Activity Level Help

niveaacosta958

Hi y’all!

So I’m 5ft, 120lbs and trying to get back down to 110lbs. I walk 5 miles every morning (a little more than 10,000 steps) but due to COVID, my lifestyle isn’t much when I’m home. By the day’s end, I’m at 13,000 steps (usually).

I originally had “Not very active” set and it gave me 1,200 calories. It was fine for a couple of days but then it felt like I was legitimately starving so I brought it to lightly active and it only gave me 1,220 calories a day.

Ideally, I’d like to lose a pound a week but even then, 1,220 calories seems to little. Is my activity level moderate (active) or should I bring down my goal to half a pound? Active would give me 1,430 calories whereas half a pound and lightly active brings me to 1,470.

I wish activity levels were measured in steps lol

Also, I don’t know if this helps but my 5 miles are completed in an hour and a half—a little more than two hours.

cmriverside

Activity levels are *somewhat* related to steps.

Are you using some electronic body tracking device? If so, there are guidelines to setting them up correctly with MFP.

I'll give you the link to the Fitbit Group. Check out the FAQ that tells you how to set it up.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

niveaacosta958

cmriverside wrote: »

Activity levels are *somewhat* related to steps.

Are you using some electronic body tracking device? If so, there are guidelines to setting them up correctly with MFP.

I'll give you the link to the Fitbit Group. Check out the FAQ that tells you how to set it up.

https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

I’m using my iPhone to track my steps. I know those aren’t completely active but when I’ve gone with a household member who has a FitBit, they were very similar in number.

cmriverside

Okay, so pick a number. 1430 or 1470 are good.

On this site, daily regular activity is what the "activity level" means. Exercise earns you more calories.

Do not sync your iPhone with Myfitnesspal, they don't play well together. I think you can use a side app to sync them - Pacer, maybe?

With ten pounds to lose, don't expect to lose one pound per week. A half pound is good, if you can even accomplish that.

I would probably set my calories at 1400 and then on those exercise days I'd add 150-200 extra calories, so on exercise days, eat 1550-1600. Try to log food as accurately as you possibly can.

Do that for 4-6 weeks so you have good trending data. Adjust at the end of that time based on your results.

PAV8888

Very active based on 13K steps. Due to most of them being during a single walk you might fall to high end of active instead of mid of very active.

These are all estimates. Weight trend vs expected based on calories logged determines applicability of estimates to particular person.

Also with 10lbs to lose and a relatively small tdee the fact that 1lb a week is ok for most doesn't make it ideal for you.

I lost my last 13lbs to within the top end (not even mid to low) BMI at less than a -250 deficit.

It took some time. So what? It's not like I get to not manage my weight moving forward once I get to goal weight.

Feeling that it is too steep of a deficit and is negatively affecting your energy and life is probably a bit of the opposite of what you want to achieve.

aim for -500 from very active, use weight trend application to smooth water weight variation, accept any slower than that movement towards desired goal, even if only 0.25, heck even if only 0.125lbs a week as long as you're sustainably moving incrementally closer to where you want to be.

Alternatively aim for -250 from active (weight trend app or averaging of weight measurements still very recommended)

cmriverside

Here's an Apple Watch Group, check it out, there may be more info...https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/105890-apple-watch-users

cmriverside

PAV8888 wrote: »

Very active based on 13K steps. Due to most of them being during a single walk you might fall to high end of active instead of low mid of very active.

These are all estimates. Weight trend vs expected based on calories logged determines applicability of estimates to particular person.

Also with 10lbs to lose and a relatively small tdee the fact that 1lb a week is ok for most doesn't make it ideal for you.

I lost my last 13lbs to within the top end (not even mid to low) BMI at less than a -250 deficit.

It took some time. So what? It's not like I get to not manage my weight moving forward once I get to goal weight.

Feeling that it is too steep of a deficit and is negatively affecting your energy and life is probably a bit of the opposite of what you want to achieve.

aim for -500 from very active, use weight trend application to smooth water weight variation, accept any slower than that movement towards desired goal, even if only 0.25, heck even if only 0.125lbs a week as long as you're sustainably moving incrementally closer to where you want to be.

Alternatively aim for -250 from active (weight trend app or averaging of weight measurements still very recommended)

You make no mention of how Myfitnesspal treats Activity Level and Exercise?

heybales

From that number of steps then, calling it increased daily activity rather than logging exercise - you would be top activity level.
And that's a good way to handle it, rather than attempting to log the walks as exercise. Some days may be lower, some days higher.

Lightly-Active starts 3500-6000 roughly (depending on distance which is where the extra calories really comes from)
Active 6000 to 8500.
Very Active on up.

So you are at least Active, if not very-active

If you were to log the walk as exercise for distance or pace - you'd probably be get more calories outright.

With only 10 lbs to go - reasonable loss rate would be 1/2 lb weekly, 250 cal deficit.

So no wonder you shocked your body so bad in such a short time - massively underrated your activity level, took a much bigger deficit - though it appears MFP cut you off at 1200 so would need more numbers to know how much you actually got.
But a whole lot more than 250.

That Active level would probably set you for around daily burn 1930 (if age was 25).
So 250 deficit means daily eating goal around 1680.

And that may same huge to the 1200 you were attempting - but likely not.

PAV8888

cmriverside wrote: »

PAV8888 wrote: »

Very active based on 13K steps. Due to most of them being during a single walk you might fall to high end of active instead of low mid of very active.

These are all estimates. Weight trend vs expected based on calories logged determines applicability of estimates to particular person.

Also with 10lbs to lose and a relatively small tdee the fact that 1lb a week is ok for most doesn't make it ideal for you.

I lost my last 13lbs to within the top end (not even mid to low) BMI at less than a -250 deficit.

It took some time. So what? It's not like I get to not manage my weight moving forward once I get to goal weight.

Feeling that it is too steep of a deficit and is negatively affecting your energy and life is probably a bit of the opposite of what you want to achieve.

aim for -500 from very active, use weight trend application to smooth water weight variation, accept any slower than that movement towards desired goal, even if only 0.25, heck even if only 0.125lbs a week as long as you're sustainably moving incrementally closer to where you want to be.

Alternatively aim for -250 from active (weight trend app or averaging of weight measurements still very recommended)

You make no mention of how Myfitnesspal treats Activity Level and Exercise?

Nope.

Because it is a valid strategy especially for walking.

And dealing with net walking calories for walking would make it more not less complicated due to it being high duration and relatively low output per minute.

you are right however that I'm making the assumption that the walking is every single day whereas your recommendation takes into account some days when walking does not take place.

cmriverside

PAV8888 wrote: »

cmriverside wrote: »

PAV8888 wrote: »

Very active based on 13K steps. Due to most of them being during a single walk you might fall to high end of active instead of low mid of very active.

These are all estimates. Weight trend vs expected based on calories logged determines applicability of estimates to particular person.

Also with 10lbs to lose and a relatively small tdee the fact that 1lb a week is ok for most doesn't make it ideal for you.

I lost my last 13lbs to within the top end (not even mid to low) BMI at less than a -250 deficit.

It took some time. So what? It's not like I get to not manage my weight moving forward once I get to goal weight.

Feeling that it is too steep of a deficit and is negatively affecting your energy and life is probably a bit of the opposite of what you want to achieve.

aim for -500 from very active, use weight trend application to smooth water weight variation, accept any slower than that movement towards desired goal, even if only 0.25, heck even if only 0.125lbs a week as long as you're sustainably moving incrementally closer to where you want to be.

Alternatively aim for -250 from active (weight trend app or averaging of weight measurements still very recommended)

You make no mention of how Myfitnesspal treats Activity Level and Exercise?

Nope.

Because it is a valid strategy especially for walking.

And dealing with net walking calories for walking would make it more not less complicated due to it being high duration and relatively low output per minute

It comes out about the same.

I just use MFP the way it is designed. If the walking is not accounted for in exercise and is accounted for as part of the Activity Level, it's still the same calories (if she sets it to "Lose 1/2 pound per week.") It just sounded to me as if the walk was something she did for fun/exercise.

PAV8888

I will also add that if the steps come from a cell phone the likelihood is that the steps at home are underestimated, which would make it more likely that very active should be the base if everything gets lumped together.

@cmriverside is correct that mfp would suggest sedentary (lowest) activity setting.

Plus full NET exersise calories eaten for the walk (1.5 hours @ x miles speed)

NET calories would be the walk exercise calories given minus (1.25 * BMR), assuming MFP is set to sedentary and would change with different base MFP settings.

BMR can be determined using https://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools/bmr-calculator)

Whereas that's what mfp intends you to do, when selecting walking as an exercise you will get the gross not net value for the exercise, which means you have to leave some of the gross calories on the table and do the calculation yourself, or pick an arbitrary percentage which is a large part of where "always eat only 50% of your exercise calories" comes from...

... and not getting into all this is why I went with the activity level instead given the particulars of walking.

niveaacosta958

Thanks for everyone’s advice guys. I think I’m going to put active and lose half a pound a week. Sorry if my question seems a little ignorant in the matter. I’m new to all of this.

PAV8888

Nothing to be sorry about as you can see there is even some discussion between long-term users