Help me set my activity levels, please.

vatblack

So, I have been going back and forth on my activity level setting here. I just cannot decide which one to use.

Here is what my days look like:
I tidy the house a bit in the mornings, make lunches and get ready for work. All on my feet.
Work for me means either driving long or short distances. At my destination I might walk a lot (nanny for young kids) or sit on a bench while minding them. Then after school, I might sit and wait for my daughter's activities to end or I might be home cleaning (I have 3 big cleaning days a week). On weekend I can be busy or I cannot.

I workout 3 times a week for sure (doing an app called couch to ride 25miles). Some days I swim 30+ but not regularly. Some days I do yoga, but not regularly. The stationary bike workout is the only constant.

Here are the two ways I've done it before now:
1) Sedentary + log iphone steps + housecleaning (never as much time as I acutally spend. I log 30min light housework a day) + workouts. This can sometimes go up to 1000 calories spent a day (I am 350lbs, so caloric burn is high).

2) Lightly active + log only workouts.

What would you do?

jgnatca

I would set the activity level to sedentary and log the steps. That's it.

I run for twenty minutes and burn maybe 200 calories. It takes a lot of exercise to add up to something.

vatblack

I would also like to add that I do not eat all the calories a day. I am often full for the day before I reach the calory suggestions. In the past two weeks, I went over only twice. I work with hunger signals and use the calory counts only as a guide. However, I'd like to be as accurate as I can so that I can reign myself in on days when I seem to eat for comfort. When I need the numbers to guide me because I cannot count on myself. So, I do want the numbers to be good.

jgnatca

My advice doesn't change. You are eating a minimum of 1,200 I hope?

sijomial

2) Lightly active + exercise calories would be my choice.

With the caveats:
- Wouldn't log general activities as exercise.
- After 4 weeks would start to adjust calorie balance based on actual weight loss results.



(PS - there's a lot of sitting in your description of daily life, get up on your feet and move!)

vatblack

Yes, I eat well. After years of starvation diets I refuse to go hungry anymore. My daily goal on light activity is around 2200 a day and on sedentary it is about 1900ish. I always eat over the pre-activity amount but hardly ever do I eat exactly all the calories added up or go over. (I allow myself to go over if I am truly hungry, but mostly I am full before I've used all my calories).

fiddletime

MFP counts normal life. I'd also count the steps. I'd be very low end on your work out calories. 1000 calories seems high for what you've described. If you're losing a pound or two a week and aren't eating back your 1000 then you're fine. But when you get closer to goal weight you'll need to be skimpy with what you record as exercise calories. I record a 24 min run as 200. It's about 4500 steps and is a vigorous work out (my heart rate is at 140).

vatblack

The 1000 calory day was a very, very active day. It was 400 for a heavy workout, plus I spring cleaned the house and the iphone (which I did not carry while cleaning) added a lot of calories. That is NOT the norm. It was a freak day. I should not even have mentioned it.

Usually it is around 600 if I log steps, workout and cleaning.

If daily life is counted, why is house cleaning listed as an activity? I am just curious. That is the exact thing that trips me up. Because I do not clean each day, so ....

There can't be a consistent formula they can use to judge people's daily activity. I mean, I used to sit ALL DAY LONG. I did not clean much before etc. So, my activity levels are waaaayyyyy up.

I am not rooting for one system over the other. I am just trying to understand how MFP works and what setting will give me a better accuracy. All the while I fully understand it is all just estimates anyway.

vatblack

Sijomial, I agree that I still sit a lot. I try to do so less.

I like the idea of adjusting it to actual weight loss in 4 weeks. It is so logical if you actually think about it!!! No matter which system you use, you should eventually adjust!

Christine_72

I honestly don't know why house cleaning is in the data base. People clutching at straws maybe...
I've never logged housework as it's something I do every day.

vatblack

I think it is in there because when people were inactive for years and clean to the point of heavy breathing it is kind of like exercise. When you weigh 300+ pounds, just the job of logging your body is work. We do not come from the same place.

Having said that, I think the key is monitoring and adjusting. I think I'll stick to what I do now which is lightly active + actual workouts only.