Logging 13 hour shifts

aelfrice

I recently started work as a Nurse's Aide in a Long Term Care Facility. I work three 13 hour shifts per week. I tell MFP that I'm "lightly active" because it generally describes my life, but this new schedule is throwing me a curve-ball. MFP has me set at 2190 calories a day, which is a daily 750 kcal deficit. 13 hours of transferring and caring for the elderly is hard work and can't possibly be described as part of a "lightly active" lifestyle.

Does it make sense to game MFP by adding fake exercise for the days I work or does it make more sense to change my activity level to "active." I sometimes break a sweat, but never on purpose and never long enough to make me look active. The day after my shift I feel more tired and sore than if I do a couple hours of cardio. My appetite is also increased on the day of the long shift.

I think a reasonable person would reply with a suggestion to increase my activity level, eat more kcals, and watch the scale for a few weeks. The wait-and-see approach is my default position with questions like these, but I want to know if anyone has experience with intermittent, long shifts.