am i still "sedentary"?

jennor8or

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"?

lausa22

Yes, because you lifestyle is sedentary. JM is your EXERCISE, class it as your exercise.

hooma

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

bump

killagb

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!

ItsMeLori

bump!

melizerd

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

don't eat back your exercise calories unless you are trying to maintain your weight.

MassiveDelta

Yes, because you lifestyle is sedentary. JM is your EXERCISE, class it as your exercise.

This exactly ^^^^

spaingirl2011

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

don't eat back your exercise calories unless you are trying to maintain your weight.

WRONG

JDRBT

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

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

Bump

mermx

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

rachelleahsmom

This has been the most informational post I have read all day. Thanks so much for the question and the great explanation/answers!

cmonskinnylovee

I always underestimate. Since I am a college student and I walk to all my classes, which is about a 10-15 minute walk to each one, I would be considered 'lightly active' BUT not all bodies are the same, and just to be safe I put it as sedentary.

jennor8or

bahahaha... such conflicting information ..i'll stick with sendentary and i'll also eat back my exercise calories as i plan to be able to live this life style forever and i'm thinking that 1200 calories a day and burning 400-500 additional calories would leave me feeling pretty crappy... thanks to everyone

killagb

bahahaha... such conflicting information ..i'll stick with sendentary and i'll also eat back my exercise calories as i plan to be able to live this life style forever and i'm thinking that 1200 calories a day and burning 400-500 additional calories would leave me feeling pretty crappy... thanks to everyone

Sounds like you've got the right idea, good luck :drinker:

spaingirl2011

Lol, the last month I hit both extremes--not eating exercise calories when I was at 1200, and then upping activity level and eating exercise calories. Both strategies have me maintaining. I have a hunch that I should be somewhere in the middle--eating a little above 1200 with exercise calories. Weight loss is always going to be trial and error!

Hang in there!