Activity level vs step tracking?

jordanmeyer89

So as I review my diary from last week I know I was adding the calories from walking according to my Samsung watch and Google fit for confirmation.


Now I am stuck wondering if I should have my diary on lowest setting if I will be adding these calories or if lightly active is still okay. I won't normally add steps but just special cases when I am a tourist and walking for hours etc.

I will add my normal exercising to diary but wasn't sure if it is better to add calories from steps daily and drop to sedentary , add steps daily and remain under lightly active, ignore steps and stay lightly active.

fr33sia12

Are you sat down when you're not exercising or do you have a job where you're stood up or moving around a lot?
If you're not very active when not exercising and log your exercise I would set it at sedentary, if you are active when not exercising and log your exercise set it to light active.

lemurcat12

Doesn't really matter. If you have a consistent level of walking that is more than sedentary, I think it makes sense to use that -- I learned I was lightly active and used that back when I used to add back exercise (I do TDEE method now). If you have a device that syncs with MFP, it's probably easiest to do sedentary and let it add calories. If you vary a lot day to day I'd probably do the lowest level that you do and add back calories when it's more.

Pam_1965

I am set to Lightly Active, as I am a teacher and on my feet most of the day. After I reach whatever steps MFP/Fitbit thinks is enough to be Lightly Active I start getting calories back. Usually after 2500 steps. When I am set at Sedentary I just got exercise calories sooner, but I also was given fewer calories to start with, so in my opinion it all comes out in the wash!