Activity level, exercise calories & a dumb question

melham

Preface: This may be answered on another thread. If so, I would be happy to be referred to the other thread.

Until recently, I thought I had the net calorie thing figured out. I was dropping weight steadily and feeling great. I'm now eating the same number of net calories (I eat my exercise calories) and exercising more, but I've gained weight, I feel terrible and I'm hungry all the time. My body is definitely trying to tell me something is wrong, but what? Am I in the much debated starvation mode?

This is what dawned on me: I don't know if you're supposed to add in your exercise calories burned AND increase your activity level to get your daily calorie goal.

At 5'1" and 105 with a desk job, MFP says that maintenance for a sedentary activity level = 1370/day. I walk a 3.5 - 4mph mile five days a week, jog seven flights of stairs twice a day five days a week and rock climb three days a week, which burns an average of 214 calories a day. This seems like a no-brainer. I add my calories earned to my sedentary activity level calorie base to get 1584/day. If I don't exercise, I only get 1370/day. Easy, right?

But wait. If I do all that exercise, am I actually sedentary? I don't know what triggers being able to increase your activity level. The MFP definitions of activity levels are based on what you do at work, and I'm a keyboard jockey. Not much debate about that being sedentary. But let's say for giggles that I can bump from being sedentary to being lightly active (your ideas on that are welcomed, I need some direction here). MFP says that my maintenance calories as a "lightly active" person are1480. Okay, great, BUT... do I add my exercise calories to that to get 1694/day???

Not only am I really frustrated and tired of feeling bad, but I have a wedding dress to fit into in less than a month. I got it about six weeks ago and it fit perfectly. That was when I was 1.5 pounds lighter (that's a lot on my height and frame). It still fits, meaning that I can still zip it, but it is no longer comfortable. Needless to say, I don't have a lot of time to play around with variables to see what digs me out of this rut. I'm afraid to adjust my calories up or down, fearing whichever way I choose will be the wrong way and I won't have time to reverse it by the wedding.

Please, any insight, general or specific, would be appreciated. Sorry if I've misspelled anything, BTW.

Momcharisma88

i just lost 10 lbs the last 2 weeks just to wake up and have gained 2 this morning idk whats going on, I have my job as lightly active because i have a toddler and i just play with her during the day but i was wondering the same thing now that i exercise go one sev walks a day go running and strength training shoukd u now put it as sionething else?

erisfreenici

Sometimes when you start exercising you actually gain weight. This is from water weight and also from building additional muscle. Make sure you are getting enough water (8-10 x 8fl oz. glasses per day). My best advice is to do some measurements. Do at least: hips, waist, thigh, bust. If you are losing inches, then you're not going to have to worry about the wedding dress. Also, you don't want to lose TOO much weight before the wedding because the more inches you lose, the more pricy the alterations are going to be

If you find that you're not losing inches and still gaining weight, you might want to talk to your doctor or a nutritionist about a proper level of calories for you.

melham

Thanks for reminding me about measurements. I have been tracking my measurements. They are the same in bust, high waist (midway between bellybutton and sternum), and hips. Mid-waist at bellybutton has increased half an inch.

I've been drinking 60 - 80 ounces of water every day. Also, this isn't a "today I'm a pound up" situation. My weight and mid-waist measurement have been up for at least two weeks. And no, I really don't think I'm pregnant.

heathersmilez

Sedentary is the best level of activity to use if you have an office job b/c then you can add your activity, like 20 minute walk to the train or 30 minute walk at lunch etc on top of that.

Lightly active would be a useful level if you find yourself walking to meetings or the printer a lot and on a daily basis in said office but if you did that I would not count the minor walks like to the train etc.

Activity level should be consistent so choose based on your profession.

To really boost your loss just to fit into your dress cut down on carbs, 40-45% until your big day.