- total steps walked
- number of steps at a moderate pace
- minutes spent walking at a moderate pace
- kcal burned by walking
- distance travelled (in miles)
When entering this data, I keep mental asterisks, such as the other day, when I wore my pedometer at a weird angle on my hip and it recorded what I know to be a 2-mile walk as less than a mile. I also know that it doesn't give me a caloric boost when I take the stairs instead of the elevator, or when the steps I'm walking are uphill (in the snow!).
But to get a general idea of where I stand, it's a good gauge.
Week One
Total Walked: 64,548 steps
Moderate Pace: 31,795 steps
Moderate Time: 272 min (4.5 hours)
kcal Burned: 2432
Distance: 25.59 miles
Week Two (so far)
Total Walked: 54,972 steps
Moderate Pace: 22,464 steps
Moderate Time: 189 min (3 hours, 9 min)
Calories Burned: 2027 kcal
Distance: 21.41 miles
My Week Two totals lack Sunday's data, but to be honest, I doubt they will be too impressive, as I have a ton of schoolwork to do.
Week Two also deserves an asterisk for real, as I went ice skating on Friday. I wore my pedometer out of habit, so some of my calories and steps are based on that data, but I was actually skating for about 2 hours. I read online that for a 180-pound person, ice skating burns 572 calories/hour, which would have meant I burned 1144 calories Friday night. If I add that to my total for the week, I'm a lot closer to the 3500 I would have needed to burn a pound of fat this week, though still distressingly far away.
More importantly though, ice skating was great fun, and it felt terrific to use my body to do something I love. I was incredibly pleased to find my form had held up after so many years of not skating, and that my legs were strong enough to skate at a pretty decent pace, but stay in control as I dodged less experienced skaters and show-offs who were weaving and buzzing through the crowd. The outdoor rink stays open through the end of this month, so I'll have to get there again soon.
Now How About Calories?
Depending on the source, I've read that an overweight adult should exercise anywhere from 150-300 minutes (2.5-5 hours) per week to lose weight. I don't actually know if the "moderate" pace on my pedometer counts as moderate exercise, or if that 150-300 minutes should be like, running on a treadmill. Usually when I'm looking at my pedometer data, I'm focusing on the time spent at a moderate pace and the caloric estimate, since those are the likeliest indicators of weight loss efficacy.
Where it gets slightly complicated for me is that looking at the time, I should be set, as last week I was at a moderate pace for 4.5 hours and this week it was minimally 3. Calorically, though, the amount I'm exercising seems nowhere near the amount I'd need to burn a pound of fat, without even considering the way I'm eating (i.e. all this exercise must be off-setting calories taken in if I'm to lose weight).
Speaking of Weight
A second page of my spreadsheet has a list of my daily weigh-ins, which I take each morning as I'm getting ready (time permitting). I don't know if it's healthy to weigh oneself every day or not, but it's become a habit over the past few years. I'm aware that the daily fluctuations are most likely to do with water weight and digestive speed more than actual measurable weight losses and gains, but I would like very much to see an overall loss each week.
This week, it's been:
Mon: 182.5
Tues: 183
Wed: 182
Thurs: 184.5
Fri: 182.5
Sat: 182
Last Sunday, I weighed 183.5. I'll have to check in the morning to see if there was a net loss, but as I see between Wednesday and Thursday, it's totally possible for my weight to fluctuate by 2.5 pounds and mean nothing in the grand scheme of things.
I have to remember that my goal is not just to lose weight. I want to be fitter, more active, and to eat better because it's healthier and will let me live a longer, happier life. It's not the fat that is making me unhealthy - it's the poor nutrition, lack of exercise, and other unhealthy behaviors themselves that are destructive. Being overweight is merely a symptom of an unhealthy lifestyle, and I can't treat just that symptom, but rather must address the whole lifestyle if I want to overcome it.
I'm really happy that I went ice skating this week. I'll be happier if I can fit it in again, along with some other exercise this coming week. I persist in the belief that if I make my lifestyle healthier, I will eventually see results toward my weight loss goals too.
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