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"active" vs. "lightly active"

Starlage
Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
edited October 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
How would you define active and lightly active? I hate the vague descriptions MFP gives.... It should be defined by how many steps you take in a day. I get about 8,000 steps naturally during my workday.... active or lightly active? My first six months on MFP I used lightly active but weight loss was incredibly slow. I'm curious if I need to bump up to active so that maybe I can actually lose a pound a week? I tend to only go down a pound every few weeks or less.. which yes, still a victory.... but could it be better?

Replies

  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    bump
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    one last try.... BUMP!!
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,605 Member
    I find the definitions quite reasonable. I don't think in 'steps' so wouldn't begin to know how many I do in an average day, and surely it wouldn't take into account a broad range of acitivities - only those that are walking linked?
  • stephabef
    stephabef Posts: 936 Member
    Even though I have an incredibly active job and walk everyone, I put my lifestyle down as "sedentary" so that I could log double shifts/more intense shifts. I still choose my own calorie goal (1400), so I guess I've kind of created my own problem. I had the same question you did originally.
  • Di3012
    Di3012 Posts: 2,247 Member
    I am down as sedentary. I sit down in my job, however, I do walk a fair old bit during the day too, but it is still sedentary.

    When I do my exercise - running and cycling, I will input those separately.
  • agthorn
    agthorn Posts: 1,844 Member
    I started at sedentary, bumped it up to lightly active, and then to active. It's really just trial and error. But if you feel your weight loss is too slow, you should go DOWN in activity level, not up. Sedentary will give you a smaller net goal than lightly active. For me to maintain (at 130lbs) my net goals were 1630 at sedentary, 1770 at lightly active, and 1890 at active.
  • LorinaLynn
    LorinaLynn Posts: 13,247 Member
    I work at home, and call myself lightly active. I'm more active than when I had a desk job and sat for 8 hours straight, but less active than when I worked as a vet tech and the only time I got to sit down was when I was in the ladies' room. :embarassed:
  • pholbert
    pholbert Posts: 575 Member
    I put active. I walk an average of 5 miles a day at my job. On my days off i try to take in less calories.
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    thanks for the input!! I really didn't think anyone was going to respond for a minute there :o) After some searching online I've decided to trial "active" for a month, avoid the scale as much as I can and see how it goes. I've read that you have to give your body three weeks to adjust to more calories, then in that 4th week you should get an idea if it'll work for you or not. THANKS EVERYONE!
  • jillica
    jillica Posts: 554 Member
    I found this on the web - does it help you? I takes care of your lightly active but divides active into 3 categories - YIKES!

    • sedentary (little or no exercise)
    •lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
    •moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
    •very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)
    •extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training)
  • NoAdditives
    NoAdditives Posts: 4,251 Member
    I find the definitions quite reasonable. I don't think in 'steps' so wouldn't begin to know how many I do in an average day, and surely it wouldn't take into account a broad range of acitivities - only those that are walking linked?

    I agree.

    I'm a stay at home mom and I'm set at "lightly active". I spend a fair amount of time on my feet cooking, cleaning and taking care of my kids. But I don't run around or do any heavy lifting so I wouldn't consider myself "active".
  • MaximalLife
    MaximalLife Posts: 2,447 Member
    How would you define active and lightly active? I hate the vague descriptions MFP gives.... It should be defined by how many steps you take in a day. I get about 8,000 steps naturally during my workday.... active or lightly active? My first six months on MFP I used lightly active but weight loss was incredibly slow. I'm curious if I need to bump up to active so that maybe I can actually lose a pound a week? I tend to only go down a pound every few weeks or less.. which yes, still a victory.... but could it be better?
    The difference between sedentary and highly active for me is 500 calories, so I set it high and always make sure I get that extra 500 either with activity or exercise that I do not log.

    That's why my diary reflects so much food intake.
    I LOVE IT!
  • HonkyTonks
    HonkyTonks Posts: 1,193 Member
    I found this on the web - does it help you? I takes care of your lightly active but divides active into 3 categories - YIKES!

    • sedentary (little or no exercise)
    •lightly active (light exercise/sports 1-3 days/week)
    •moderatetely active (moderate exercise/sports 3-5 days/week)
    •very active (hard exercise/sports 6-7 days a week)
    •extra active (very hard exercise/sports & physical job or 2x training)

    If you go with these definitions, and pick say moderately active (exercise 3-5 days a week) I wouldn't add your exercise calories in. I would prefer being on the safe side and going sedentary, then if I am active doing something I might add it in.
  • cbirdso
    cbirdso Posts: 465 Member
    I don't mind the vagueness of the categories because people burn calories at different rates and regardless of how detailed it might be described, we each have to experiment where to place ourselves on the calorie scale. I was too hungry when I placed myself at the sedentary rate even though I have a desk job. Once I changed to 'lightly active' I felt fine and lost at the rate I chose. It was only 170 more calories a day but it really made a difference.

    **Added: This is over and above any exercise calories I earn - which I eat.***
  • Promqueen_74932
    Promqueen_74932 Posts: 203 Member
    http://www.mundaring.wa.gov.au/YourCommunity/RecreationAndLeisure/10000Steps/Pages/HowActiveAreYou.aspx

    What are your activity levels?

    Steps Per Day Activity Level
    <5,000 Sedentary
    5,000 - 7,499 Low active
    7,500 - 9,999 Somewhat active
    >10,000 Active
    >12,500 Highly active




    SLB
  • WonderKP
    WonderKP Posts: 146 Member
    LorinaLynn, i love the pic you used on your ticker... party rock!!
  • SpitfireStacey
    SpitfireStacey Posts: 158 Member
    i'm a stay at home mum so I am out and about running errands, cooking, cleaning, chasing the kid... I choose sedentary. Any actual EXERCISE I log. everything else just comes under sendentary. I've found that if I stay under the 1200 cals that MFP has given me to lose up to 2lbs a week, I lose (though not always 2lbs a week) so I think it's right.

    If you are logging every separate activity, put yourself as sedentary. If you are moderately active (mostly walking/moving) then put that and log your exercise. I like sedentary because I like to have the option to eat back my cals without worrying about not losing that day/week.
  • Freedom4Brooke
    Freedom4Brooke Posts: 34
    Being on my feet all day at work I found that my best bet was put lightly active but manually change my calorie goal.... I just set it right between the calories they recommended for sedentary and lightly active and am loosing on goal.
    At sedentary I dropped too low and stopped loosing and at lightly active i found myself blowing the extra calories on junk :frown:
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
    I work on my feet and am pretty active at home too (and now I'm getting back into the gym routine after taking time off to recover) - I have myself down as "active". But, even with an active lifestyle, MFP has my calories set too low for me, so I customize the calorie goal stuff. :)
  • TeresaC79
    TeresaC79 Posts: 316 Member
    I'm a teacher and on my feet on and off all day. I assumed early on that I should be categorized as "lightly active" but now I'm wondering if I take over 5000 steps a day. I have no idea. That seems so high. So I changed it to sedentary and I'm over calories a couple of days :(
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    http://www.mundaring.wa.gov.au/YourCommunity/RecreationAndLeisure/10000Steps/Pages/HowActiveAreYou.aspx

    What are your activity levels?

    Steps Per Day Activity Level
    <5,000 Sedentary
    5,000 - 7,499 Low active
    7,500 - 9,999 Somewhat active
    >10,000 Active
    >12,500 Highly active

    NICE JOB, THANKS!! I'm on average between 8,000 on a slow clinic day up to 10 or 11,000 on busier days... So I think I'm going to go with upping calories to active and see how I am doing in a month or so.
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    I started at sedentary, bumped it up to lightly active, and then to active. It's really just trial and error. But if you feel your weight loss is too slow, you should go DOWN in activity level, not up. Sedentary will give you a smaller net goal than lightly active. For me to maintain (at 130lbs) my net goals were 1630 at sedentary, 1770 at lightly active, and 1890 at active.

    See I feel opposite; like since my body's not losing like MFP suggests it should maybe it's holding onto some of the calories for energy because I'm not getting enough in? Everything i've read explains that when your calories are too low your body will hold onto the calories to store fat for energy later because our bodies are made to survive at all costs. I figure I should try upping them since I must not be getting enough. Thanks for your opinions though!! :o)
  • Starlage
    Starlage Posts: 1,709 Member
    Oh, side note. When I went and used MFP's BMR calculator it told be 1400.......... so......... I think my body's going to be happy ABOVE 1400, not below like I had MFP had me at. I'm up on my feet actively moving about 5 hours out of my day. Anyone ever seen this calculator? http://www.dietitian.com/calcbody.php it took all kinds of things into consideration, it felt right. So I went and changed my goals to it's recommendations for a pound a week loss at 1430 cals a day, 179 carbs, 48 fats, 72 protein and 64 sugars. like I said I'm 5'1", i'm 161 lbs hoping to get to 145 and then re-eval, up and moving moderatly active 5 hours of my day, lightly active 4 hours or my day and heaily active 1 hour for exercise. It takes all of that into cosideration and then tells you all of your macronutrient levels you should be taking in daily. I like it!
  • rsmelley
    rsmelley Posts: 8
    I use the striiv step counter that was recommended by MFP and sink my walking on my iPhone to MFP. The instructions from striiv say to set your activity level to sedentary when using the app and sincing with MFP. On days that I am working I set MFP to lightly active and do not use striiv. I work in dietary and am on my feet and or walking around for at least 7 hours during the day. On my off days I set MFP to sedentary and use Striiv to adjust my calorie intake. That way if I'm mostly sitting around I don't eat too much but if I'm up running errands or moving around a lot I can increase my calorie intake depending on how active I am on my days off.
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