activity level wrong? and how do I stop this cycle?

DaysFlyBy

I think I may have factored myself into the wrong activity level, I chose 'moderate' because I don't play sports so I don't have 4 hour practices, don't work a hardcore physically active job, so yeah, I must be moderate, right? BUT I AM STARVING ALL THE TIME. I find myself 2-300 cal over goal (1843) almost daily. Do I sat down and added up my workout time from last week (a low average week for me) and found I had 12 hours of workouts. So? Should I bump up a notch or am I just accelerating my backslide into fatness (which is what I feel is happening already because I'm up 4 lbs and my clothes are getting tight although it is that TOM and AF is due in 5 days, but I digress...)?

Also, I don't think I want to work out 1-3 hours every day, so how do I back off so I can sit pretty in the 'moderate' zone? I feel like I'm caught in this crazy cycle of hungry-eat-sweat back down to BMR-hungry-eat...etc. like the more I work out the hungrier I get and the more I eat so all the more I need to workout to get back down closer to BMR. Is getting ridiculous.

PLUMSGRL

Hi!
Going by the Scooby site:
3-5 hours per week-Moderate
5-6 hours per week-strenuous
7-21 hours per week-last category

Most people are lifting 2-3 times a week and cardio 1-2 days a week.
Please take time to read the stickies (red pins) they have a lot of info for us!

Hope that helps~

mommamuscles

I would either up your activity level to very strenuous, or back off the workouts. I've been in the same boat, but when I work out that much, I am absolutely ravenous!!!
Right now I am doing stronglifts 3 days a week (some days I add in an extra exercise or two, if I want to focus that day on shoulders, biceps, etc.) and then I also do 15-30 minutes HIIT. On the other three days I either do steady state or HIIT cardio. It feels like plenty to me! With that schedule, I consider myself "strenuous" according to Scooby. I was always second guessing my activity level, but then I got a Body Fit Media armband and it seems that my TDEE is right on! You are definitely NOT moderately active.