HELP: Sedentary or Lightly Active

graciepecie
graciepecie Posts: 135 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Can someone help me please? I still don't know if I have to put my activity level on 'sedentary' or 'Lightly Active'. MFP describes 'sedentary' as when you have a job like for example an office job. That's what I have as a legal advisor. So if I have to follow MFP, I should choose 'sedentary'. However, when I go to different TDEE en BMR calculators, they describe your acitivity level depending on how many times you excercise. In my case that is 3 times a week for 20 minutes, then I'm lightly active according to these calculators.

The problem is, I don't want to fill in my TDEE number on MFP because I like to fill in and see my burned calories when I excercised. It's kind of a stimulating thing for me to see that I'm earning more calories to eat when I do excercise.

So, what do I choose ons MFP. Do I stick with the sedentary because I have a office job? Or do I choose lightly active, because this is how the other calculators describe it?

I know I can just look at the numbers and not go over my TDEE minus 20% but I like to order my things and not being in red numbers every day.

Thank you for your awnsers in advance!

Replies

  • Gmkm
    Gmkm Posts: 1
    If you list as sedentary, you will just be ahead of the game when you do alot of moving around for your weigh in.
    Good Luck, and my salads be with you :)
  • gemmaleigh1989
    gemmaleigh1989 Posts: 241 Member
    You should get a fitbit which links to MFP. That then tracks exactly how active you are during the day. I set mine to sedentary regardless so then I can log my exercise on top of that. As I work in sales, I really am more active than sedentary and that is where the fitbit comes in. It tracks my steps therefore tracks any extra calories I burn doing incidental exercise which shows up on MFP as extra cals burned, meaning extra cals to eat. Yay!
  • Grognit
    Grognit Posts: 50
    I used to use Sedentary and then got a fitbit and was WAAAAAY off on what I was actually burning a day. I now use lightly active as that is closer to what I normally burn and then I eat back any adjustments that my fitbit shows. (Which usually occurs from my walking/jogging).

    I have a desk job and sit for most of the day.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    MFP - by default - doesn't use the TDEE method. It is based upon diet alone, and you get credit - "Calories earned through exercise" - for when you log your exercise. What that means is that, in order to maintain the proper deficit, you should eat more Calories on the days you exercise. Exercise is thought to increase your metabolism and help get you fit - both good things.

    Thus, go with "Sedentary." When you exercise, input it into your cardio log and eat back your Calories for that day.
  • janeite1990
    janeite1990 Posts: 671 Member
    I work in an office-type setting, but at night, I chase my kids around. Not for exercise, just because they make me nuts. That's why I put lightly active. I'd rather have MFP work me a little hard anyway.
  • omma_to_3
    omma_to_3 Posts: 3,265 Member
    If you count your "exercise" into your daily setting (ie lightly active) then you wouldn't eat back exercise calories. I prefer to set to sedentary and then log my exercise so I have to do the work to earn the calories.
  • Rhonnie
    Rhonnie Posts: 506 Member
    You don't have to pick one or the other... I took the average of the TDEE numbers for sedentary and lightly active and used that in my calculations and then manually set MFP.
  • eyeshuh
    eyeshuh Posts: 333
    I personally think the MFP descriptions are off and estimate super low. If I were you, I would try it on Lightly Active with still eating back the exercise you track. Give that a few weeks and if you don't see a change, THEN see if switching it to Sedentary works better. To be honest all the estimations you find are just that - estimations. You just have to kind of play around with it until it works for you.
  • Rhonnie
    Rhonnie Posts: 506 Member
    If you count your "exercise" into your daily setting (ie lightly active) then you wouldn't eat back exercise calories. I prefer to set to sedentary and then log my exercise so I have to do the work to earn the calories.

    This isn't necessarily correct - depends on which 'system' you are using and what you set your daily calories too. Whichever system you use you still have to decide if you are lightly active or sedentary or whatever when plugging in your numbers.
  • graciepecie
    graciepecie Posts: 135 Member
    Thanks for all your respondings!!

    I think I'll stick with 'Lightly Active', because if I choose 'Sedentary' MFP tells me to eat 1430 kcal and that is way below my BMR because my BMR is 1578 kcal and you should never eat below that. That would mean that the days I do workout (3 times a week), and I usually burn around 220 kcal, I will be above my BMR but the other 4 days of the week I'm below my BMR.

    With 'Lightly Active' MFP tells me to eat around 1600 kcal (wich is just above my BMR) en when I excercise I can eat those kcals. The TDEE calculator says that I should eat between 1600 and 1733 kcal. This all sounds more logic to me.

    Again thank you al so much for responding!
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    If you list as sedentary, you will just be ahead of the game when you do alot of moving around for your weigh in.
    Good Luck, and my salads be with you :)

    That is exactly how I stay ahead. I set for a sedentary BMR, I over estimate portions, underestimate exercise calories, and I am always feeling confident I am on the right track.
  • Gjallarhorn
    Gjallarhorn Posts: 87
    Do not include any planned exercise in this question. Sedentary is for anyone who doesn't need to do much physical labor or be very active in their daily lives to function. desk job, couch potato like me, someone who's disabled, etc.
  • EatClean_WashUrNuts
    EatClean_WashUrNuts Posts: 1,590 Member
    This is covered in many posts. The Search feature would give you solid answers....

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/887638-questions-about-mfp-settings-sedentary-or?hl=sedentary#posts-13402514
    is just one of these examples

    The key for your BMR is you NORMAL ACTIVITY. Essentially, you spend the majority of your day at work. How much of that do you sit on your butt?
  • NewCaddy
    NewCaddy Posts: 845 Member
    I set mine as sedentary. While I do have an office job, I have kids that keep me busy too. I like being able to add my workouts as it motivates me to see it in black and white and I know people can see how much I "earned" in exercise. It keeps me on a good path.
  • Melo1966
    Melo1966 Posts: 881 Member
    Use sedentary and then eat your exercise calories.

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