college student trying to get this right! Am I sedentary or lightly active?

r5d5

I have a tendency to ramble...sorry. So my question off the bat is should I claim to be sedentary or lightly active?

I'm a college student, I live on campus, but I walk to class. I've timed it, and I spend about 20 to 25 minutes each day, four times a week, walking to and from classes. On the weekends I probably do less. I'm sitting for about 8 hours a day and then probably another 4 to 6 at night when I come from class and am doing homework.

I've been using myfitnesspal for a while now, so I have a pretty decent grasp of how it works, what I should be doing (CICO, use a scale-I have one, weight lifting, ect...).
What I'm not too sure about is what exactly I should claim my activity level to be, and this makes a huge difference, because if I am "sedentary" I eat 1350, but if I'm "lightly active" I should eat 1500.

I do additional exercise 30 to 60 min a day, but I don't use the TDEE method with myfitnesspal, I have it set up to just calculate my calorie needs without exercise.
My weight loss as of late has been rather slow, like .5 every 3 weeks, if that.
So I could use some feedback please!
(I have my diary set to private for personal reasons, that won't be opening up. But I assure you I have and use my scale for everything, and if do I exceed my intake, it's only by about 50-100 calories.)

Thanks for the help!

bennetna

This website has a really great breakdown to help you figure out your activity level: http://antranik.org/proper-activity-level-for-calorie-intake

When you say additional exercise what do you mean? And how long have you been trying to lose weight? Its possible you've hit a plateau in which case you need to increase the intensity and frequency of your exercise.

Also, try to remember that weight and fat are not the same thing - muscle weighs more than fat and if you are doing regular strength training, that could be reflected on the scale.

r5d5

Thanks for the help!
I've been trying to lose for about a year or so now. I probably do need to increase the intensity of my workout. Good suggestion!! (I do cardio, running and elliptical, free weights). I haven't really changed up my workout much. ( I cycle it, but I do the same stuff.)

r5d5

Based on that website, I'd say I'm more active than sedentary, but perhaps on the days I am more sedentary, I'll just consume less! Thanks!

mathandcats

All the numbers given by websites about how much to eat and how active you are are just estimates - you should ultimately go by what is reflected on the scale (or whatever metric you prefer). If you want to lose faster than 0.5lbs/3 weeks, you should probably either eat a bit less or exercise a bit more. But you probably shouldn't aim for more than 2lbs/month or so, assuming your 15lb to go is to a healthy weight.

Liftng4Lis

lightly active

mom2ava07

Like you, I'm unsure of what activity level I really am. I have a desk job, but I basically don't sit down when I'm home. I went with sedentary just to be safe, and figure any logged exercise would be more accurate. Then I eat back half of those calories sometimes.

r5d5

Thanks for the responses!
Yeah, I totally understand wanting to play it on the safe side, I did that initially. But lately my energy has felt a bit zapped so I'm wondering if I'm not eating enough.
But then it's frustrating not losing that .5 a week.
I don't want to rush things, I know that's not helpful.
And I am at a healthy body weight, but physically I could be smaller. According to BMI I'm "healthy," but I think individual bodies differ, and I know I would be better at a lower weight.