Working out your activity level?!

TinyBriony

I need help!

I am using the TDEE - 20% method (and had been doing so for some time before starting MFP). I have lost a stone in total, and a further 3 pounds since joining MFP last week. I have about 10 pounds left to lose before hitting my goal weight.

The problem I am having is choosing my activity level for TDEE. I originally set it at lightly active, which allows me about 1600 cals a day. I have been losing weight quite rapidly (about 3 pounds a week), but I have been feeling faint and very tired, and often feeling very hungry. The reason I chose lightly active at first was because I don't really 'work out'. I sometimes go for a jog (about once or twice a week), but that is it.

However, taking into consideration the fact that I walk for 10 minutes to station, stand on train, negotiate underground for an hour, get to work, up and down stairs all day at work, same journey home from work, then go to the yard every night after work, muck out, groom and ride my horse before getting home at around 9 pm and starting cooking etc, I am beginning to wonder whether I should be describing myself as moderately active?

Thoughts please!!

sheepysaccount

Horseback riding is definitely not "lightly active". And all the work that you do preparing for it, grooming, whatnot is more than light activity in my eyes. You'd definitely need moderately active, possibly the next one up.

TinyBriony

Hmm. I guess I don't see it as exercise as it has been part of my life for so many years - I just see it as part of the day! It is a tricky one, I am thinking of trying upping my cals by 100 to see whether I feel any better - the idea of that makes me very nervous though!

3foldchord

I agree, the horse riding and care of the horse bump you up to the next activity level. "Lightly' I think would be normal stuff like laundry, dishes, making lunch, running errand with 1-3 walks a week. OR stick with LIGHT and log/eat back your horse back riding calorie burns.

But the activity level thing always perplexes me. They always give examples for your job it seems "a teacher, a nurse, a construction worker, a desk job."

I am an at home mom/wife who home schools.. But this year I am just homeschooling my youngest (high school) and work 3 days a week at a health food store.

I workout/lift weights3-4 times a week, so was using the TDEE level,of moderate, but didn,t like that. I switched to lightly active to cover my part time job and record every other workout for a calorie burn. This method seems to be working better for me.

It's all trial and error..then readjusting it all over again when life changes.

MinnieInMaine

If you're not sure about going moderately active, you could figure out the average of the light and moderate levels and go with the difference for a smaller increase. Say light gives you 1700 and moderate gives you 1950, you could set it at 1825.

Another thought is that your deficit is too high. With only 10 pounds to lose, you should be at more like 10-15%, not 20%. Reducing your deficit as you get closer to goal will make the transition to maintenance easier.

minizebu

I'm not really sure where the lightly active physical activity level (PAL) (of 1.25) shown on a lot of TDEE calculators really came from.

According to this article ( http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Physical_activity_level ), an extremely inactive person would have a PAL of 1.4.

Here is a link to the FAO Food and Nutrition research that is the source of the article: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/007/y5686e/y5686e00.pdf

Francl27

If you don't have much to lose, move to 15% from TDEE. And yes, definitely moderately active at least! Maybe 100 calories over that...

samammay

If you have been logging food and weight for a while now, you can calculate your TDEE

((Difference in Weight Today and 4 weeks ago) * 3500)/28) + Average(last 4 weeks of calories eaten)

It doesnt have to be 4 weeks. You can use 2 or 8 or whatever. Personally I track my TDEE as the last 4 weeks and base my -20% off of that. This should include all exercise, so dont eat any exercise calories.

sijomial

Why not just base it on your actual results? Online calculators are just estimates.

If you are losing weight too quickly (3lbs a week is far too fast when you don't have much to lose...) and feeling faint and tired it sounds like you need to add a whole load of calories. Just custom set your goal and correct by trial & error.

It will make the transition to maintenance much easier if you slow down your weight loss.

p4ulmiller

Si talks sense as usual.

I set my activity level as sedentary and add my exercise cals either from endomondo (for workouts) or fitbit (for day to day walking about)

TinyBriony

Thanks guys - these are all really good tips.

I think I am going to try adding on 100 cals a day (I was eating 1600 so will try 1700 a day), and go from there. I think I am more active than i realise! I tried letting MFP set my goals and then eating back my calories but I was finding it hard to figure out how many calories I was burning by doing things like mucking out my horse, sweeping the yard, moving hay bales etc as they are not in the system!