HELP Am I sedentary or Light ?!?!?!

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Fatbirdtalking
Fatbirdtalking Posts: 44
in Health and Weight Loss
HELP I'm not sure what to put myself down as .... I sit around playing on my laptop but I also care for my disabled adult child (every day) run around after my grandsons twice a week. work in a shop 2 days a week, where I am on my feet all day and dusting shelves, cleaning etc and hairdressing 1 day. So, when I'm at home I feel like I spend too much time sitting down but technically I'm up and down all day. I am unable to exercise vigorously as I have a spinal problem but I should kick myself up the bum and walk or swim again but its ooooooh so cold in the winter !!
I should also say that I have lost 28lbs with another Company but had plateaued for the last year so started MFP , I would like to lose another 12lbs, that would make me happy but actually to get to goal weight I would have to lose 20lbs. MFP have given me 1200 cals to work with.

Replies

  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    I'd say light, but don't eat back exercise calories and see how you go. Or you could eat back calories on days you are more sedentary perhaps?

    have you tried a gentle workout DVD - there are some you can do sitting on a chair and they're surprisiingly difficult considering you'r just sitting down!
  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
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    Sounds like you're at least lightly active, if not more so! Remember that unlike other systems, MFP doesn't include "formal" exercise in your activity level, so when you do come to record your walking or swimming, eat back a good proportion of your exercise calories.
  • terilou87
    terilou87 Posts: 328 Member
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    i would say light, sedentary is like an office job sat down all day your up and about quite a bit, i wouldnt use the 1200 cals tho you should work out your tdee and eat at -20% you can work it out at www.scoobieworkshop.com x
  • Hannah7783
    Hannah7783 Posts: 54 Member
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    I'm pretty sure my calorie allowance is the same if I put light or sedentary...?! I might be wrong but put yourself as one then as the other to compare calorie allowances.

    Good luck!!!
  • Fatbirdtalking
    Fatbirdtalking Posts: 44
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    Thanks everyone, will change to light ..... thanks for the tips. (Mazdauk) I didn't use my exercise calories with the other company so that's a good point, will do that. and look at a DVD I can do at home in the warm !
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    if you're using the TDEE - 20% method (i.e. the "in place of a road map" thread method) then the best advice would be to pick one, calculate your calories at that level and see how you get on. From what you describe I think you're probably lightly active, so lightly active calories would be a good starting point.

    Then, you can adjust your calories up or down if necessary. For example, if after 2 weeks you're not losing, you can subtract 200 calories and see if that makes you start losing. Alternatively, if the number of calories you're eating is leaving you feeling hungry all the time, lacking in energy, grumpy, or you're getting food cravings or you're tempted to binge, raise the calories by 100 at first, if this doesn't fix these problems, then raise it by another 100.

    There is no calorie calculator on earth that will tell you exactly how many calories you're burning, and there's no objective standard for what constitutes lightly active, all anyone can do is use the calculator as a starting point and adjust the calories based on what happens in the real world.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    I thought for sure when I joined that I was sedentary but once I'd been here awhile I realized I was burning more than I thought.

    I'd guess you're at least lightly active. Try that setting, with eating back your exercise calories. Or alternately you can follow the TDEE-20% method from this thread:

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

    If you find that you're not losing after a month or so, then you can try not eating back calories, or only eating back part of them.
  • joolywooly33
    joolywooly33 Posts: 421 Member
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    Have you tried calanetics as a form of exercise, cant reccomend it enough!
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
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    Thanks everyone, will change to light ..... thanks for the tips. (Mazdauk) I didn't use my exercise calories with the other company so that's a good point, will do that. and look at a DVD I can do at home in the warm !

    If you're not eating at least half of your exercise calories you are setting yourself up for failure because you will wind up under eating.
  • bronnyd
    bronnyd Posts: 278 Member
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    Definitely lightly active! I think 1200 calories is probably too low for your lifestyle but try it out and see.

    To me sedentary is like: drive to work, sit all day, drive home, eat dinner, sit all evening. This doesn't sound like you.
  • angieleighbyrd
    angieleighbyrd Posts: 989 Member
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    You could always just set it to sedentary then make sure you eat back your exercise calories.
  • Ploogy
    Ploogy Posts: 115 Member
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    Please read this page: http://calorieline.com/tools/tdee

    Probably the most helpful and sensible explanation of TDEE and BMR I've read.
  • mazdauk
    mazdauk Posts: 1,380 Member
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    I tried calenetics and lost 10 pounds! (well it was £9.99:laugh: ) didn't work for me at all but it is very gentle so you might find it helps.

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