am i still "sedentary"?

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jennor8or
jennor8or Posts: 204 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I want to get my calories right in here..i want to eat enough but no too many. i know u have to eat back ur exercise calories, and i do. however, when i first started a month ago i said i was "sedentary" bc all i did at the time was sit at my desk at work 40 hours a week. well now i still sit at my desk 40 hours a week, but i also work out about an hour a day 4 days a week and about 30 mins the other 3 (thanks to jillian michaels lol)... am i still considered "sedentary"?
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Replies

  • lausa22
    lausa22 Posts: 467 Member
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    Yes, because you lifestyle is sedentary. JM is your EXERCISE, class it as your exercise.
  • hooma
    hooma Posts: 124 Member
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    I think so, because you're logging those exercises, right? If you changed your lifestyle to more active, you would be double-logging those calorie burns.
  • puggleperson
    puggleperson Posts: 740 Member
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    bump :)
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
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    Yes, assuming you log the exercise. The activity setting is to compensate for activity in your daily life, outside of specific exercise. So unless you are suddenly running all over your office, I'd keep yourself at sedentary and log in the exercise and eat back a portion of those calories! :smile:
  • ItsMeLori
    ItsMeLori Posts: 346
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    bump!
  • melizerd
    melizerd Posts: 870 Member
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    I left myself at sedentary and log my exercise so that I know exactly what I can eat. My job didn't change, just my exercise. I've been this way for about a year now and it seems to be working for me. If I upped myself to even lightly active and did NOT log exercise I might still over eat.
  • nilla32zoe
    nilla32zoe Posts: 18
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    don't eat back your exercise calories unless you are trying to maintain your weight.
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    Yes, because you lifestyle is sedentary. JM is your EXERCISE, class it as your exercise.

    This exactly ^^^^
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
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    I asked a similar question and most of the responses I received were to keep my general life activity level as sedentary but to track and eat my exercise calories (since really, if you sit 40 hours a week and exercise for 300 minutes a week, your general activity level isn't really influenced by the exercise-- though your body likes it, too!)
  • MassiveDelta
    MassiveDelta Posts: 3,311 Member
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    don't eat back your exercise calories unless you are trying to maintain your weight.


    WRONG
  • JDRBT
    JDRBT Posts: 264 Member
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    I hit this same problem and I think I found my happy medium:

    There are some work outs I now do every day - for example, my dog and I walk the same distance every day at about the same pace, and I do a few other things I never used to do, but I do them daily. While I still have my day job, I consider myself generally more active.

    So I upped myself to "lightly active" and stopped logging the regular walks and every day things.Now I only log the work outs that go above and beyond.

    It actually turns out to be able to same, but just saves me from logging those walks, so it makes my life easier. I still log some work outs *above and beyond the usual every day" stuff.

    So far, it's helped! I no longer worry about 1200 calories/day - now I relax a bit more and aim for 1450 - and I'm losing again - FINALLY. :)
  • spaingirl2011
    spaingirl2011 Posts: 763 Member
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    don't eat back your exercise calories unless you are trying to maintain your weight.

    MFP already sets a deficit without regards to exercise. So eating your exercise calories still puts you at an acceptable weightloss deficit.
  • nataliebeth08
    nataliebeth08 Posts: 12
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    Bump
  • mermx
    mermx Posts: 976
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    don't eat back your exercise calories unless you are trying to maintain your weight.


    WRONG

    Exactly!!!

    Also, I am set to sedentary and I add exercise as and when. good luck x
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
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    I'm thinking it depends on what you do OUTSIDE your structured exercise. I have the same desk job that I had when I started MFP, but as I lost weight, I began to do more gardening, more activities with the family, more moving overall now that I was fitter. Therefore, about halfway through my weightloss I upped my activity level from 'sedentary' to 'lightly active' because I didn't want to count every bit of extra activity I now did as exercise. This has worked for me.

    Be aware of your hunger level, the amount you are losing (or not) and adjust accordingly.
  • change_happens
    change_happens Posts: 491
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    I want to get my calories right in here..i want to eat enough but no too many. i know u have to eat back ur exercise calories, and i do. however, when i first started a month ago i said i was "sedentary" bc all i did at the time was sit at my desk at work 40 hours a week. well now i still sit at my desk 40 hours a week, but i also work out about an hour a day 4 days a week and about 30 mins the other 3 (thanks to jillian michaels lol)... am i still considered "sedentary"?

    It is more than lifestyle that creates your level of activity. Exercise is included in that, as well.

    This is what I go by.

    Sedentary = Little or no exercise
    Lightly Active = Light exercise (1 to 3 days a week)
    Moderately Active = Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days a week)
    Very Active = Hard exercise (6 to 7 days a week)
    Extremely Active = hard daily exercise and/or a physical job

    I like this outline better than what MFP has to determine our level of activity.
  • shrekk218
    shrekk218 Posts: 39
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    don't eat back your exercise calories unless you are trying to maintain your weight.
    This is bad advice MFP is set up to be at a caloric deficit even if you remain sedentary. If you do not eat your excercise calories you will most likely put yourself in starvation mode.
  • shrekk218
    shrekk218 Posts: 39
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    I want to get my calories right in here..i want to eat enough but no too many. i know u have to eat back ur exercise calories, and i do. however, when i first started a month ago i said i was "sedentary" bc all i did at the time was sit at my desk at work 40 hours a week. well now i still sit at my desk 40 hours a week, but i also work out about an hour a day 4 days a week and about 30 mins the other 3 (thanks to jillian michaels lol)... am i still considered "sedentary"?

    It is more than lifestyle that creates your level of activity. Exercise is included in that, as well.

    This is what I go by.

    Sedentary = Little or no exercise
    Lightly Active = Light exercise (1 to 3 days a week)
    Moderately Active = Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days a week)
    Very Active = Hard exercise (6 to 7 days a week)
    Extremely Active = hard daily exercise and/or a physical job

    I like this outline better than what MFP has to determine our level of activity.

    That is not correct either the MFP formula that is used seperates lifestyle and exercise to get a more precise caloric value.
  • hottottie11
    hottottie11 Posts: 907 Member
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    I want to get my calories right in here..i want to eat enough but no too many. i know u have to eat back ur exercise calories, and i do. however, when i first started a month ago i said i was "sedentary" bc all i did at the time was sit at my desk at work 40 hours a week. well now i still sit at my desk 40 hours a week, but i also work out about an hour a day 4 days a week and about 30 mins the other 3 (thanks to jillian michaels lol)... am i still considered "sedentary"?

    It is more than lifestyle that creates your level of activity. Exercise is included in that, as well.

    This is what I go by.



    Sedentary = Little or no exercise
    Lightly Active = Light exercise (1 to 3 days a week)
    Moderately Active = Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days a week)
    Very Active = Hard exercise (6 to 7 days a week)
    Extremely Active = hard daily exercise and/or a physical job

    I like this outline better than what MFP has to determine our level of activity.

    I like that method also, but you have to be careful and not log your exercises if you are following this. You would be "double logging" them. Esp bad if you eat your exercise cals. I learned this the hard way lol.
  • killagb
    killagb Posts: 3,280 Member
    Options
    I want to get my calories right in here..i want to eat enough but no too many. i know u have to eat back ur exercise calories, and i do. however, when i first started a month ago i said i was "sedentary" bc all i did at the time was sit at my desk at work 40 hours a week. well now i still sit at my desk 40 hours a week, but i also work out about an hour a day 4 days a week and about 30 mins the other 3 (thanks to jillian michaels lol)... am i still considered "sedentary"?

    It is more than lifestyle that creates your level of activity. Exercise is included in that, as well.

    This is what I go by.



    Sedentary = Little or no exercise
    Lightly Active = Light exercise (1 to 3 days a week)
    Moderately Active = Moderate exercise (3 to 5 days a week)
    Very Active = Hard exercise (6 to 7 days a week)
    Extremely Active = hard daily exercise and/or a physical job

    I like this outline better than what MFP has to determine our level of activity.

    I like that method also, but you have to be careful and not log your exercises if you are following this. You would be "double logging" them. Esp bad if you eat your exercise cals. I learned this the hard way lol.

    Exactly...it has to be one or the other...doesn't really matter which way you go but just don't do both.

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