TDEE activity level - Asked a million times I know but some help please?

1976lh

So, I've used the search function and I can't find anything that is answering my question so thought I would ask here and hope that one of you can help me.

In the past I have always set my activity level as sedentary to work out daily calories as I work at home and have added exercise calories using an HRM. All great and works well.

Now I have changed roles and am doing house renovations for a few weeks at a time without much time for set exercise with an HRM. I know I am using more calories on a general daily basis but I'm not sure whether to set myself as lightly active or active during these periods of renovation.

On a typical day I will be on my feet for 8 or 9 hours. My activity is usually based around decorating activity - scrapping off wallpaper, painting rooms, rubbing down and painting wood work, clearing and sweeping the mess at the end of each day. I have about a 20 minute sit down to eat sandwiches during the day. This is compared to most of the day sat at a desk with some household chores thrown in.

I don't have much weight to lose, I'm currently fluctuating between 151 and 155 and want to be back to about 147 (I'm female and 5'9").

So my question is as I am getting quite hungry on sedentary calories (with about a 200 cal per day deficit) can I set my activity level higher during these times when I'm renovating and if you think the answer is 'yes', what do you think it should be?

Thanks in advance!

DeguelloTex

If you eat the same as before, do you gain weight? Eat less. Lose weight? Eat more. Stay the same? Eat the same.

Activity levels are just estimates. Reality is a better basis for decisions.

1976lh

Thanks for your reply.

I am losing slowly, it's been made more difficult to measure weight as a recent trip to the South African Cape and it's winelands resulted in a bit of gain! That has now gone but all the time I am renovating I'm away from the scales so I only get to get on the scales once a fortnight at the moment.

Reality is that I'm hungry! Joking aside I suppose I feel I need permission to eat more which is completely ridiculous for an almost 40 year old woman! Maybe I'll take a closer look at what's going in to keep me fuller for longer and start there.

Again, thanks for your input.

DeguelloTex

If you are more active and more hungry, it probably makes sense to eat more. Even if you don't have a scale, judging by how your clothes fit or whatever would probably be a better measure than trying to guess about the right activity level on MFP.

1976lh

You're right, I know my body well enough to know when it's getting bigger so why not the other way around?!

G33K_G1RL

If you are always hungry, increase your protein intake and cut up some veggies to munch on.

It's the best solution I found for my own hunger issues as I got closer to goal.