Sedentary vs. Lightly Active

schatzbecky2014

Looking for some guidance on my activity level.... I sit at an office all day (usually try to get 4000 steps in while at work) then I work out 5 times a week (get over 10000 steps).

Should I be listed as sedentary or lightly active? I am currently netting 1200 calories and from what I see people talking about that is too low. I am trying to lose 2lbs a week for right now.

MyMalfunction7

I would say sedentary, if you're logging and/or eating back your exercise calories. The activity levels, I think, are supposed to account for the daily activities that you don't log - if you stand all day at work, for example, or do hard physical labor. For an office job, sedentary and logging your exercise calories seems like the most accurate route.

Branstin

Sedentary is for people who basically don’t exercise at all. Most people are at least “Lightly Active” because even though they have a desk job, they still burn some calories by moving around in the office, shopping, housework, running behind their children, etc.

Captain_Wobbles

I got your back. Today im going to teach you how to calculate your PAL (Physical Activity Level)
First Get your estimated BMR, easy enough since MFP does a proper job of estimating it for you.
Next find a decent TDEE calculator online. One that has a bunch of options to enter what you do on an average day. (ie time spent standing, sitting , walking, sleeping etc.)
Once you get that use this equation (PAL = TDEE / BMR )
plug in your numbers and if the final answer is:
less than 1.4=Inactive
1.4 - 1.69=Sedentary:
1.70 - 1.99=Moderately active
2 - 2.4=Vigorously active
greater than 2.4=Extremely active

hope this helps


Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how_7264020_calculate-physical-activity-level.html

jlc102980

Very helpful, Captain_Wobbles. Thanks!