Settings regarding activity

michonw
michonw Posts: 59
edited December 16 in Health and Weight Loss
I'm kind of confused as to what I should have my settings at. I sit at a desk Mon - Fri. for 8 straight hours, except to get up and potty and get my lunch from the frige. I work out usual Mon-Thu. for an hour and sometimes once on the weekends. Should my settings be "sedentary" since I sit at a desk all day or moderate since I work out 4 days a week? I'm still plateauing and I'm so over it!!
I'm at about 1430 calories a day and I'm wondering if I should increase or decrease my calories.
Any help is greatly appreciated! :)
Thanks!!
P.S. My work outs consist of usually at least 30 minutes of cardio sometimes more and I work out on weights usually 2 days a week for 30 minutes. All in all, I work out 1 hour at the gym.

Replies

  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    You could go either way -- but if you include your exercise in your activity settings, you should *not* enter it separately and eat the exercise calories. If you did that, you'd be counting it twice.
  • KatrinaG2012
    KatrinaG2012 Posts: 354 Member
    I am anxious to see the response your receive to this. I have mine set the same and have often wondered if this was correct. On the face of it it seems since we add activity calories and assuming we log them we are correct to use the sedentary setting. Of course we know what can sometimes happen when we assume something so I look forward to some of the mfp experts input.
  • Dalejr
    Dalejr Posts: 17 Member
    bump
  • yesthistime
    yesthistime Posts: 2,051 Member
    I would keep your activity level at sedentary and log your workouts separately. Are you using a HRM to calculate your workout calories burned?
  • jenn26point2
    jenn26point2 Posts: 429 Member
    I'm the same as you... work at a desk for 8 hours, go to the gym over lunch for an hour. I have my settings at sedentary. Then I can add my workouts for extra calorie allowances. If you set it to moderate, you won't be able to log your exercise b/c you've already accounted for it.
  • tinamina78
    tinamina78 Posts: 241 Member
    I think it's a personal preference depending on what works for you. I also think it changes at different stages in weight loss/lifestyle change. I find this website to be extremely helpful. Hope it helps you as well :smile:

    http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators.html
  • Bikini_Bound150
    Bikini_Bound150 Posts: 461 Member
    It would be smarter to be "sedentary" and log your workouts, otherwise MFP will calculate them twice.
  • SPNLuver83
    SPNLuver83 Posts: 2,050 Member
    Keep it as sedentary.
  • michonw
    michonw Posts: 59
    OK. So, I just changed my settings back to sedentary and it says for me to eat 1280 calories a day. When I went to the suggested website, I entered in all my information for my BMR and it says I need 1516 calories. I'm so confused and I really don't know which route to take? UGH!
  • Pollywog39
    Pollywog39 Posts: 1,730 Member
    Having been here for 7 months, and having read many many threads on these subjects, here's what I've found:

    When you choose "sedentary", that means you do NO exercise. Nothing more than day-to-day living. You calories will be set to the lowest you need to live :ohwell:
    When you choose "lightly active", you are doing some exercise - some cardio, some other - and you SHOULD count this in your daily exercise.
    When you choose "active", you are working out more.............I would pick this if you're working out as much as the Poster said, and you would count that in your daily exercise.
    When you choose "very active", you are a maniac :wink:

    I DO think you always count your daily exercise as part of your goals. When you set your goals, your calories are adjusted for that...............

    Here's a good thread to peruse..........and I'm SURE there will be others who will give your their opinions here.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/6556-the-answers-to-the-questions
    Much Success!
  • tinamina78
    tinamina78 Posts: 241 Member
    Here's another thread to read regarding BMR & TDEE and what people think about how to determine your calories. Again, I personally, think it's an individual thing and will change for everyone. However, I do know it's not healthy to eat too little. It slows your metabolism. I read a great analogy on another thread:

    Think of your body as a car: would you try to drive from Florida to Washington on 1/4 tank of gas? No, because it needs fuel to get there.

    Food (healthy foods including veggies, fruits, lean proteins, nuts & whole foods mainly) is fuel for your body. It needs it to work properly. Best of luck!!

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/542066-tdee-bmr-mfp-settings
  • MsMargie1116
    MsMargie1116 Posts: 323 Member
    I've got mine set at "Sedentary", and then count my exercise. I get 1510 cals a day + I make sure to eat at least MOST of my exercise calories. Plus I spread my calories out evenly between 6 meals and have been losing pretty well. I've lost about 40 lbs since Jan 1... :-)
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