Sederatary or lightly active?

sasaemmat86
sasaemmat86 Posts: 10
in Introduce Yourself
Hello everyone. I am new to this site and so far I love it! Been on WW for a while and I find this ALOT easier for me! Just a question though, I had set my personal settings to lightly active but now I am second guessing it. I am a stay at home mom for the time being, I was a teacher, so I was on my feet a lot. However, I put in lightly active as I do find that I am on my feet for most of the day, as I am either playing with my little one indoors or out, cleaning up around the house or cooking. Does that count? Or does it have to be constant on my feet? Should I move it to the sedentary instead? Any help would be apperciated.
Thanks
Em

Replies

  • kikicooks
    kikicooks Posts: 1,079 Member
    Definitely not sedentary. :)
  • dltaylorii
    dltaylorii Posts: 132
    I'd keep it lightly active. I'm a graphic designer so I sit in front of my computer all day, therefore I log myself as "sedentary". But I also log over 100 miles every month on the road / treadmill, as well as strength train, rowing machine, and do P90x videos, etc. I don't really consider myself sedentary, but whatever. Important thing to remember (for me, at least) is that It's just a setting.
  • WifeofPJ
    WifeofPJ Posts: 312
    Hello everyone. I am new to this site and so far I love it! Been on WW for a while and I find this ALOT easier for me! Just a question though, I had set my personal settings to lightly active but now I am second guessing it. I am a stay at home mom for the time being, I was a teacher, so I was on my feet a lot. However, I put in lightly active as I do find that I am on my feet for most of the day, as I am either playing with my little one indoors or out, cleaning up around the house or cooking. Does that count? Or does it have to be constant on my feet? Should I move it to the sedentary instead? Any help would be apperciated.
    Thanks
    Em

    I agree with kikicooks definitely not sedentary. I work in an office but because I do so much activity that I find setting mine to lightly active was better for me. I would actually question if you should be moderatly active, I dont' think that they have the descriptions the best. If you have a pedomiter wear that for a little while and see how many steps you take a day to figure out what you should be concidered.
  • sasaemmat86
    sasaemmat86 Posts: 10
    Your right, it is just a setting. I just want to make sure I am eating the right amount of calories. I guess I will give it a try like this for a week and see how it goes. If I don't see a difference I will switch it. I do work out on the side as well, but I want to track that separately. Do you have to eat back the calories you burned?
  • wswilliams67
    wswilliams67 Posts: 938 Member
    Sedentary is a desk job where you sit for 8+ hours/day and do not exercise at all. I'd stick with lightly active if you are not hitting a gym/club daily.
  • sasaemmat86
    sasaemmat86 Posts: 10
    Does it say how many steps considers you to be lightly active? I do have a pedometer so I wouldn't mind doing that. Thanks for your help!
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    I'd definitely say lightly active, not sedentary. When I had a job I was set to lightly active even though it was a desk job; I was still pretty active getting to and from work, lunch breaks, filing stuff on shelves throughout the day, etc.

    I'm set to sedentary now but that's because I graduated school, I have no job, and there are some days when I literally sit in bed *all day*. Anything more than that, and I would set myself at lightly active again.
  • kikicooks
    kikicooks Posts: 1,079 Member
    Your right, it is just a setting. I just want to make sure I am eating the right amount of calories. I guess I will give it a try like this for a week and see how it goes. If I don't see a difference I will switch it. I do work out on the side as well, but I want to track that separately. Do you have to eat back the calories you burned?

    Yes, the way MFP is set up is that you DO eat your calories back. When choosing your activity level it is based on your normal day without added exercise.
  • dltaylorii
    dltaylorii Posts: 132
    "Do you have to eat back the calories you burned?"

    Depends on a lot of things, really. Everyone is different. Some people can eat 1600c and lose weight, while others have to drop to 1300c to do so. Others can stay at 1200c and never lose. It's all about finding what works for you. But (in general) the more calories you burn, the more room you have to eat. For me, I just stay between 12-1600c a day, no matter if I don't workout, or if I workout three times. It's what works for me.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    IMHO, most people are at least lightly active. Sedentary really is pretty much get up...take a dump...go sit down on the couch or at your desk...go to bed. Most people aren't as sedentary as they think they are just because they have a desk job or something. Also, if it's set too high you can always adjust it down..this is all trial and error.

    I have a desk job and still, without exercise (remember that MFP is a NEAT method calculator; you're not supposed to include exercise in your activity level...thus why you eat those calories back and your calorie goal goes up when you log exercise) I'm lightly active due to getting up and down some at the office...but when I get home I'm chasing around my 3 year old and 11 month old...making dinner, cleaning, fixing something, etc.
  • sasaemmat86
    sasaemmat86 Posts: 10
    Right. But if I do not track my extra work outs then my calories remain the same and I won't be eating back those I burned off, correct? Sorry, I don't mean to ask a million questions. I just want to get this right, so I can stick to it. It has been hard trying to lose the baby weight. Really hard.....
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
    I use sedentary, even though I some days I am highly active and other days, not so much. Sedentary keep me moving toward my goal. And, imho, the setting has nothing to with your exercise level. It's your estimated activity level when you are NOT exercising, unless you don't log and eat your exercise calories. Some folks log their exercise as 1 cal, using an average. I like having days when I get to eat a little more, so sedentary + log and eat my workout calories works for me. I think you have play with it a little, and see what works.

    Good luck!
  • thisismeraw
    thisismeraw Posts: 1,264 Member
    Your right, it is just a setting. I just want to make sure I am eating the right amount of calories. I guess I will give it a try like this for a week and see how it goes. If I don't see a difference I will switch it. I do work out on the side as well, but I want to track that separately. Do you have to eat back the calories you burned?

    Give any changes you make 4-6 weeks before changing them again. A week is not nearly long enough to see if something is working or not.

    Keep your activity level at lightly active. When you workout add those into MFP and eat those calories back. That's how the program is designed. Not eating them back can create too large of a deficit (especially if you have picked a weight loss goal too large per week) which does more harm than good.
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
    Right. But if I do not track my extra work outs then my calories remain the same and I won't be eating back those I burned off, correct? Sorry, I don't mean to ask a million questions. I just want to get this right, so I can stick to it. It has been hard trying to lose the baby weight. Really hard.....

    I would use caution when doing this...it is very easy to set too low of a calorie count and then when you exercise, it makes it even worse. For example, I see folks setting their calories to 1200 and not eating the exercise calories back, leaving their bodies starving for nutrition. Food is fuel and an empty fuel tank cause pretty serious health problems.
  • sasaemmat86
    sasaemmat86 Posts: 10
    Alright sounds good. I will track my workouts and eat back those calories burned. Thanks for your help and information. I am hoping with dedication and hard work, everything will start to pay off.
  • KeithAngilly
    KeithAngilly Posts: 575 Member
    Alright sounds good. I will track my workouts and eat back those calories burned. Thanks for your help and information. I am hoping with dedication and hard work, everything will start to pay off.

    It will...when you have it set right, nothing else can happen! :o)
  • kikicooks
    kikicooks Posts: 1,079 Member
    Right. But if I do not track my extra work outs then my calories remain the same and I won't be eating back those I burned off, correct? Sorry, I don't mean to ask a million questions. I just want to get this right, so I can stick to it. It has been hard trying to lose the baby weight. Really hard.....

    Yes, technically it would mean if you don't do an extra workout/exercise beyond your normal daily activity then you didn't 'earn' anymore calories to eat so you would just try to stick to the original set goal. This is all a basic general guide to start with, see what works for you and adjust as you go.

    If you don't want your numbers to change you can just figure out what your average TDEE is, then subtract 15-20% and manually set that as your goal but don't track your exercise calories. That is what I do.
    This calculator might help:
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/
  • KarlyK929
    KarlyK929 Posts: 44 Member
    Your right, it is just a setting. I just want to make sure I am eating the right amount of calories. I guess I will give it a try like this for a week and see how it goes. If I don't see a difference I will switch it. I do work out on the side as well, but I want to track that separately. Do you have to eat back the calories you burned?

    Yes, the way MFP is set up is that you DO eat your calories back. When choosing your activity level it is based on your normal day without added exercise.

    This is exactly right. It's based on how much activity you do per day without any exercise or gym time. That way you can add any exercise you do on top of your normal daily routine.

    I work out 4-5 times a week but still keep my setting as Sedentary since I'm an accountant and spend at least 8 hours a day at my desk. Then I log any exercise that I do, which nets the calories. This has worked out really well for me, plus it gives me motivation to work out since I get to log it in here (seeing it on paper motivates me).

    Hope that helps!
  • Thinnyminime
    Thinnyminime Posts: 41 Member
    I am a stay at home Mother as well. I put my self down as sedentary because when I am not cooking and cleaning I am at my computer or sitting down reading, crocheting or watching the t.v. I have found that the exercise data base has cooking cleaning and gardening so I clock my time and add it to my day. I go for walks for exercise and clock those as well. I play the Wii ... Just Dance and the Wii Fit Balance games...I can clock those as well. Compared to when I was a nurse in a hospital I am sedentary unless I'm doing the things in the data base...which I make damn sure I get credit for. Feel free to look at my diary.
  • Espressocycle
    Espressocycle Posts: 2,245 Member
    Stick with sedentary if you have to ask.
  • kikicooks
    kikicooks Posts: 1,079 Member
    Sedendary:

    "A sedentary lifestyle is a type of lifestyle with no or irregular physical activity. A person who lives a sedentary lifestyle may colloquially be known as a couch potato. It is commonly found in both the developed and developing world. Sedentary activities include sitting, reading, watching television, playing video games, and computer use for much of the day with little or no vigorous physical exercise" Wikipedia

    a : doing or requiring much sitting <a sedentary job>
    b : not physically active <a sedentary lifestyle> Merriam Webster dictionary

    1. Characterized by or requiring much sitting
    2. Accustomed to sitting or to taking little exercise. freedictionary.com
  • metacognition
    metacognition Posts: 626 Member
    Lightly active is probably fine.

    I notice MFP underestimates my calorie burn, although I stand for most of the day with workouts on the side.
  • fyoufat
    fyoufat Posts: 85
    You're post sounds exactly like something I wrote when I first started. What I did was put it at sedentary and did that for a few weeks, maybe a month. I saw I was losing more than what MFP said I would (according to their calculations),so I put it to lightly active. Now, I have more calories and I find that I am not overeating as much anymore because my body is more satisfied and less deprived.

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