I have no idea what to set my activity level to??

pianochick5254

I'm a housekeeper at a hotel and I'm on my feet for about 6-8 hours a day with only a stop for lunch. I lug around a big cart with tons of sheets and towels, scrub bathrooms, make beds with heavy blankets, dust, vacuum, etc. I'm EXHAUSTED when I get home from work and I had my activity level set to the third option which is active like a waitress or mailman. A friend who uses this thinks I should up my activity level to the highest option which is in the same category as bike messenger or carpenter. I just need an idea what you guys think? My weight loss hasn't budged since I started this job earlier this week and I was sticking the light activity level. I just raised it yesterday but do you think I should raise it higher? I'm just confused because I looked up the calorie burn for moderate light cleaning and it said 1400 calories were burned and I know I'm running around cleaning as fast as possible all day so I would put it more on the vigorous level which is like 1600 a day. Input?

Branstin

I would go with the more conservative option to start. Are you accurately tracking your calories?

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants

terbusha

What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~1600 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for a week. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.

Allan

4legsRbetterthan2

1. A week is not enough time to tell if your plan is being successful.
2. If your weight is not going down then increasing your calorie intake will not be the correct direction to move.

Stick to your calorie goal for at least a solid month, log accurately, and see where you are at that point. If you are not seeing appropriate results then adjust accordingly.

Readings you may find helpful:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1080242-a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

~Best wishes