Activity Level Help

sbl1881

I'm still struggling with the correct activity level to choose. Any help would be much appreciated.

Female, 5'3, 36 years old
CW: 142
GW: 130

I've plugged my numbers into both the Scooby website calculator and Heybales (MFP user) spreadsheet and came up with the following.

Scooby (assumes 1-3 hrs light exercise per week)
BMR: 1306; TDEE: 1796; TDEE-10%: 1616

Heybales spreadsheet (assumes # of minutes working out each week and desk job w/ no kids)
BMR: 1303; TDEE: 1798; TDEE-10%: 1618

They're almost identical, but I just don't know if the activity level is right. I workout 5 times per week currently.

Stronglifts 5x5 - 35 minutes, 3 times per week
HIIT - 30 minutes, 2 times per week

Based on everything above, should I be considered Lightly active because I'm in the 1-3 hrs of exercise per week? Moderately active because the workouts are more intensive? Somewhere in between?

Thanks!

kirayng2

What do you do for work? Or do those calculators disregard that and only count exercise?

TavistockToad

I'd start with 1600 cals for 4-6 weeks and then recalculate bases on what the scales are doing?

sbl1881

The spreadsheet had a choice between desk job and no kids/pets or desk job with kids/pets. I chose desk job, no kids because I don't have any. The website just had exercise, but it probably assumes desk job.

savithny

If you're not doing anything other than 1-3 hours of exercise a week, I would put yourself down as "sedentary" and then count exercise and eat some o the calories back.

All the evidence suggests that if you spend most of your time at a desk or on a sofa, you're sedentary even if you go exercise for 30 minutes a few times a week.