Sedentary or Lightly Active???

Kari121869

I have a question I would REALLY like some help on.

You would think after over a year on here I'd KNOW what to set my 'activity level' at - but I'm stumped.

I used to work out 3x + a week; but with work being so busy and me just being 'lazy' that hasn't really been happening anymore...

HOWEVER I do take the stairs at work (on the 4th flr - 2 flights of stairs per floor) and I go up/down those 2-3x a day, I walk alot during the day at work in the office; and I do alot of 'chores' at home (sweeping/vacuum/cook/laundry/gardening) plus up and down my stairs at home (8 step) at LEAST 7 times an evening....

Sooooo my question is this: should I put 'sedentary' for activity level since I'm not 'officially' working out or should I put 'lightly active 1-3 hrs/wk as my activity level when figuring out my TDEE or macros on MFP?? I'm wanting to just adjust my macros to what I should eat and not have to worry about 'logging' all the exercise I do - unless it's a major workout, etc.

My diary is open - thanks in advance for the help

caracrawford1

I put sedentary though I run or do some other cardio 60 min x6 week and then 3-5 miles 7x week walk with dogs. This comes out to two hours to two and a half hours exercise a day(except on my one rest day--just 1-1.5 hours... unfortunately, walking is just part of dog ownership)I just add in my exercise manually and works for me. I know I'm not double dipping or overestimating my calorie needs at all.

Kari121869

I put sedentary though I run or do some other cardio 60 min x6 week and then 3-5 miles 7x week walk with dogs.I just add in my exercise manually and works for me.

Thanks for the input..

I've put sedentary as well - just not sure if I should be logging my walking at work/home, using the stairs/housework, etc or ONLY log when I actually do a 'real' workout.

Cortelli

The activity setting on MFP doesn't take into account any "exercise" activities. So someone working a desk job in an office environment, but also training intensely and daily for an Olympic ironman, would choose sedentary (or maybe lightly active) and then track exercise in some form.

From your description sounds like you could choose sedentary or lightly active. Go with either one. They are both just estimates for the general population. Everything is an estimate (some easier to get close to right than others, but it's all still an estimate).

Pick one, track how it is working out for you over the course of a couple of months, and reassess whether you want to make any changes.

sijomial

Not trying to be snarky but after a year I thought you might realise MFP isn't a TDEE calculator!
Workouts are not part of your activity level if you are following the MFP way of doing things.

You seem to be listing a lot of very small things that are just part of normal life. If you aren't losing weight with your current goal then go for sedentary,

caracrawford1

Anything can be a workout of sorts--just because you don't put on shorts, a sportsbra, and sneakers doesn't mean you're not exercising. Log those activities too. See if you can find a
pedometer to measure your steps per day or even a fitbit.

BramageOMG

I put active, and walk about 15K steps a day. That seems to avg out about right. I don't log this as exercise.

If you use a pedometer (I use a free one on my phone called Pacer) you should be able to guestimate level

>6000 step - Sedentary

6000-9999 - Lightly Active

10K and up - Active

After a while, you will be able to tell how close it is based on the weight you are losing compared to the 2lbs a week it uses as a baseline

Kari121869

The activity setting on MFP doesn't take into account any "exercise" activities. So someone working a desk job in an office environment, but also training intensely and daily for an Olympic ironman, would choose sedentary (or maybe lightly active) and then track exercise in some form.

From your description sounds like you could choose sedentary or lightly active. Go with either one. They are both just estimates for the general population. Everything is an estimate (some easier to get close to right than others, but it's all still an estimate).

Pick one, track how it is working out for you over the course of a couple of months, and reassess whether you want to make any changes.

Great advice.. thank you

Kari121869

Not trying to be snarky but after a year I thought you might realise MFP isn't a TDEE calculator!
Workouts are not part of your activity level if you are following the MFP way of doing things.

You seem to be listing a lot of very small things that are just part of normal life. If you aren't losing weight with your current goal then go for sedentary,

Not to be snarky - but I have lost about 25lbs in the last year.. I was wondering if perhaps I was 'missing' something which was causing a 'slower' loss than I've had in previous tries....
I do know that MFP isn't a TDEE calculator lol...
Yes my 'list' is a normal part of daily life - I totally agree - I was just curious if I should be logging them (which I have off and on) or not bother...
I appreciate your input

Kari121869

Thanks for all the input... it's very appreciated.

Going to buy a fitbit I think (which has been suggested to me by many) and see what 'it' says my activity level is based on the # of steps and daily activities I do...

Again - thank alot... I've made a couple of changes in my diary settings and will not be eating any burned cals back.. see if that helps get the 'losing car' rolling. :happy:

Kari121869

Maybe I've miscalculated my macros... I've set it at 1500 cals/day (MFP had me at 1530); I put sedentary level so the 1500 is approx. 17% lower than what fitness frog TDEE calculator gave me

Age: 44
CW: 174.4
Height: 5'4"

heybales

So you do no exercise at all then?

Because you selected sedentary on a site that does TDEE, which means it includes exercise.
And those rough 5 level charts are usually bad underestimated UNLESS you actually include exercise, and even then, can be too.

Don't make the tool more difficult to use since you aren't exercising, just use MFP's method, select sedentary, and reasonable weight loss goal amount.

I show your sedentary TDEE about 1780, what MFP use.

If you actually do exercise and want to use MFP's method, then no need for manual goal, just select Sedentary as suggested.
Log your exercise honestly, and eat back your exercise calories to maintain that deficit.
And reasonable deficit with perhaps 54 lbs to lose would be 750 or 1.5 weekly - if you exercise 4-5 days.

But strongly suggestion you include strength training in that case.

I'm betting that's your current issue - from past efforts you've burned off some muscle mass you are really missing now, besides probably eating way less than you should have the entire time.
Your input has actually changed your output - you know longer burn close to what the calculators are estimating for a healthy body - because yours isn't. Which means Fitbit will be wrong too, because that's exactly what it does also.

sijomial

Not trying to be snarky but after a year I thought you might realise MFP isn't a TDEE calculator!
Workouts are not part of your activity level if you are following the MFP way of doing things.

You seem to be listing a lot of very small things that are just part of normal life. If you aren't losing weight with your current goal then go for sedentary,

Not to be snarky - but I have lost about 25lbs in the last year.. I was wondering if perhaps I was 'missing' something which was causing a 'slower' loss than I've had in previous tries....
I do know that MFP isn't a TDEE calculator lol...
Yes my 'list' is a normal part of daily life - I totally agree - I was just curious if I should be logging them (which I have off and on) or not bother...
I appreciate your input

But you then compare the calories a TDEE calculator gave you with MFP?
That would only be a valid comparison if you selected maintain weight in both calculators and also entered no exercise at all into fitness frog.

Really I think you can simplify all this....
What are your results with your current calorie level? Just simply adjust your calorie goal according to your results.
All the calculators in the world only give you a start point, you really don't need them when you have been logging a while.

wolfstlkr

My wife is a stay at home mom and she and I discussed this as some days she is sedentary and others active. We ended up getting a pedometer (fitbit one) so it would automaticlly adjust her calories based on her steps. I would recommed setting it sedentary and getting a waist/pocket based pedometer, let it adjust for minor things like your chores and general walking but still log major excersizes like running.

Kari121869

Thanks for the tip
I have a pedometer I usually wear in my pocket - more to give me an idea how many steps (approx) I've taken during the day, etc... sometimes I log it if it's extreme and I KNOW I've walked MILES during that day - but most times I just use the info for 'curiousity' sake :happy: