Am I really sedentary?

AwesomeSquirrel
AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 644 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all,
I joined this site about 3 weeks ago and when I signed up I put myself as sedentary because, well, I think I am. And either way I don't usually finish my calories (2050) with weightloss set to 1.5 pounds per week so I don't suppose it matters a great deal? (my diary is open)

Here is the movement I typically do: Walk to and from bus stops ~ 40 minutes per day including at least 4 flights of stairs as I live in Edinburgh and we have stairs to cut between levels of the city. Climb stairs to apartment (4 flights) usually once, maybe twice, per day. Sit by a desk at work for a really long time. 3 breaks at work, climb 1 flight of stairs (up and down) in each break. Buy groceries and carry for part of my normal commute walk. Meet up with friends or run an errand a couple of times per week ~30 min walk per time. None of the above is done at great speed.

I log any intentional exercise (currently trying to take up Squash once per week) separately.

So am I sedentary or lightly active?

Replies

  • rose313
    rose313 Posts: 1,146 Member
    Lightly active.
  • WickedSpinSistr
    WickedSpinSistr Posts: 139 Member
    If your commute involves walking for 40 minutes per day I'd choose lightly active, even though you have a desk job. That is assuming you don't track your 40 minutes of walking as an exercise.

    I chose sedentary because I have a desk job, despite the fact that I walk to the store a few times a week, chase kids, etc. Because the reality is that I spent about 8 hours per day sitting at a desk. if my job required me to be on my feet all/most of the day it'd be different.
  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 644 Member
    I don't track my walking as exercise. I did for the first few days but honestly things that are part of my regular life like walking for travel, buying groceries and cleaning needs to be accounted for in my lifestyle, I cannot be bothered to keep track of them as separate exercise items. I will change my settings to lightly active.
  • rainbowbow
    rainbowbow Posts: 7,490 Member
    probably lightly active and or/sedentary. I would say because you spend MOST of the day sitting at a desk job.
  • AwesomeSquirrel
    AwesomeSquirrel Posts: 644 Member
    I am so confused! Changed my profile to lightly active and it gave my 5000 calories. Changed it back to sedentary and it gave me 4000... In the past for weeks I have routinely gotten 2050 calories per day???? WHAT IS GOING ON?!

    EDIT: MFP had a blip it mistakenly though I was over 5 meters tall, that's what's going on. Talk about confusing.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    Actually I think it depends on your metabolism. You are lightly active. BUT the reason they ask you that is to put a multiplier into the metabolism/calorie burn algorithm to figure out how many calories you are allotted per day.

    I would suggest writing in sedentary and logging all that walking you do as an activity. That's what I do and it seems to be fairly accurate. Days you walk longer you get more calories. Days you don't, you don't.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I am so confused! Changed my profile to lightly active and it gave my 5000 calories. Changed it back to sedentary and it gave me 4000... In the past for weeks I have routinely gotten 2050 calories per day???? WHAT IS GOING ON?!

    EDIT: MFP had a blip it mistakenly though I was over 5 meters tall, that's what's going on. Talk about confusing.

    That is TOO FUNNY! Thank you for sharing. I did something like that the other day - I put in 60" instead of 70" for height. And yes, it does change a lot of things.

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