Should I change my activity level?

Angylgrrl

Hello all,

I'm thinking of changing my activity level from 'light' to 'sedentary'. I have 3 part-time jobs teaching, but 2 of those are 30 to 45 minute preschool music classes that happen one day a week. The other is 3 days a week in a Catholic school for the full school day, and I am up and down stairs, standing at the front of the room, walking around, dancing, etc. Two of those 3 days I also do aftercare, so I'm there until 6 pm, walking around and consistently moving.

On the days I'm at the Catholic school, I am usually fine meeting my calorie deficit and burn some extra calories according to my Fitbit, but on the other days and the weekends, I do not usually meet my deficit because I am home for much of the day, and there is only so much space to walk around and things to find to do in the house for my regular 'life activities' calorie burn. When I exercise, it adds calories to my deficit on those days, but since I am not meeting my original deficit, I don't feel like I should eat those exercise calories back. I also don't have the option for Fitbit to take calories back on because there are a few nights a week where I don't get home until at least 6:30 or 7, so it wouldn't sync until late in the day, which could seriously affect my calorie goals for the day and whether I have extra calories or not.

What are your thoughts? Eat back my exercise calories only on days when I'm meeting my original deficit and keep my activity level at 'lightly active'? Set it to 'sedentary' and eat back all earned exercise calories? Something else? I've been plateaued for a bit now, and want to try and find what would work better. I just don't know because my schedule is weird and I'm not sure what is the best approach. Your thoughts and observations are appreciated.

I'm not looking for a quick fix, and I want to do what is healthy and sustainable. When I started, I ate 1350 calories and worked my way down to 1200, and certainly lost 2 lbs per week, but I didn't feel it was healthy for me, as my hair started to be affected and I felt hungry often. I am currently set to lose 1 lb per week (about) and am set for 1510 calories per day. My diary is open, and as a fair warning, I have had some not-so-great days in the past few weeks.

I genuinely want to get back on track, and I do try to make good choices when possible, but I have had a fair share of weak moments due to stress at my job and other emotional factors recently. Thanks in advance!

Mokey41

FWIW, I never eat back exercise. The little extra you burn doing slow walking around a classroom or daycare isn't going to require refeeding. I'd go with sedentary and only eat back intentional exercise like running, cycling, aerobics, etc if you really feel the need.

Angylgrrl

Thanks! I'm thinking that this may be the way to go- only eat back intentional or excessive amounts of exercise calories, which would show up what I believe would be more accurately.

generallyme2

I only eat back intentional exercise as well. I spend all day running after kids, up and down stairs, doing houework, walking my classroom, but I consider those normal 'wear and tear' lol! I do however try to get in 30-60 minutes minimum of medium/hard exercise per day (running, elliptical, etc).

herblackwings39

If your MFP is set back to lightly active all you're supposed to eat back are actual exercise calories. They wouldn't include cleaning the house or stairs at work. The days you're more active at work should be making up for the days you're less active to kind of level out. I'd probably stay with lightly active and then only eat back calories when I work out.

jzammetti

If you are using MFP standards, you only eat back true exercise calories (a workout, not work)

You are not sedentary, in my opinion.

Angylgrrl

Thanks for the replies! I was set to lightly active and was only eating back intentional exercise calories, but I think that the problem was that on my less active days, it was still too many calories to keep the deficit where it was supposed to be.

I changed my settings to 'sedentary' (though I don't believe that I am actually sedentary) and plan to eat back all actual (intentional) exercise calories, and if I have any extras from Fitbit, incorporate them into my day if I have at least 100.

Angylgrrl

If your MFP is set back to lightly active all you're supposed to eat back are actual exercise calories. They wouldn't include cleaning the house or stairs at work. The days you're more active at work should be making up for the days you're less active to kind of level out. I'd probably stay with lightly active and then only eat back calories when I work out.

This is what I was doing, but I couldn't shake the plateau. I thought it should level out too, but I guess that it really was not enough activity on my busy days to make up for my 'off' days. I don't count things like cleaning or climbing stairs as part of my exercise (I never log them). The only time I would would be if I was actually running stadium stairs as a workout or moving house.

jzammetti

If your MFP is set back to lightly active all you're supposed to eat back are actual exercise calories. They wouldn't include cleaning the house or stairs at work. The days you're more active at work should be making up for the days you're less active to kind of level out. I'd probably stay with lightly active and then only eat back calories when I work out.

This is what I was doing, but I couldn't shake the plateau. I thought it should level out too, but I guess that it really was not enough activity on my busy days to make up for my 'off' days. I don't count things like cleaning or climbing stairs as part of my exercise (I never log them). The only time I would would be if I was actually running stadium stairs as a workout or moving house.

Depending on the length of time you have been stuck, it may not be a true plateau. A true plateau is months of no movement on the scale or the tape measure. Our bodies seem to cycle - great losses then a stall, then slower losses, then a stall... BUT, if you are under eating for a prolonged period of time, you can plateau because you have messed up your hormones and metabolism by losing lean body mass. Any chance you are not eating enough?

Angylgrrl

Depending on the length of time you have been stuck, it may not be a true plateau. A true plateau is months of no movement on the scale or the tape measure. Our bodies seem to cycle - great losses then a stall, then slower losses, then a stall... BUT, if you are under eating for a prolonged period of time, you can plateau because you have messed up your hormones and metabolism by losing lean body mass. Any chance you are not eating enough?

I don't think so. I upped my calories from 1200 (which was too low- consistently hungry and felt tired, plus my hair started to be affected) to 1510 when I changed my goal from 2 lbs per week to 1 lb per week. The 1 lb per week goal was set with light activity and 4 30 minute workouts, where I ate back most, if not all of my exercise calories. I felt okay on 1510 and found it manageable, but I've been fluctuating between 168 and 163 since January/February. FWIW, I'm 5'3", just turned 30, and BMR calculators set my BMR anywhere from 1400-1600 calories. Do you think that I'm not eating enough? I can't imagine that I'm not, but I'd love to know your opinion. Feel free to peruse the diary.

Edit: All TDEE calculations I am doing are calculating 2097-2300+ TDEE. A TDEE -20% would be around 1675 calories.

I am so confused now.

Angylgrrl

Bump to see if anyone else can help. So many numbers, it's getting confusing...:grumble: