Sedentary or Lightly Active

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Michellerw1
Michellerw1 Posts: 367
in Health and Weight Loss
I originally set my goals at "Sedentary" but I am thinking this might need changed. I DO have a desk job, but I get up every hour, walk on my lunch break, and when I get home I am always running around (cooking, cleaning, playing with the dog, etc.). On my days off, I am always on the go as well.

I am wondering if I should change my settings to Lightly Active, OR if it even will make a difference either way. Thoughts?

Replies

  • Mellie13
    Mellie13 Posts: 424
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    I totally get where you are coming from. I used sedentary, but have realized recently that I need to eat more calories, so I just manually adjusted it to add 100 a day. Good luck!
  • lutzsher
    lutzsher Posts: 1,153 Member
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    Im the same way, active, but do have a desk job. I've left mine at sedentary even though I am moving a lot more than I have before. I have a "reminder" that pops up to make sure I get up every hour and do a lap around the office and refill my water but I still don't think that makes a big difference as the majority of time during the day is spent behind my desk.
  • bonnykate
    bonnykate Posts: 123
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    The important thing is that you have an accurate enough estimation of the calories you burn throughout the day so that you don't let your net intake slip below 1200 cals (since below that slows the metabolism, makes your body conserve calories, etc). If you would rather log all of your activities have your base level as sedentary, that's fine, but if that's the case I'd recommend setting your calorie goals to at least 1500. If you really feel like you're lightly active (and it sounds like you certainly could be), I'd recommend setting it there, tracking everything, and then keeping an eye on your weight loss. If it slows, you should probably be a little more active or lower your calorie intake.

    Good luck!
  • 4lafz
    4lafz Posts: 1,078 Member
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    Try it! You can always change it back!
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    I would still say sedentary. I would think of a lightly active job as someplace you're on your feet more. Also, if walking on your lunch is new, I would could it as exercise (as in not something you've always done even before you came here).
  • 00trayn
    00trayn Posts: 1,849 Member
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    I've set mine at sedentary and I tend to log anything extra as exercise. If I go to the mall, I log that as leisurely walking. I don't log short things, but I know that it's a bit of a buffer if I'm near my recommended calories for the day. If I had mine set at lightly active, I would only log deliberate exercise like going to the gym.
  • nehtaeh
    nehtaeh Posts: 2,977 Member
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    I've thought about this as well. While I am actually sedentary during the day at work, I'm not once I get home or on days off. You could figure out the difference between what you would be alotted for sedentary and lightly active and just keep that in your mind.

    Another good choice is to add all activity in as exercise. That would always be above what is in your daily activity already. That might be a more accurate way to account for all you do and you wouldn't have to change anything.

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