Help! Another activity level question..

stretch12d

So, I am a stay-at-home mom to an <almost> 2 year old active boy. Aside from daily chores like hoisting my big guy up to change him, etc (lol)... the picking up toys, laundry, dishes, etc... I've been walking (30-45 mins at a brisk pace I guess you could say) in the mornings, and during his nap, I now do the 30 day shred (on day 6).

I've got my activity level marked as lightly active, because although I am busy all day, I'm not constantly going up & down the stairs, or anything like that. I haven't been eating most of my exercise calories back, but am thinking that maybe I should start.

I know I haven't really been at it long enough to see any noticeable results yet, but I'm afraid that I'm miscalculating and am not doing what's appropriate.

Can anyone help me out? I'm so confused. I think I'm overanalyzing... reading too much... and it's late, and I'm tired. I've already erased and rewritten a post... but I'm not going to delete this one! Some of this might not make sense, and I may have left plenty of helpful info out...

Why can't this stuff be as easy as gaining the weight?!

Oh, and if anyone wants to know, I'm 31, 5'10, and approx 170lbs - and would really like to drop about 20lbs.

konerusp

how much do you eat a day?

stretch12d

Well originally my cals were set to aroun 1300... but I changed my weekly weight loss goal to be more realistic at 1lb a week - and now it's closer to 1600. Yesterday I ate back some of my exercise calories... figuring from what I've been researching, it's probably a good idea since I'm not out to lose a massive amount of weight.

stretch12d

bumping... need input, please!

Pebble321

So, I am a stay-at-home mom to an <almost> 2 year old active boy. Aside from daily chores like hoisting my big guy up to change him, etc (lol)... the picking up toys, laundry, dishes, etc... I've been walking (30-45 mins at a brisk pace I guess you could say) in the mornings, and during his nap, I now do the 30 day shred (on day 6).

I've got my activity level marked as lightly active, because although I am busy all day, I'm not constantly going up & down the stairs, or anything like that. I haven't been eating most of my exercise calories back, but am thinking that maybe I should start.

I know I haven't really been at it long enough to see any noticeable results yet, but I'm afraid that I'm miscalculating and am not doing what's appropriate.

Can anyone help me out? I'm so confused. I think I'm overanalyzing... reading too much... and it's late, and I'm tired. I've already erased and rewritten a post... but I'm not going to delete this one! Some of this might not make sense, and I may have left plenty of helpful info out...

Why can't this stuff be as easy as gaining the weight?!

Oh, and if anyone wants to know, I'm 31, 5'10, and approx 170lbs - and would really like to drop about 20lbs.

MFP assumes that the activity level you have set does not include exercise, so to get to your recommended daily calorie intake to stay healthy and lose weight, you should set your activity level to reflect your day to day tasks, and add exercise in separately. This means that you get to eat more to fuel your exercise.

I'd suggest that you leave your activity level as "llghtly active" and add the walks as extra exercise.
Aim to have 0 calories left at the end of the day.
Try this for a month and see how your body responds - if you are losing faster or slower than you expect, you might need to check the accuracy of your logging (food and exercise) and maybe changes things around a bit.

Or, if you want to do it another way - you can choose an activily level (active maybe?) that already includes your exercise and just eat that amount. The end result will be the same, you just need to pick one method and stick with it.