To adjust calorie goal or not?

LavenderBouquet
LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Wanted to gauge a few peoples opinions on this issue. I am normally a very sedentary person besides when I set out time to do light to moderate cardio 5-6 days per week. I typically am sitting for around 11 hours a day, whether it be for school, work, or free-time. However, I recently started a part-time job (~20hours a week) in which I'm a Starbucks barista where I'm standing, shuffling around, kneeling, and picking up items at a fairly decent pace for 4-6 hours per shift. I have my calorie goal set to my sedentary TDEE and was wondering if I am perhaps dipping into too high of a deficit on the days that I work. I'm usually tired and sore at the end of a longer shift and are usually hungrier on these days. Should I calculate a TDEE for my "working" days and eat the surplus it would create for me, or is it not worth fussing over?

Replies

  • PureAdamic
    PureAdamic Posts: 185
    Feeling weak, passing out, getting dizzy, headaches, etc you could up the cals, but if it ain't broke don't fix it
  • JessHealthKick
    JessHealthKick Posts: 800 Member
    hard to know when we don't know what you're eating.. but I would say upping by a small 100 a day would be wise if you're walking around for 4 hours a day. It may not be walking on a treadmill in a gym (which you would log right?) but it's still the same.
  • angelique_redhead
    angelique_redhead Posts: 782 Member
    Add your exercise in and eat part of your exercise calories if you're hungry.
  • OMGeeeHorses
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/937709-in-place-of-a-road-map-ver-3-0

    did this and I am loosing inches and weight like crazy :) ( more inches right now :) ), but before I was on a plateau and feeling like crap for a few months. NEVER AGAIN!!!

    Any questions ask the creator - HelloItsDan
  • blytheandbonnie
    blytheandbonnie Posts: 3,275 Member
    I'm in a similar situation. I took a weekend job at a store, and it involves a lot of walking and packing boxes. I started logging 4 hours of walking at a slow pace and 30 minutes of 'moving household items/boxes' if I had to do a lot of stocking. This was for an 8.5 hour shift. Then I would eat about half of the earned calories, depending on how hungry I was. I realize those are kinda arbitrary numbers but it gave me a way to track it. I went lower if it was quiet, but never higher. Hope this gives you some ideas. Busy retail is definitely not sedentary.
  • climbamnt
    climbamnt Posts: 190 Member
    Get yourself a decent pedometer and see what your activity level really is. I always thought I was sedentary too, but after using my pedometer I average 5000 to 10000 steps a day, burning about 2200 calories. If I set to MFP to sedentary it wants me to eat 1200 calories which is way to low! So I eat around 1800 now.

    And I work a desk job!
  • OMGeeeHorses
    OMGeeeHorses Posts: 732 Member
    I recommend for blytheandbonn and the poster to put an investment into a body media core armband.. It takes the guessing out of what to log to NILL!! it logs right up to MFP and goes off your heart and body temperature and is the number one gadget out their for people trying to loose weight. also watches your sleep and tracks your deficit from MFP and all u do is log in MFP and it brings over to the BMCA area :)
  • climbamnt
    climbamnt Posts: 190 Member
    I recommend for blytheandbonn and the poster to put an investment into a body media core armband.. It takes the guessing out of what to log to NILL!! it logs right up to MFP and goes off your heart and body temperature and is the number one gadget out their for people trying to loose weight. also watches your sleep and tracks your deficit from MFP and all u do is log in MFP and it brings over to the BMCA area :)

    Yup I have the FitBit, not quite as accurate as something like Body Media but same principle! Love stuff that syncs right to here so you don't have to do anything!
  • Troublemonster
    Troublemonster Posts: 223 Member
    For me, I find that I am somewhere between sedentary and lightly active during the winter months. When I did the TDEE spereadsheet I used a TDEE multiplier between those two levels and came up with a TDEE that was between the two levels. i adjusted my calories accordingly and haven't looked back since. In fact, I just went up another 150 or so again this week.

    I am really liking the way i am doing it now, 110% of TDEE on workout days .75% of TDEE on rest days with less carbs on rest days and more on workout days.
  • Beautifulsoull
    Beautifulsoull Posts: 136
    Each person is different, some needs only few hundred more calories and some needs more then 200calories a day. Try upping your calories by 100 and see where that takes you. The more you move the more your going to burn, even if its just for 4hrs a day. I'm outside with my 17month old daughter for an hours outside and all I do is walk slowly while shes running around the park and that is enough to get me hungry quick. The most that can happen is gain a pound, but you'll never know what your body needs unless you try it. Don't be scared to up your calories. More food to loss is the way I see it.
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    without knowing what your actual stats are it's impossible for us to say.
  • HSingMomto7Kids
    HSingMomto7Kids Posts: 345 Member
    I say on those days increase a little more as put it in as a workout and sure bring it up to the next setting there if you think that is best for you. I'd probably personally just put it in as a workout. Those workouts are the best!!
  • LavenderBouquet
    LavenderBouquet Posts: 736 Member
    I guess I also should have stated that I'm only going to be doing this job for another couple weeks, so buying a fitbit or pedometer just for this wouldn't be very practical. I'm also not sure why you need my stats? I know how to calculate the difference in TDEE, I as moreso trying to gain opinions from others if it's worth considering or to not worry about it. It's only a couple hundred calorie difference. As for the person asking about what I eat, my diary is completely open, so you can take a look if you'd like. Thanks for the input so far everyone :smile:
  • Beautifulsoull
    Beautifulsoull Posts: 136
    I would up the calories cause right now your at 1400. The days your gonig to be working, you should you have lift things and walk around for 4-6hrs. Your going to burn more then you think so you'll be needing more food to fuel up on.

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