I'm a little confused about activity levels

Sora4ever

The activity levels are set up days/week, but wouldn't it be more accurate to determine activity level by how many hours/week a person exercises? If someone exercises 1-3 days a week, each workout could be 20 minutes or 60 minutes. Since 1-3 days/week is categorized as lightly active, the results could be screwed because maybe one person walks slow, and the other sprints. Even if someone works out 1-3 days a week, couldn't they be either more or less active than someone else also doing 1-3 days? Where is the line drawn?

Take me for example. I'm sedentary, however, I try to workout everyday. My workouts consist of 3 days/week of couch to 5k, and the other 4 days walking 3 miles (about 45 mins). So, I range anywhere between 2.5 hours to 5.5 hours (occasionally something will come which prevents me from exercising, or I'll take a rest day) of exercise per week. What kind of activity level is this?

EDIT: MFP has it in 4 different categories: sedentary, lightly active, active, and very active. Before I do any exercise, I'm sedentary. Since I get around 2.5 to 5.5 hours of exercise/week, wouldn't I set it to one of the other 3 options? But which one since they all render different TDEE's? I'm just trying to figure out what my 15% cut would be, and I need my accurate TDEE to do that.

Thanks for the help in advance! =]

heybales

You are exactly correct, not only to your point, but the base non-exercise activity level those days and hours is based on - is sedentary desk job. If more active then the whole thing is off.

The better TDEE tables at least say hours per week, because obviously days is stupid. 1 person doing 3 days of walking 30 min is obviously not the same as a person doing 3 days of running for 90 min.

But to that point, even the charts that say hours per week, 1 hr walking is not 1 hr running as 1 hr lifting.

MFP activity levels are NOT intended for any exercise at all, purely your daily life - so you can't compare to those other TDEE tables.

BTW - don't try to workout every day hard, make some easy days. Your routine now is fine, but as you get fitter and can do more, don't do more every day.

Since everyone recognizes the need to get as exact as possible on the food side of the equation, I tried to get more exact on burn side of the equation.

Spreadsheet on my profile page.
Stay on Simple Setup and Progress tabs only.
Look at example stats is yellow cells, change them to see what changes, then delete all that example data.
Enter your own stats and measurements, use the results of the Bodyfat calc in BF% cell, get your daily and exercise activity put in to Activity Calc, and see Your Results.

Sora4ever

I know I'm nearly a month late, but thank you for responding! I didn't know anyone replied and didn't bother checking back after a few days. I will definitely download your spread sheet. Again, thanks!

After 4 weeks of running and walking (3-5 hours a week) do you think it's appropriate to up my exercising routine? I want to add more walking to my walking days. I'm thinking maybe walking days will be 60-80 mins, and running days will be walking 30 minutes and running C25K (30 minutes). It'll be something like 8 hours a week of exercise. I don't want to over stress my body.

EDIT: So your excel sheet is FREAKIN' AMAZING and it answered pretty much all my questions. Once again, thank you so much.

heybales

The walking as a workout, meaning it puts a stress on your body for your body to improve from the workout - will eventually stop, unless you add a weight vest or add incline.
Because you pretty much max out at speed eventually walking, but even if the weight stays the same and you burn the same calories, all that time is now for maintenance exercise you might say - no improvements from it. Well, obviously endurance by going longer, but that doesn't require more muscle, just more stored energy.

And if you actually lose weight, so you are moving less mass - it's less of a workout then, you will actually go backwards in fitness with walking only as you lose weight, unless you make it more intense somehow.

For now not a bad idea, but as soon as you can run full-time, cut back on time on walking days, increase pace on running days along with keeping the walking warm-up and cool-down.
As pace goes up you'll need the recovery from the walking only days, and if really available time still there - do some upper body resistance training so it gets to enjoy some fun too.