Sedentary vs Lightly Active -Help!

SatelliteCrush80

Background: I am basically at my goal weight, give or take a few pounds...at this point, I am mostly interested in becoming leaner. Currently, I am doing my first round of P90x as well as running 15+ miles per week. However, I also work a desk job which has me sitting on my *kitten* 8 hours per day. The way my P90x and running schedules work, I have 3 days/week of double workouts.

Here's where my confusion lies. Right now, I've got myself set to "lightly active" and have my goals set for a loss of 0.5 pounds per week; that gives me a calorie goal of 1670 net. So, I am generally eating between 2100 and 2400 cals depending on whether I run or not. I eat mostly clean, but do allow for the occasional indulgence. To this point, approximately a month in...I really see a minimal difference. Beginning to finally see a bit of definition, and a noticeable improvement in my strength/fitness, but I am not actually getting smaller. Should I consider going back to "sedentary' because of the fact that I am sitting most of the time? I realize that I do need some deficit to actually lose fat, hence the 0.5 loss per week, but am I overstating my activity?

(FYI: The sedentary calorie goal at 0.5 lb loss per week is 1540 for me.)

I'm not going to quit working out, or go back to eating crap...just a teeny bit frustrated and a lot confused, so I figured I'd ask people smarter than myself.

Thanks! :flowerforyou:

ajbeans

I would set it to sedentary, yes, making sure to continue to add in your workouts and eat back those calories. If you find you're not getting enough to eat, you can manually adjust your calorie goal a bit until you find a nice balance.

kristy_estes21

Do you add your workouts on top of the lightly active? I think it should be one or the other. Set it to sedentary and then enter workouts for calories burned or set it to lightly-moderately active and don't add the exercises.

absolament

If you are logging in your exercises but sit 8 hours a day at a desk job, then it's probably best to stick with sedentary. Now, if you are always up and moving from here to there at your 8 hour day desk job, then it could be considered lightly active because you aren't logging in those "running from here to there" moments as part of your exercise routine.

nehtaeh

I have a desk job and mine is set to sedentary. When I get home at night sometimes I am moving constantly. I don't log this but use that difference to off-set the non-accuracy of food that I'm sure I have. I do log my workouts though, and eat those calories.

I think you should play around with the numbers and then determine what is best for you. The guidelines are just estimates and you may burn more or less than what "sedentary" or "lightly active" is anyway.

SatelliteCrush80

Do you add your workouts on top of the lightly active? I think it should be one or the other. Set it to sedentary and then enter workouts for calories burned or set it to lightly-moderately active and don't add the exercises.

Actually, I do...and I think this may be my problem. I realize the difference is only 130 cals or whatever, but added up for a month, that probably explains the 4ish PITA pounds that won't go away. Big fat duh for me. Seeing how I've been on MFP for as long as I have, I should have figured that out.

Thanks to all of you!

kristy_estes21

I have a desk job and mine is set to sedentary. When I get home at night sometimes I am moving constantly. I don't log this but use that difference to off-set the non-accuracy of food that I'm sure I have. I do log my workouts though, and eat those calories.

I do the same thing. I'm sure I have inaccuracies here and there so I use my other activities as a buffer zone.