being inactive and sitting too much, which raises health risks.
2. Low Active: 5,000-7,499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports/exercise and might be considered low active. The average American walks 5900 to 6900 steps per day, so the majority are low active.
3. Somewhat Active: 7,500-9,999 steps/day likely includes some exercise or walking (and/or a job that requires more walking) and might be considered somewhat active.
4. Active: 10,000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as active. This makes it a good daily goal for healthy people who want a quick indicator they are getting in their daily exercise.
5. Highly Active: Individuals who take more than 12,500 steps/day are likely to be classified as highly active.1 -
No, my goals are set up where it makes no difference to me how many steps I've walked. I eat when hungry and if I gain when I rather not on average I just cut my calories a tad.1
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If you have a fitness tracker that's connected to MFP, then it's showing that you burned more than MFP expects for your activity level, and yes you should be eating them back. But if you aren't losing weight, you need to take a look at your logging first. Chances are you're eating more than you think.
YEP
This was me totally
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