Do you count your calorie as a Sedentary person when losing weight?
Replies
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janejellyroll wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »If you set it to sedentary, you should be sure to log ALL your exercise (including walking, cleaning etc) and then eat back half the calories from exercise for a month or so and then based on your rate of loss, adjust your calories appropriately.
I found it easier to keep it on sedentary because my exercise is sporadic.
cleaning should not be added as an exercise unless you rarely do it. if its something you do in your daily chores then it should be included with your activity level,same with cooking,food prep,etc
If you put in sedentary, it's not counting it. My point was that because I do a lot of cleaning on one day (like hours) and none the next...it makes more sense to keep it on sedentary and count all activity.
"Sedentary" does include *some* activity, which could include cleaning, during the day. It doesn't assume that you are bedridden. Of course, if you're cleaning for hours in a day, that goes beyond regularly daily activity and you should consider that if you're doing it regularly (but if you're cleaning for hours at a time regularly, then I would question whether "sedentary" is the best activity level choice for you).
It's 2500 steps.0 -
unnichaacko wrote: »Ok so, I was confused how to ask it in one sentence discussion title question.
So here goes, when you are trying to lose weight, naturally you will cut calories and work out four to six times a week. So while logging in MFP, do you count your estimated calories in sedentary level and then add your workout calories? Or you log yourself as moderately active and then cut calories from that total amount?
Because if you put sedentary, and you are working out, I figured it gives a very low amount and then that you are eating that low amount in addition to working out. Isn't that really harmful for your body to eat such low calories?
I was confused at first too.
The answer is what is your activity level without exercise? If you mostly sit at a desk you are sedentary. If you are a wait staff / server, work in construction or do some other really physical job you are active.
That sets your calorie need to stay just the way you are. Then you decide how aggressive you want to be with weight loss from 1/2 pound to 2 pounds per week & it gives you a deficit. That is your target. If you exercise that day you get to eat back those calories, not every day, just the day you worked out.
In the beginning when you go from eating huge amounts of food or high calorie grazing all day, you will be hungry & irritable. This is when you start tweaking your program, to time when & what you eat. I don't particularly care for carrots but in the beginning I kept some in the office refrigerator & when the afternoon munchies it, I'd eat 3-5. All that fiber curbed my appetite but at a small calorie intake. Way better & far more nutritious then the afternoon candy bar or soda I used to drink.1 -
janejellyroll wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »If you set it to sedentary, you should be sure to log ALL your exercise (including walking, cleaning etc) and then eat back half the calories from exercise for a month or so and then based on your rate of loss, adjust your calories appropriately.
I found it easier to keep it on sedentary because my exercise is sporadic.
cleaning should not be added as an exercise unless you rarely do it. if its something you do in your daily chores then it should be included with your activity level,same with cooking,food prep,etc
If you put in sedentary, it's not counting it. My point was that because I do a lot of cleaning on one day (like hours) and none the next...it makes more sense to keep it on sedentary and count all activity.
"Sedentary" does include *some* activity, which could include cleaning, during the day. It doesn't assume that you are bedridden. Of course, if you're cleaning for hours in a day, that goes beyond regularly daily activity and you should consider that if you're doing it regularly (but if you're cleaning for hours at a time regularly, then I would question whether "sedentary" is the best activity level choice for you).
It's 2500 steps.
Yep, which is why people who log everyday activities like cooking and cleaning may run the risk of "double dipping" on some days -- MFP is already assuming that you are going to do some movement as part of daily life.2 -
janejellyroll wrote: »janejellyroll wrote: »CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »If you set it to sedentary, you should be sure to log ALL your exercise (including walking, cleaning etc) and then eat back half the calories from exercise for a month or so and then based on your rate of loss, adjust your calories appropriately.
I found it easier to keep it on sedentary because my exercise is sporadic.
cleaning should not be added as an exercise unless you rarely do it. if its something you do in your daily chores then it should be included with your activity level,same with cooking,food prep,etc
If you put in sedentary, it's not counting it. My point was that because I do a lot of cleaning on one day (like hours) and none the next...it makes more sense to keep it on sedentary and count all activity.
"Sedentary" does include *some* activity, which could include cleaning, during the day. It doesn't assume that you are bedridden. Of course, if you're cleaning for hours in a day, that goes beyond regularly daily activity and you should consider that if you're doing it regularly (but if you're cleaning for hours at a time regularly, then I would question whether "sedentary" is the best activity level choice for you).
It's 2500 steps.
Yep, which is why people who log everyday activities like cooking and cleaning may run the risk of "double dipping" on some days -- MFP is already assuming that you are going to do some movement as part of daily life.
We'll just agree to disagree then. It worked for me losing 2 pounds a week. It's an option.
(and the once a week cleaning here is a solid workout
) 0 -
unnichaacko wrote: »unnichaacko wrote: »In my case, I am a pretty small person to begin with, 5', and weight hovers around 105-108. And being an animator I usually work 10/12 hours a day which should consider as sedentary I know but I always remember to get up from my chair every 45 minutes to do 5-10 push-ups/1 minute plank and some 2 minutes walk. I also am training for semi-professional ultimate which is four hours a week, in addition to that, I play soccer once a week, do manage to do two HIIT cardio a week and a very recent attempt of lifting 3 times a week. Now I accounted myself as sedentary and the amount that it gave me was so low, I don't think I ate that low even in my early teen. Even then, i followed it for five days and I feel my back is dying due to low amount of calories because I have been told there's nothing called over exercising but there's under eating. I think I am under eating at 1600/1700 calories. But my friend thinks, considering my height and weight, its the right amount of calories, if not more. So here I am, very confused.
Are you logging all your exercise? What did you set your goal at? For only losing a little bit it should be set at half a pound per week, otherwise you'll risk losing muscle instead of fat.
This is where I mixed up. I did add my exercise/activity (soccer/training) calories but I did not eat those up. I ate the amount it recommended which was 1580, so I ate about 1600 every day where I think most days after adding my activity I had about 2100/2300 calories, 3000 calories on a day even.
Did you lose weight when you did this? If you lost more than you expected, then definitely add some calories back in. However, if you lost less than expected, then you are either underestimating your calories in, overestimating your calories out, or some combination of the two.
I checked my weight this morning after reading your comment, I am at 104 and I started at 105, and its been only five days. I think for my height and weight, it's a lot too much to lose one pound in five days. And that gives me the idea that I was indeed under eating. And like I mentioned before, I have never eaten this few calories. This isn't working for me. I joined MFP not to lose weight but to to log food because I am super hungry after training and I always end up eating junks when I am hungry but after logging food in MFP, I am conscious of what I am putting in myself since I have to log them down later. But this few calories won't work for me.0 -
BinaryPulsar wrote: »The calories that mfp sets are just one calculation. I personally had a big problem with undereating by following mfp. I did the TDEE method (fat2fitradio is a good calculator). But, even with that I need to eat in the athlete range of 2000 to 2300 calories a day to maintain my weight. Whether I exercise or not. I'm 5'2", 102 pounds, in my late 30's. So, it's not necessarily true that petite, low weight people need to eat less. Just something to keep in mind if you feel underfed. If I want to lose weight (I don't) I would eat 1800 to 1900.
This is something I gotta tell my friend. Not all petite people need fewer calories. It's partly metabolism also I am assuming.1 -
unnichaacko wrote: »So while logging in MFP, do you count your estimated calories in sedentary level and then add your workout calories?
Yes.unnichaacko wrote: »Because if you put sedentary, and you are working out, I figured it gives a very low amount and then that you are eating that low amount in addition to working out. Isn't that really harmful for your body to eat such low calories?
Yes ... MFP gives you a low base amount.
But then you add your exercise calories to that.
If I exercise an hour or two, I might eat 50% of my exercise calories back.
If I exercise 2 or 3 hours, I might eat 75% of my exercise calories back.
If I exercise for more than about 3 hours, I'll probably eat somewhere in the 90% range.
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You have an activity level ..how much you move, walk, do basic housework, go to work, go out etc
And then you have purposeful exercise..workouts, jogging, swimming etc
MFP is set to estimate the first and give you a target to reach without the second. so you add the second on top
I don't see why that is so complicated0 -
unnichaacko wrote: »BinaryPulsar wrote: »The calories that mfp sets are just one calculation. I personally had a big problem with undereating by following mfp. I did the TDEE method (fat2fitradio is a good calculator). But, even with that I need to eat in the athlete range of 2000 to 2300 calories a day to maintain my weight. Whether I exercise or not. I'm 5'2", 102 pounds, in my late 30's. So, it's not necessarily true that petite, low weight people need to eat less. Just something to keep in mind if you feel underfed. If I want to lose weight (I don't) I would eat 1800 to 1900.
This is something I gotta tell my friend. Not all petite people need fewer calories. It's partly metabolism also I am assuming.
If by metabolism, you mean she's quite active, and probably has a lot of lean muscle mass then yes.1 -
You have an activity level ..how much you move, walk, do basic housework, go to work, go out etc
And then you have purposeful exercise..workouts, jogging, swimming etc
MFP is set to estimate the first and give you a target to reach without the second. so you add the second on top
I don't see why that is so complicated
For some people mfp sets the calories too low. Even the highest activity level is too low for me. Even when I was injured, so I was sedentary. And the exercise calories option isn't the best for everyone if they log all their exercise at the end of the day. The TDEE method based on calculations outside of mfp has worked best for me for over four years.0 -
unnichaacko wrote: »BinaryPulsar wrote: »The calories that mfp sets are just one calculation. I personally had a big problem with undereating by following mfp. I did the TDEE method (fat2fitradio is a good calculator). But, even with that I need to eat in the athlete range of 2000 to 2300 calories a day to maintain my weight. Whether I exercise or not. I'm 5'2", 102 pounds, in my late 30's. So, it's not necessarily true that petite, low weight people need to eat less. Just something to keep in mind if you feel underfed. If I want to lose weight (I don't) I would eat 1800 to 1900.
This is something I gotta tell my friend. Not all petite people need fewer calories. It's partly metabolism also I am assuming.
If by metabolism, you mean she's quite active, and probably has a lot of lean muscle mass then yes.
Haha, I meant, I need to tell this to my friend who told me that 1600 calories is enough for my height.2 -
BinaryPulsar wrote: »You have an activity level ..how much you move, walk, do basic housework, go to work, go out etc
And then you have purposeful exercise..workouts, jogging, swimming etc
MFP is set to estimate the first and give you a target to reach without the second. so you add the second on top
I don't see why that is so complicated
For some people mfp sets the calories too low. Even the highest activity level is too low for me. Even when I was injured, so I was sedentary. And the exercise calories option isn't the best for everyone if they log all their exercise at the end of the day. The TDEE method based on calculations outside of mfp have worked best for me for over four years.
There are many of reasons why a person does not line up to MFP calories; the Mifflin St Jeor doesn't account for body composition and people inaccurately access their activity level (i know a lot of people who chose sedentary even though they move a lot), etc... This is why it's important to have a feedback loop and modify calories based on actual results. MFP underestimates my maintenance (on the low side) by about 300 calories.
Also, when you are injured, your metabolism increase (similar to weight training) as a means to repair your body and get it back to normal. From the stuff I have seen, it can be a few hundred calories.2 -
unnichaacko wrote: »In my case, I am a pretty small person to begin with, 5', and weight hovers around 105-108. And being an animator I usually work 10/12 hours a day which should consider as sedentary I know but I always remember to get up from my chair every 45 minutes to do 5-10 push-ups/1 minute plank and some 2 minutes walk. I also am training for semi-professional ultimate which is four hours a week, in addition to that, I play soccer once a week, do manage to do two HIIT cardio a week and a very recent attempt of lifting 3 times a week. Now I accounted myself as sedentary and the amount that it gave me was so low, I don't think I ate that low even in my early teen. Even then, i followed it for five days and I feel my back is dying due to low amount of calories because I have been told there's nothing called over exercising but there's under eating. I think I am under eating at 1600/1700 calories. But my friend thinks, considering my height and weight, its the right amount of calories, if not more. So here I am, very confused.
Not meaning to come across as judgmenttal but your weight is 105 to 108 but you want to lose weight?0 -
BinaryPulsar wrote: »You have an activity level ..how much you move, walk, do basic housework, go to work, go out etc
And then you have purposeful exercise..workouts, jogging, swimming etc
MFP is set to estimate the first and give you a target to reach without the second. so you add the second on top
I don't see why that is so complicated
For some people mfp sets the calories too low. Even the highest activity level is too low for me. Even when I was injured, so I was sedentary. And the exercise calories option isn't the best for everyone if they log all their exercise at the end of the day. The TDEE method based on calculations outside of mfp have worked best for me for over four years.
There are many of reasons why a person does not line up to MFP calories; the Mifflin St Jeor doesn't account for body composition and people inaccurately access their activity level (i know a lot of people who chose sedentary even though they move a lot), etc... This is why it's important to have a feedback loop and modify calories based on actual results. MFP underestimates my maintenance (on the low side) by about 300 calories.
Also, when you are injured, your metabolism increase (similar to weight training) as a means to repair your body and get it back to normal. From the stuff I have seen, it can be a few hundred calories.
Yeah, four years ago my husband did an assessment of what he perceived to be my activity level and accounted for my low body fat. He came up with that I could eat up to 2300. And he was right based on my experience. I was losing weight at 1800 to 1900. Mfp would set me lower.0 -
Steph38878 wrote: »unnichaacko wrote: »In my case, I am a pretty small person to begin with, 5', and weight hovers around 105-108. And being an animator I usually work 10/12 hours a day which should consider as sedentary I know but I always remember to get up from my chair every 45 minutes to do 5-10 push-ups/1 minute plank and some 2 minutes walk. I also am training for semi-professional ultimate which is four hours a week, in addition to that, I play soccer once a week, do manage to do two HIIT cardio a week and a very recent attempt of lifting 3 times a week. Now I accounted myself as sedentary and the amount that it gave me was so low, I don't think I ate that low even in my early teen. Even then, i followed it for five days and I feel my back is dying due to low amount of calories because I have been told there's nothing called over exercising but there's under eating. I think I am under eating at 1600/1700 calories. But my friend thinks, considering my height and weight, its the right amount of calories, if not more. So here I am, very confused.
Not meaning to come across as judgmenttal but your weight is 105 to 108 but you want to lose weight?
Haha, I never said I want to lose weight. I have joined very recently and that is only because my health and performance are suffering because of my poor food choice. But after creating the account, I feel accountable because I am logging my food to the diary which is making me make good choices in general.
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I have mine set to sedentary because I sit at a desk all day. The majority of my fitbit calories (that I eat most or more of back) come from purposely exercising and taking the long way to the car and potty =D0
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