Defining Activity Level

cwjohnso9792

I've previously had success losing weight with MyFitnessPal by going fast with a limited calorie intake. However, it didn't stick because of my own habits around food and wine. I am definitely healthier now two years later, but I need to work my way down to a lower BMI again.
Question in setting a goal: Is a 14000 step a day routine considered lightly active, or very active? My other time is more sedentary when I am not walking. I am 57.5 years old and a big guy. When I use the guided set-up I get widely different calorie targets depending on how I define my activity level. Thoughts?

westrich20940

I think this is a hard question for a lot of people and the answer is to do it in the way that makes the most sense to you.

For me, for example, I felt like when I used MFP to automatically give me a calorie goal --- it was really too low for me to stay consistent with. So I used a TDEE calculator to calculate my total daily energy expenditure --- which also asks you to put in your 'activity level'. I have a more-or-less sedentary job (I walk around schools at times, but am not consistently standing/walking) and am fairly sedentary at home when I'm not working out. So I always use 'sedentary' as my activity level and log my workouts (for me, it's running/walking/hiking). And in MFP I manually set my calorie goal. I'm not really actively trying to lose weight now so I'm just eating my TDEE basically.

If you have a job that requires physical activity --- with 14000 steps like you say --- I'd choose either 'lightly active' or 'moderately active'....maybe? But that'll be a guess/estimate and you'd have to stick to that calorie intake for like a month before making a decision about whether it's correct or not.

Lietchi

14000 steps per day is well above lightly active, but if you also have less active days, you'll need to take that into account as well.

Any chance you can sync a step tracker to your account? That way, you can just set your activity level to sedentary and you'll get extra calories on the days you're more active (more steps), if your step count varies from day to day.

ninerbuff

Moderately active.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

nooshi713

14000 is active to very active.

Jacq_qui

I would say whatever level you pick, give it a few weeks and then review it

spiriteagle99

It depends on whether the 14,000 steps is your everyday activity (running around a warehouse at work, for example or around a hospital or classroom) or if the 14,000 is from walks and runs that you don't do every day or do differently on different days (i.e. 5 miles one day, 12 miles on another). If that's the case you would log those as exercise on the days that you do them. Activity level is determined by your non-intentional movement, not intentional exercise. Or you can choose a higher level but don't log specific walks and runs.

heybales

If all of those are outside of exercise, and very avg through the week, like some days more, some less, but avg 14K - that is highest level.

4K below is about where Sedentary stops at top, 6-7K top of Lightly, 9-10 Mod, 12K above Very.

globalc00

Lietchi wrote: »

14000 steps per day is well above lightly active, but if you also have less active days, you'll need to take that into account as well.

Any chance you can sync a step tracker to your account? That way, you can just set your activity level to sedentary and you'll get extra calories on the days you're more active (more steps), if your step count varies from day to day.

This is what I ended up doing. I put my activity level to sedentary, and only log my cycling since that actually burns significant calories. Even when i'm walking on the treadmill for exercise, I dont bother loging it as excercise and just let it count as steps. I don't bother loging weight sessions since they don't burn that many calories. I figure with the inaccuaracies of calories from food loging and the phantom steps that the fitbit may pickup from me working on a computer, it will all even out in the end. Of course, what ultimately matters if your weight is moving the direction you want and adjusting from there.

The down side to this is, if you are trying to plan your meals based on the calories it is givng you, it will seem low since it is assuming you are not going to be moving for most of the day. But after a few days/weeks, you will know how many calories you will end up with after your typical routine.

gisem17

Using 2000 steps = 1 mile
If I add slow walking 2mph for 210 minutes (3.5 hours) as an exercise, according to MFP 14000 steps = 900 calories.
If I change my activity level from "Sedinary" to "Active" MFP gives me an extra 650 calories. Change to "Very Active" and I get 1050 extra calories. So 14000 steps is a little less than "Very Active".
Granted I am using my physical stats to get these numbers. (I am also rounding numbers.) You can do a similar exercise to get numbers specific to you.

nooshi713

gisem17 wrote: »

Using 2000 steps = 1 mile
If I add slow walking 2mph for 210 minutes (3.5 hours) as an exercise, according to MFP 14000 steps = 900 calories.
If I change my activity level from "Sedinary" to "Active" MFP gives me an extra 650 calories. Change to "Very Active" and I get 1050 extra calories. So 14000 steps is a little less than "Very Active".
Granted I am using my physical stats to get these numbers. (I am also rounding numbers.) You can do a similar exercise to get numbers specific to you.

This is good info! Thank you!

AnnPT77

gisem17 wrote: »

Using 2000 steps = 1 mile
If I add slow walking 2mph for 210 minutes (3.5 hours) as an exercise, according to MFP 14000 steps = 900 calories.
If I change my activity level from "Sedinary" to "Active" MFP gives me an extra 650 calories. Change to "Very Active" and I get 1050 extra calories. So 14000 steps is a little less than "Very Active".
Granted I am using my physical stats to get these numbers. (I am also rounding numbers.) You can do a similar exercise to get numbers specific to you.

Good info! One caveat: Steps are a big part of activity level, but folks need to consider other non-step movement, too. (Generic comment, may or may not apply to OP.)

Examples: Walking 10K steps (just walking) is not the same activity as walking 10k steps while fetching heavy boxes and moving them from place to place (like unloading trucks). Sitting at a desk and reading/typing may not be the same activity level as sitting on a stool to do a manufacturing job that involves upper-body reaching/lifting/push-pulling.

Maybe everyone realizes this, but I feel like we sometimes over-emphasize the step component and ignore others, though of course the steps per se are the bigger piece for many people.

heybales

^^^ to add:

Within that activity level is also the calorie burn for digesting food (about 10% of calories eaten), and just being awake above BMR level burn.

Those levels above sedentary though I'd agree are mostly the extra step type activity.