Adjust for big day to day variance in activity (or weekends)

Shackleford83

Do you adjust your calories on off days or weekends? This is one thing that is throwing me off with using this sites system. I work in construction and on days I work I think I vary between active and very active, that's easy enough to understand. But days I don't work I'll usually just sit in front of the computer all day. I'm also self-employed so I don't have a set schedule of working 5 or X days in a row. I'll usually work 5 days a week, but sometimes I may end up working 2 or 3, or sometimes 6. There is no way to estimate and it can change on a weekly basis. So this can be a big variance in activity. Logic tells me that having a static calorie goal doesn't make sense in this situation (though the question also stands for weekends when your activity level is different than during the week), but am I missing something or over thinking it? Going from very active to sedentary is about 1000 calories for me according to this site. The sedentary calorie goal is obviously way below what I need for days I work (1550 with 1lb per week loss goal), but the very active and active goal also doesn't seem to make sense if I just sit around that day. I do run pretty much every day, but this site adds those calories into the goal so I don't think that really factors into an activity level decision.

I'm thinking I'm going to edit my activity level in the mornings on a day to day basis. Any other thoughts on dealing with a big variance in activity level? For people without this day to day variance, how do you treat weekends?

I already lost 110lbs without ever logging calories. 45 of those in 2013 when I really started putting effort into cutting and eating better, and at this point am just working to lower BF % and be healthy. I lost my weight just doing what I thought made sense as far as eating less and trying to eat better foods, and being active. I can't argue with results, but I'm not sure I have been eating as healthy as I should (too much calorie deficit and way off on macros) - so that is why I'm checking out this site and logging food.

4legsRbetterthan2

You can either set is at a level that is an average for you, so maybe lightly active if you think it equates to that over the coarse of a week. Like you said you can set it each morning. Or set it low and on days you are working just be fine with going 200 cals over goal.

mumblemagic

I think you have a couple of options:

1. get a fitbit

2. measure your average TDEE by accurately tracking for a long period of time:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1111515-for-the-nerds-in-you-tdee-estimation-with-graphs?hl=TDEE+measurement+with+graphs

3. Set your activity level as your best guess, see if you're losing, adjust activity level downward if you're not, keep same if you are losing at about 1 lb per week, adjust upward if you're losing faster than about 2 lbs per week.

hill8570

I'd just set the base level to your lowest, and treat the more active days as some sort of exercise.