please help me determine my activity level

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louzara5
louzara5 Posts: 200
in Health and Weight Loss
I am a stay home mum usually im on the go alot by shopping and doing stuff around the house. i sit for like 2 hours in the afternoon.
I work out for 5 days a week. which add up to nearly 6 hours spread on the WHOLE WEEK and burning around 2500 on the WHOLE WEEK.
All i need to lose is around 5 - 8 lb
thanks

Replies

  • jo_marnes
    jo_marnes Posts: 1,601 Member
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    I'm a SAHM and a student. I'm set at lightly active and then I add my exercise as I go.... then its not taken for granted each day. Some days I lift and burn 150 cals, others I run and burn 500. So I add my exercise/ extra activity on a daily basis
  • louzara5
    louzara5 Posts: 200
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    you eat them back? and do u subtract 20 % from light active?
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Are you using the MFP method of eating back exercise calories or trying to work out your TDEE so you can set a calorie amount for TDEE minus a percentage?

    If using the MFP method then your activity level is entirely separate from your added exercise - if represents normal everyday lifestyle. I work in an office all day so I'm sedentary although I burn approx 5000 calories a week in added exercise. As you aren't sitting down all day (sedentary = not moving, seated) you aren't sedentary. Sounds like you should be lightly active.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Either lightly active plus eat back exercise calories or close to very active less 20%. Realistically, select a calorie level and watch progress for a month to figure out your true tdee.
  • luckynky
    luckynky Posts: 123 Member
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    Another way you can do it is to set up your MFP using the guided method, then add in your intended exercise to see how many calories you would burn for a week. Then you can add those calories into your regular calories (that MFP determines) for the whole week, divide by 7 days, and get a daily average. Then you can go back and adjust your goals in MFP (over-ride or manually set your calories) so that you are dealing with a daily average based on your workout plans. But if you do this, do not eat back your exercise calories! I do it this way, and I log exercise but set the calorie at 1, just to keep track of my exercise time. I like this much better than doing the roller-coaster eating, where calories are different every day.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    I'd say use MFP's calculator to start set at sedentary (shopping is not a huge calorie burner) and add your intentional exercise. Give it a few weeks. If you see huge amounts of weight dropping off you can up it to lightly active. When your exercise is all over the place for burn it's pretty hard to use the TDEE method.
  • louzara5
    louzara5 Posts: 200
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    thanks guys :)
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    Set at sedentary and log your exercise - not just gym but also the walking for shopping/running after kids.

    Or set to sedendary and if you have a small budget, invest $59 in a fitbit zip and let it count your steps/climbing and just log swimming, rowing and bkiking. It adjusts things automatically.
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
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    I found it easier to set my activity level to Sedentary and add my exercise calories. Then I know what I have each day.... I'm also not getting twice the exercise calories.
  • Sjenny5891
    Sjenny5891 Posts: 717 Member
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    There are several good free apps you can download to your phone.
  • rachelwilliams93
    rachelwilliams93 Posts: 30 Member
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    I am a hairdressing and I work 3 and a half days a week, plus do exercise everyday for about 30 minutes what should I set mine for ?
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    I am a hairdressing and I work 3 and a half days a week, plus do exercise everyday for about 30 minutes what should I set mine for ?

    Job makes you lightly active. And just eat back 50% of your exercise calories or just set your account to moderate and not eat back exercise calories.
  • nenowta
    nenowta Posts: 2 Member
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    I just changed my activity level to "sedentary" because I have a desk job...even though I'm working out 5-6 days per week. My calories per day changed to 1200. I've always been told that's not enough and my body will go into "starvation mode". Thoughts?
  • herblackwings39
    herblackwings39 Posts: 3,930 Member
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    I just changed my activity level to "sedentary" because I have a desk job...even though I'm working out 5-6 days per week. My calories per day changed to 1200. I've always been told that's not enough and my body will go into "starvation mode". Thoughts?

    1200 is usually what MFP gives someone who either has less to lose or chose to lose 2 lbs a week. It may not be too little if you are eating back your exercise calories though. It depends on the individual.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    I just changed my activity level to "sedentary" because I have a desk job...even though I'm working out 5-6 days per week. My calories per day changed to 1200. I've always been told that's not enough and my body will go into "starvation mode". Thoughts?

    It takes 72 hours of not eating to even see metabolic adaptation, so you won't go into starvation mode. But eating too little can cause a famine response which your body will release cortisol to protect your body. What you can do to prevent that is have a smaller deficit and fuel your body properly. Below is a general guideline to follow. Also, if MFP is calculating your exercise calories eat about 50% of them or since you consistently workout 5-6 days a week, change your account to moderately active and do not eat exercise calories but aim to get within +/- 100 calories of your goal daily.


    If you have 75+ lbs to lose 2 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 40-75 lbs to lose 1.5 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 25-40 lbs to lose 1 lbs/week is ideal,
    If you have 15 -25 lbs to lose 0.5 to 1.0 lbs/week is ideal, and
    If you have less than 15 lbs to lose 0.5 lbs/week is ideal.
  • nenowta
    nenowta Posts: 2 Member
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    Okay, so this is a terribly SLOW response, but I wanted to THANK YOU for your help "psulemon". I changed my activity level to "lightly active". I think that may be a little easier for me to track rather than wondering if I've eaten too many exercise calories, or not enough...etc.

    Thanks again psulemon!
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,401 MFP Moderator
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    Okay, so this is a terribly SLOW response, but I wanted to THANK YOU for your help "psulemon". I changed my activity level to "lightly active". I think that may be a little easier for me to track rather than wondering if I've eaten too many exercise calories, or not enough...etc.

    Thanks again psulemon!

    haha, no problem. How has it worked out for you?

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