TDEE Help

EnchantedEvening
EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'd like to calculate my TDEE, but I don't know what I should use for my "activity level".

I have a desk job, so I sit on my butt for eight hours per day five days per week (I haaaate it).

I generally walk for an hour after work every day, and sometimes I walk for a half-hour during my lunch break since I can't stand sitting.

According to my HRM (with chest strap), I burn around 1200 calories during an hour of walking at 3-4 mph, but I subtract some to allow for BMR and error percentage. Apparently, it takes a lot of energy to move this body. :)

Would that be moderately active or just lightly active?

Replies

  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    Moderately active.
  • ceejay1982
    ceejay1982 Posts: 44
    Wow! 1200 calories for an hour of normal walking. That's a phenomenal burn rate!
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    Thank you. That matches the description on Fitness Frog too.
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    Wow! 1200 calories for an hour of normal walking. That's a phenomenal burn rate!
    Yeah, I know I won't burn that forever. It's just because I'm so heavy and trying to ambulate 315 pounds at a 4 mph pace takes a lot of work. Once I'm a more "normal" weight, I'll be suffering along with everyone else, trying to burn 400 in an hour. ;)
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    Sitting 8 hrs a day is sedentary.
    For MFP you can set it to moderately active and not log light activity or set it to sedentary and log everything.
    Either way it's an estimate. You'll see best as you log for a few weeks and adjust up or down based on your weight loss.

    Create a starting point, adjust after 4-5 weeks, rinse repeat. Track everything.

    Good luck!
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    I don't think TDEE would count me as "sedentary" since it asks how often you exercise every week. That's an MFP setting.
  • trizzell79
    trizzell79 Posts: 153 Member
    I agree with moderate activity.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
    If I was starting mfp again, I'd start by seeing what happened if I ate mfp's maintenance calories for the activity level I thought I was and calibrate from there.

    If I'd done that, I would have found I lost quite rapidly still, and I would have stuck to that figure, rather than suffering on 1200.
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    I don't think TDEE would count me as "sedentary" since it asks how often you exercise every week. That's an MFP setting.

    The TDEE research only considered exercise workouts or sports as active.
    Sedentary is not just an MFP setting.

    Here - http://www.ajdesigner.com/phpweightloss/weight_loss_equations_total_daily_energy_expenditure_sedentary.php

    You are probably Light Activity, but since the equations do not take into consideration someone who burns 1000 cals per hour with the standard multiplier, my suggestion is that you set it as sedentary (multiplier of 1.2) and log all you exercise versus the option of using the Light Activity multiplier (1.375) and not logging your base activity which would normally be included in the multiplier.

    I weight lift 3-4 times a week, I run or bike once a week and walk a lot, but I've set my base calculation as sedentary as this allows me to log all my activity. If you want a more in depth answer, there is the new Road map thread.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/654536-in-place-of-a-road-map-2-0-revised-7-2-12

    Btw, the sedentary label seems offensive to me because of the association we give it, so my intent is not to give you a measure of your real activity but on how to best use the equation given that you actually have a great burn potential.
  • geekyjock76
    geekyjock76 Posts: 2,720 Member
    If I was starting mfp again, I'd start by seeing what happened if I ate mfp's maintenance calories for the activity level I thought I was and calibrate from there.

    If I'd done that, I would have found I lost quite rapidly still, and I would have stuck to that figure, rather than suffering on 1200.
    That's what I tell my clients to do: eat the maximum amount of calories until they reach a state where they don't gain nor lose weight for about a month. If people knew and started at their actual maintenance range prior to dieting, they'd have far greater success.
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    You are probably Light Activity, but since the equations do not take into consideration someone who burns 1000 cals per hour with the standard multiplier, my suggestion is that you set it as sedentary (multiplier of 1.2) and log all your exercise versus the option of using the Light Activity multiplier (1.375) and not logging your base activity which would normally be included in the multiplier.
    If I did that, would I eat my calories back or no?
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    Now I'm even more confused. I did the TDEE calculation from the "Road Map V2" thread, and my "sedentary" TDEE minus 20% is 2068. MFP's sedentary calorie setting is 1670. Why is there such a huge difference?
  • deksgrl
    deksgrl Posts: 7,237 Member
    MFP assumes you will not exercise and gives you a big deficit to begin with. Then when you DO exercise you need to log it and eat those calories back to fuel your workout.

    If you follow the road map and take your TDEE - 20% then you would not have to track your exercise burn and eat extra calories, it already includes your exercise.
  • EnchantedEvening
    EnchantedEvening Posts: 671 Member
    Gotcha. Thank you very much. :)
  • NocturnalGirl
    NocturnalGirl Posts: 1,762
    I'd say lightly active.

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