I went for a walk this morning with my dogs. I walked at a moderate pace for about 45 minutes on mostly flat sidewalk. According to Lose It, I burned 102 calories. Not too shabby, it's not like I broke a sweat or even huffed and puffed.
But, it's interesting to actually know that number. It goes back to my 'it's the little things' thoughts. How 100 calories a day can make a difference, either direction. If I didn't change anything else about my eating, but did this little walk every day, then I'd probably lose a pound in about a month.
I really like knowing that number. So, I get a little compulsive about these numbers, but it also prevents me from justifying overeating because of my exercise. I can't say that I walked this morning and therefore I can justify the chocolate cake tonight. I know that the two don't balance. Now, I can justify the chocolate cake if I make a few other changes to my day and include a walk, but not by the walk alone. So I didn't actually have plans for chocolate cake tonight, but maybe now I'm wanting some ;-).
When I was younger, my mom would always encourage me to count calories. I always brushed off the idea. The thought of writing food down in a journal and looking up calorie information in a book was awful to me. Now with the tools at my fingertips from the internet and my Lose It app, it's so much more seamless to my activities. It's easy.