What is my Activity Level?

schatzbecky2014
schatzbecky2014 Posts: 9 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all! I am trying to make sure I am set up correct for MFP and I was curious about what to put for my activity level. I work in an office and sit the majority of my day (I do try to get around 3500 steps in a day) and then I work out at night usually 30 minutes of walk/run. I have a fit bit and I try to hit the 10k steps a day (some days are better than others but good for the most part). According to my fit bit, I average around 2400 calories burned a day.

Am I ligthly active?

Replies

  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
    I work out nearly every day, plus I have to walk my dogs daily, but I have set mine to sedentary as I do not want MFP to allow me too many calories. Seems to work for me.
    Stef.
    P.S. I have a fitbit but I ignore the amount of calories I "apparently" burn a day, just to be on the safe side. It helps though to get a rough idea of how many calories you burn daily if you look at the monthly averages.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Honestly? If your fitbit tells you 2400 in average, I'd just eat a set goal of 1900, and just adjust as you lose to keep a 500 deficit.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I have a Fitbit too. Do you have it synced to MFP? I revised my goals this week and this is what I did:

    I set MFP to lightly active and lose 1 pound a week. It syncs w/ Fitbit and adds or subtracts a calorie adjustment based on my activity level. (I had to enable negative calories.) My logic is this is a way to 'judge' my activity level. I want to be active enough to earn extra calories - so I figure that's a way to make sure that my overall activity is AT LEAST lightly active. I don't want to live a sedentary lifestyle even though I have a sedentary job. Been lazy all my life, don't want to let that natural tendency to take control.

    I don't have a very large TDEE - the plan has me at an initial MFP calorie goal of eating 1450 per day. I've found thru trial & error that 1400-1600 is a good range for me.

    I like to 'earn' extra calories. May or may not eat them depending on how I feel. I figure its a good way to make sure I AM at a good deficit, as any calorie burn estimate could easily be off.
  • kagevf
    kagevf Posts: 509 Member
    seems like you are more ACTIVE level
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    I think in time my goal will be to change to Active and still manage to earn extra calories.
  • schatzbecky2014
    schatzbecky2014 Posts: 9 Member
    Yup I have it synced. Just trying to find out what is a good net calorie goal for each day. Right now I am doing 1200 but worried that is too low. I am eating back whatever my activity adjustment is from fitbit to be right at 1200.
  • _cdaley
    _cdaley Posts: 79 Member
    I have MFP set to sedentary, which gives me about 1400/cal a day for 1lb a week weight loss. I then sync MFP with my fitbit and eat back some of the exercise calories it shows I have burned. I end up eating between 1600-1700/cals most days using this method. I usually burn about 700 cal/day exercising as I live in a city and have been walking everywhere (around 17,000 steps a day) because it is finally nice out. So truly, my activity level is lightly active, and before I got my fit bit I had it set as such, which had me at 1650/cal a day for 1lb weight loss. On days when I actually hit the gym on top of walking, I enter that in fit bit separately and then I eat a bit more, up to 2000/cal depending on my workout. Seems to be working well so far with 5 lb weight loss over 3 weeks. I like the fit bit, it motivates me to walk everywhere instead of hopping on the bus! I'm not sure if this is the correct method but it seems to be working well.

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