activity level question (sorry!!)

thisaintagame
thisaintagame Posts: 33
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey ya'll i know there are only 50+ pages regarding this when you search activity levels. I did look through some of them but i am still not sure what to choose.

I have decided to really buckle down and quit playing games. I need to lose weight for me and my happiness. My current stats and goals:

Age:27
Gender: female
Cw as of this am: 256.2
Height: 5'7"
Frame: medium large according to multiple calculations
Weightloss goal per week: 2lbs
Goal: 180ish or size 12/14? Depends on how i carry it i reckon. Will revamp when the time comes
Health problems/conditions: none

I work in a retail setting 5 days a week where i am on my feet walking (slowly unless it is crazy busy). I downloaded runtastic to use the pedometer and according to that i took almost 9000 steps in one shift.

I try but dont always succeed to spend time in the evenings playing with the dog and my daughter outside in the yard but it doesnt always happen due to my work schedule.

I feel like i am between sedentary and lightly active...just not sure which is better. My heart rate really never raises at work unless it is busy (mainly weekends but with summer who knows?)

MFP gives me 1400 on sedentary and 1600 on lightly active. I know thats only a 200 cal difference but i really want to make sure i have the appropriate deficite.



Thanks for being patient with me and please feel free to make positive suggestions. On a side note if you would like to "argue" a point someone else made, please do so on another thread or by private message. I am going to go with what the majority seems to be on this, so....

Replies

  • thisaintagame
    thisaintagame Posts: 33
    Forgot to mention yes i will be tracking every little nibble i take as well. I dont want any hidden calories holding me back (like forgetting to release the e-brake on your truck before shifting into first and wondering "what the heck?!?")
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Not sedentary, for sure.
  • rachso
    rachso Posts: 174 Member
    I started with walking. I walked around the neighborhood every night (sometimes with my dghtr in the stroller) for about a week just to get stamina going and get used to working out again., I didn't want to overdo it and kill myself. Each night I went a lil farther and/or walked a lil faster. By the end of week 1 I was able to complete a whole mile walk. Oh yea, this was at 222LBS. Now I have amped it up by doing half walk/half jog. I will walk for maybe 2 min, jog for 2 min and keep alternating. If my schedule gets real busy and I dnt have time for a long walk I will walk a couple blocks of my neighbor hood (at a brisker pace) 2-3 times a day. Or, when I hit a grocery store try to walk faster thru it. On June 1st I started the 30 day ab challenge which helps the strength training part. Of course since it is summer I take my kids out to play almost daily and sometimes jsut pace around the yard to get my blood pumping.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    I'd say sedentary. 5,000 steps a day is the minimum anyone should be doing and wandering slowly around a store burns very little more than just standing still or sitting. That said you'll probably be much happier on 1600 calories a day at least to get started. You've set yourself a goal of 2 lbs/week which is fine with what you need to lose but is going to be very restrictive and you may lose just as well on the 1600 as eating 1400 until you get closer to goal.

    Try adding some intentional exercise to your day. Brisk walking is a good start.
  • snowmoon13
    snowmoon13 Posts: 165 Member
    from your description I would think lightly active... to active certainly not sedentary...
  • pittbullgirl
    pittbullgirl Posts: 341 Member
    lightly active. Your day sounds similar to mine.
    Also, You may want to start of losing less per week so it gives you more calories.

    I had mine set at 1/2 lb a week and often lose more than that.....I did try to change it to 1lb a week for two days but felt like I was starving all day. It really only changed it by a few hundred calories but it made a difference mentally with me.

    Just some thoughts! Good luck on your journey!:happy:
  • thisaintagame
    thisaintagame Posts: 33
    Hey mokey (and others) i appreciate the quick responses. Like i said i felt like i was in between the two levels. I guess i should elaborate on my job some too. I walk, bend, lift, sweep, pick up toys a trillion time a day and climb but as before mainly walk. I work at a cracker barrel in the gift shop. I have used mfp under another name previously and was using 1600-1700 at the time. I honestly have been ok with the 1400 limit that i have at the moment ( when i restarted i chose sedentary) but i am yo-yoing with the same 1-2lbs since i started back a few weeks ago. I know it can be water weight and my body readjusting but i have also read that too low of a deficit makes ur body want to "hold on" to calories and that stress can make you retain ( yes i have some stress but then who doesnt? Thats why i go outside. :) it is stuff beyond my control so if my mind is busy i dont focus on it most days). Am i right to have chosen the sedentary level? I dont want to hold myself back



    Oh i am starting the c25k program today. Wish me luck :)
  • Phrick
    Phrick Posts: 2,765 Member
    Do you sit in front of a TV mindlessly watching drivel all day? Oh you do MORE than just that? Then you're NOT Sedentary. Especially if you're now adding in C25K. I'd pick Lightly Active... if nothing happens don't freak out, don't lose hope, you will just need to reassess in a few weeks and pick a different modifier. Remember a few things: 1) weight loss is not linear. Some weeks you'll lose, some weeks you'll hold steady, some you might even gain. Don't lose hope! 2) it takes a couple weeks (three..four..six) to really reap the full potential benefit of your chosen lifestyle change, so don't give up in a panic if things aren't changing/aren't changing as fast as you would like after just 2-3 weeks.

    You can do this!
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Personally what I'd do is pick lightly active. After a month (and track how many over/under calories you have earned, I keep track in a notebook -- so I know that in a month, if I've had 3500 extra calories over my goal I would lose a pound less than my goal predicts) see how your weight loss compares to what you were expecting. If it is higher than you were expecting, shift to moderate -- if it is lower, shift to sedentary.
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
    I believe sedentary is for people with desk jobs. I think you sound lightly active.
  • elisabeisme
    elisabeisme Posts: 308 Member
    A study was actually done on this question:

    " Based on currently available evidence, we propose the following preliminary indices be used to classify pedometer-determined physical activity in healthy adults: (i). <5000 steps/day may be used as a 'sedentary lifestyle index'; (ii). 5000-7499 steps/day is typical of daily activity excluding sports/exercise and might be considered 'low active'; (iii). 7500-9999 likely includes some volitional activities (and/or elevated occupational activity demands) and might be considered 'somewhat active'; and (iv). >or=10000 steps/day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as 'active'. Individuals who take >12500 steps/day are likely to be classified as 'highly active'. "

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035
  • lizzardsm
    lizzardsm Posts: 271 Member
    Hello there! First, you're definitely not sedentary. Sedentary is for people who work desk jobs, and barely walk/exercise... ever. Most people aren't sedentary.

    MFP has a real tendency to underestimate how many calories you should eat for healthy weight loss. Here is an awesome explanation why you shouldn't undereat. Summary: Chronic undereating has some bad psychological effects like - a tendency to obsess about food and the likelihood of binging. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/761810-the-starvation-mode-myth-again

    The best thing you can do is spend a little time educating yourself about losing weight and how to set your calories for healthy weight loss. This is a really good place to start: In Place Of A Roadmap (IPOARM)

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

    It has a really great explanation of how and why to set your calorie goals and how to adjust that target as you lose weight. The best part is, if you follow the guidelines *exactly* and be really accurate about how you count your calories (tip: use a food scale for everything, not measuring cups), you'll lose weight in a really healthy way AND you're unlikely to ever be hungry (some people complain that they have a hard time eating as much food as they need to daily - but you have to!). The key is consistency and accuracy in counting. You'll also learn how to eat healthy for a lifetime - that's been the best part for me. I've learned that foods aren't good/bad; it's ok to eat ice cream or pasta (without guilt!) if I really crave it - just so long as I've eaten well all day and have the space for it in my diary. Feel free to add me as a friend! Best of luck! :)
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Lightly active for sure!
  • thisaintagame
    thisaintagame Posts: 33
    Thanks ya'll.


    Andante i went to the links and website and used all the calculators as instructed. According to that, i should be eating around 1850 for a 30percent def for my tdee based on slightly active. I will try is for a few weeks and see how it goes. Thanks again!
  • lizzardsm
    lizzardsm Posts: 271 Member
    Awesome! Good luck! :)

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