How to decide activity level...TDEE?

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Janelle173
Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is it best to set your activity level on MFP to sedentary and then count/log everyday things you do like for me: walking to and from class, playing with/running after/carrying my baby....cooking/cleaning?

i don't have a job. I do have an internship two days a week, but it isn't very active. I do go to a large campus twice a week for classes, and I do log my walking to and from class...

i currently am doing the 30 day shred...do i not count that towards my activity level, but def log as exercise? or do people take that into consideration for their daily activity level AND log it as exercise?

IDK if i have my correct activity level marked down...and if i take all the above into consideration and bump it up to the next level above sedentary, do i then not log certain things?

I am also trying to use this info to find my TDEE as well...

BTW i do have a HRM on it's way to me in the mail. *super excited!!*

Any help on this matter would be great! I don't want to be over eating or under-eating.

Right now I have my calorie goal set to 1200. I am 5' and 1/4 inch tall. 165 lbs.

supposedly30 day shred burns 270 calories for me...and i usually do not eat back all my calories...however a few days i have.

I started wondering if i wasn't eating enough because i was really strict for like a week and the scale hardly budged...i ate pizza and some candy one night and woke up the next day and had lost 2 lbs...even though i had gone way over my calories the night before.

that totally goes against everything i would think would allow for weight loss...so it made me start thinking if i have everything in my profile settings/goals as wrong!

Replies

  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,554 Member
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    Honestly it doesn't matter which method you use - just pick one and stick with it.

    You can do one of two things:

    1. pick an activity level that reflects your regular daily activities without extra exercise. If you are looking after a baby I doubt that you are "sedentary" - you'd probably be "lightly active" as a regular daily thing. You don't have to log things like carrying the baby or jobs around the house, I'd assume they happen all the time so you should account for those in the activity level you choose.
    When you exercise more (go for a walk, walk around campus, go the gym etc), log and eat at least some of those extra calories.

    or
    2. pick an activity level that already includes the activity/exercise you do. When you exercise you don't need to log or eat anything extra.

    The first method is the way MFP recommends, but if the idea of "eating exercise calories" freaks you out (like so many other people!) then don't do it, choose the second option.
    You will find that you end up eating about the same amount anyway, it's just different ways to get to the same end point.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Options
    Is it best to set your activity level on MFP to sedentary and then count/log everyday things you do like for me: walking to and from class, playing with/running after/carrying my baby....cooking/cleaning?

    i don't have a job. I do have an internship two days a week, but it isn't very active. I do go to a large campus twice a week for classes, and I do log my walking to and from class...

    i currently am doing the 30 day shred...do i not count that towards my activity level, but def log as exercise? or do people take that into consideration for their daily activity level AND log it as exercise?

    IDK if i have my correct activity level marked down...and if i take all the above into consideration and bump it up to the next level above sedentary, do i then not log certain things?

    I am also trying to use this info to find my TDEE as well...

    BTW i do have a HRM on it's way to me in the mail. *super excited!!*

    Any help on this matter would be great! I don't want to be over eating or under-eating.

    Right now I have my calorie goal set to 1200. I am 5' and 1/4 inch tall. 165 lbs.

    supposedly30 day shred burns 270 calories for me...and i usually do not eat back all my calories...however a few days i have.

    I started wondering if i wasn't eating enough because i was really strict for like a week and the scale hardly budged...i ate pizza and some candy one night and woke up the next day and had lost 2 lbs...even though i had gone way over my calories the night before.

    that totally goes against everything i would think would allow for weight loss...so it made me start thinking if i have everything in my profile settings/goals as wrong!

    Use this to get a handle on your TDEE. Spreadsheet linked in that topic.

    Then you can use the MFP tweak tab if you want to eat back true exercise calories, or use the TDEE method.
    It'll help do either as Rubybelle is talking about.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    Options
    Is it best to set your activity level on MFP to sedentary and then count/log everyday things you do like for me: walking to and from class, playing with/running after/carrying my baby....cooking/cleaning?

    i don't have a job. I do have an internship two days a week, but it isn't very active. I do go to a large campus twice a week for classes, and I do log my walking to and from class...

    i currently am doing the 30 day shred...do i not count that towards my activity level, but def log as exercise? or do people take that into consideration for their daily activity level AND log it as exercise?

    IDK if i have my correct activity level marked down...and if i take all the above into consideration and bump it up to the next level above sedentary, do i then not log certain things?

    I am also trying to use this info to find my TDEE as well...

    BTW i do have a HRM on it's way to me in the mail. *super excited!!*

    Any help on this matter would be great! I don't want to be over eating or under-eating.

    Right now I have my calorie goal set to 1200. I am 5' and 1/4 inch tall. 165 lbs.

    supposedly30 day shred burns 270 calories for me...and i usually do not eat back all my calories...however a few days i have.

    I started wondering if i wasn't eating enough because i was really strict for like a week and the scale hardly budged...i ate pizza and some candy one night and woke up the next day and had lost 2 lbs...even though i had gone way over my calories the night before.

    that totally goes against everything i would think would allow for weight loss...so it made me start thinking if i have everything in my profile settings/goals as wrong!

    Use this to get a handle on your TDEE. Spreadsheet linked in that topic.

    Then you can use the MFP tweak tab if you want to eat back true exercise calories, or use the TDEE method.
    It'll help do either as Rubybelle is talking about.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm

    ah! You must be a genius! that is so cool! thank you!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Options
    Use this to get a handle on your TDEE. Spreadsheet linked in that topic.

    Then you can use the MFP tweak tab if you want to eat back true exercise calories, or use the TDEE method.
    It'll help do either as Rubybelle is talking about.

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/717858-spreadsheet-bmr-tdee-and-deficit-calcs-macros-hrm

    ah! You must be a genius! that is so cool! thank you!

    Well, other terms have for sure been used. But kept seeing the same questions, same existing tools were lacking on websites, so just did it.
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    Options
    :) lol. i gotta say, if that is something you "just did..." i find it impressive and yes, something quite genius. I couldn't "just do" something like that lol

    thank you for the help and info- such valuable info!
  • Janelle173
    Janelle173 Posts: 396 Member
    Options
    Honestly it doesn't matter which method you use - just pick one and stick with it.

    You can do one of two things:

    1. pick an activity level that reflects your regular daily activities without extra exercise. If you are looking after a baby I doubt that you are "sedentary" - you'd probably be "lightly active" as a regular daily thing. You don't have to log things like carrying the baby or jobs around the house, I'd assume they happen all the time so you should account for those in the activity level you choose.
    When you exercise more (go for a walk, walk around campus, go the gym etc), log and eat at least some of those extra calories.

    or
    2. pick an activity level that already includes the activity/exercise you do. When you exercise you don't need to log or eat anything extra.

    The first method is the way MFP recommends, but if the idea of "eating exercise calories" freaks you out (like so many other people!) then don't do it, choose the second option.
    You will find that you end up eating about the same amount anyway, it's just different ways to get to the same end point.

    thank you for your informative response as well! this is very helpful and i def appreciate it.

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