how do you define your activity level

carolinetayloruk

Hi,

I'm trying to figure out, what my activity level should be. I have a desk job which means i sit at my desk for nigh on 8 hours a day. I generally walk for approx 30 minutes at lunchtime at a leisurely pace. I've also started walking to walk so am walking for approx 2 hours a day at a moderate pace.

On top of that I do a fitness class once a week and go to the gym where i burn 300-400 cals 2 or 3 times. Would you put this as lightly active or moderately?

Thanks

justal313

I am an IT worker. I define my activity as Sedentary and then log my exercise. Makes it easier for those ever so rare rest days because I don't have to worry about coming under because I am shirking my expected level of activity.

MaydayParadeGirl

I am in pretty much the same boat as you, and I put Sedentary. I walk half an hour to work and then half an hour home from work at a very quick pace. I walk my dog around the block at least three times a night which averages out to about an hour spent walking at a moderate pace. Not to mention my understanding when I signed up was that it wanted your DAILY activity level, without going to the gym, because you don't go to the gym every day (or most people don't) and therefore it isn't a good judge if you factor in how active you are on the days that you do go to the gym.

shadow2soul

I put sedentary. In actuality though, I'm probably somewhere in between sedentary and lightly active. On my rest days, I will sometimes spend so much time sitting that I don't even burn 2000 calories (happens about once or twice a week). The other 5-6 days, I lean more towards being lightly active. I'm a stay at home mom and I've noticed that running errands, cleaning my small apartment, and exercise can bump up my activity level quite a bit (Fitbit helped me figure this out). :drinker: Good luck.

I should add, my fitbit will adjust my calories on days I'm more active even if I didn't actually exercise that day. So I don't think, atm, that it really matters what my activity level is set at.

cwolfman13

MFP is a NEAT method calculator (Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis). To properly use the MFP calculator, your activity level is just based on your day to day without exercise. Then, when you do exercise, you estimate that calorie burn and log it to MFP and your calorie goal goes up and you eat back those exercise calories.

If you do a TDEE method (include all activity in your activity setting) I recommend using an actual TDEE calculator and customizing your calorie goals on MFP. If you use the TDEE method you would not eat back exercise calories as that activity is already accounted for in your TDEE.

I use this one...

http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

wanttolose40lbs

I had my activity level as sedentary, because I also sit at a desk all day, but I exercise 5 to 6 days a week. I would eat back most of my exercise calories and wasn't losing any weight. It was suggested to me, to put my TDEE as moderate -15%, and not to eat back any of my exercise calories. Since I hadn't lost any weight for a few months, I'm going to give this a try, I've only been doing for a few days but am hoping it works

Hoosier96

I'm frigging confused. Please help a newbie out. I keep flip flopping my settings between sedentary and light, but at sedentary, the calories (1480) put me JUST above my calculated BMR (1450 according to Scooby), so that seems like not enough calories. Of course I want to drop weight, but not at the expense of effing my metabolism. If I up it to light it gives me 1620 calories, which makes me much happier (not starving).

I sit at a desk all day, get up to deliver reports or check on people, and come home, pick up around the house, play with my kid, nothing too crazy that would justify more than sedentary in my opinion. I log all my exercise as additional. I tend to eat back some of my exercise and net under my total allotment of calories (including what I earned back through exercise). WHY is the sedentary setting so darn low here? Or am just whiny and looking to eat more than I should?

Achrya

I use the TDEE-20% method and put myself at lightly active (So 1666 calories). I just started lifting 3 days a week and on those days I up by 250 calories and then I do some manner of cardio (this week I'm planning a day or two of Jillian Michaels kickboxing and one of yoga meltdown) 3 days a week with one rest day; and one these days I stick with 1666. It's possible I'm actually moderately active but I figure since I manually up my intake of weight days it's fine where it is.

rosebarnalice

If I were in your shoes, I would set my activity level as "sedentary" and then log the 30 minute lunch walk as activity. All you need to to is figure out how much ground you cover in your 30-minute amble (you can use something like http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/). If you go about a mile in 30 minutes, that's 30 minutes of activity at 2 mph.

honeysprinkles

I'd do sedentary and then log all your workouts. That's how I do mine too.

jzammetti

I used lightly active for a while but recently adjusted up to moderately active - I workout for about 4.5 hours per week weight training

jzammetti

I'd do sedentary and then log all your workouts. That's how I do mine too.

No disrespect intended, but this method is NOT TDEE. TDEE is Total daily energy expenditure - factoring in your activity level is a key piece of this approach.

cwolfman13

I'm frigging confused. Please help a newbie out. I keep flip flopping my settings between sedentary and light, but at sedentary, the calories (1480) put me JUST above my calculated BMR (1450 according to Scooby), so that seems like not enough calories. Of course I want to drop weight, but not at the expense of effing my metabolism. If I up it to light it gives me 1620 calories, which makes me much happier (not starving).

I sit at a desk all day, get up to deliver reports or check on people, and come home, pick up around the house, play with my kid, nothing too crazy that would justify more than sedentary in my opinion. I log all my exercise as additional. I tend to eat back some of my exercise and net under my total allotment of calories (including what I earned back through exercise). WHY is the sedentary setting so darn low here? Or am just whiny and looking to eat more than I should?

IMHO, most people aren't really sedentary, even if they have a desk job. Sedentary calorie goal is so low because sedentary is really pretty much doing nothing...getting up and going to work and sitting around...then going home and sitting around doing nothing. Most people are on their feet and moving more than they think they are.

I started off sedentary on MFP (desk job) and just eating back exercise calories and was losing too fast and was pretty fatigued. I felt much better when I upped to light active and continued to eat most of my exercise calories back. While I do have a desk job, once I get home I don't really sit down until about 8:30 or 9:00 PM because I"m playing with the kids or cooking dinner or fixing something that's broken or cleaning, etc.

Rynnage89

I actually have no idea whether I actually come under "Lightly active" or whether I do less than that. I walk 20 mins a day to work [with a train journey in the middle] and the same home. I am then on my feet for 8 hours a day, either standing working, walking back and forth with my work, running up stairs and occasionally lifting heavy boxes [up to 6kg] Lightly active is right....right?? I can't be sedentary?? If I was to do TDEE would I put that down as "1-3 hrs/wk of light exercise"?? Sorry for all the random questioning, I just have no idea where I am right now.

[Ps. here's my background: SW - 203lb, CW - 179lb, GW - 154lb, Height 5ft3in]

MaydayParadeGirl

I'd do sedentary and then log all your workouts. That's how I do mine too.

No disrespect intended, but this method is NOT TDEE. TDEE is Total daily energy expenditure - factoring in your activity level is a key piece of this approach.

She didnt' say it was TDEE, she was answering the initial question which was what should the OP set hers at.