How to log/rate your work?

bunnypanther

Hi,

I am wondering if I am going about this in the right way?

For a start, I'm a Quality Control Technician and work in a lab testing super glue. Yes. I've heard all the "sticky situation" etc jokes

I have got my activity as sedentary at the moment and logging the walking about I do as it varies from day to day. Some days I am whizzing about like my bottom is on fire with barely a chance to sit down for a damn wee, and others I might be mainly desk based.

For example, yesterday I was catching up on paperwork and only wandered for 2 hours, which I would log as the slowest walking (2mph), as sometimes I am walking normally, standing still, walking fast, up and down stairs, etc.
Today I have wandered for 3 hours, including 30 minutes of heaving 5 - 10kg of samples up and down stairs, plus a 30 minute rush around Asda at lunch. So I would log the running round Asda as 3.5mph and the rest as 2mph.

Or do I just change it to lightly active in my goals?

I have been doing it this way since January and lost almost a stone, then I got stuck. Then I put a couple of lb on. Then I weebled about a bit (usual, I have massive fluctuations). My last weight in (Friday) showed a 2lb drop.

AmykinsCatfood

Honestly, I wouldn't even really log it. You could set your activity level as lightly active and just not log exercises, but I just wouldn't bother, or only include half of the time you actually spend "wandering" as you called it, because MFP wildly over estimates calorie burns.

thavoice

I tend to 'Cheat' a bit on calculating/logging work. It probably isnt the way most of you would go about it but personally I put mine as sedentary no matter what and figure out my daily to maintain and strive below that.

That way the days you are more active at work/home it is a nice little surprise, and plus sometimes you can get "paralysis by analysis" meaning you think about it too much.

That is just how it works for me.

miche_smash

It would be easier to change your activity level to lightly active. Because that's what it sounds like to me. It should even out then. No need to keep logging the random walking because it would be figured in. Or you could get a FitBit. I love mine. It would take the guesswork out

Azchange

Your job does not count as exercise. That is what your activity level is for. I walk approximately 3 miles a day at work, with constant stair climbing and some running, and my activity level is set to "Lightly Active." I would personally keep yours at sedentary. I also always ween on the conservative side, so I underestimate calories burned and over estimate calories consumed. The buffer zone I create helps account for human error and anomalies in food weight and calorie count.

cwolfman13

I would just set activity to light active and call it a day. I have a desk job and I'm still light active without any deliberate exercise. Many people who select sedentary aren't really sedentary...sedentary pretty much means you crawl out of bed, go grab some breakfast, then go sit around all day and maybe get up to take a pee a few times and then go back to bed. The vast majority really aren't sedentary.

MomTo3Lovez

I would just set activity to light active and call it a day. I have a desk job and I'm still light active without any deliberate exercise. Many people who select sedentary aren't really sedentary...sedentary pretty much means you crawl out of bed, go grab some breakfast, then go sit around all day and maybe get up to take a pee a few times and then go back to bed. The vast majority really aren't sedentary.

I never thought of it that way, I have a desk job but I am not glued to my desk, I find with getting up to do different tasks I am actually walking a couple of hours a day at work. I think I need to change mine to lightly active, thanks for making this point! :-)

bunnypanther

I think I vary between lightly active and active with the odd bit of desk work thrown in!

surely if you're set at sedentary, if that's basically not moving much at all, which is what I take the word to mean, anything more than sitting my *kitten* could be logged? I basically think of sedentary as a step above hibernation...