Activity Level?

Question: How do you feel? You're doing more than you have to to maintain a level of fitness. Do you enjoy the exercise routine or are you doing it because you "feel you have to"?

I was keeping up a pretty stiff exercise routine, basically 5k twice a week, weightlifting 90 minutes three times a week, and walking at least one the other days. I stayed fatigued. I started scaling back workouts and running less. I''m currently three weeks into a once a week HIIT resistance routine that takes 15 minutes, run once a week, and martial arts twice a week. My energy levels have improved and I'm more productive at my home and business. I crave less food. Overall, I feel better and despite my fear of piling on pounds for lack of exercise my weight is actually trending to the low side for me

If you want to do less grab the free ebook "primal blueprint fitness" for some thoughts on less exercise- more play.

Sounds like active to me, especially if you're not logging exercises separately!

Are you trying to have MFP set your goal or are you using a TDEE calculator? MFP's activity levels aren't TDEE, they're NEAT....so for example, if I use a TDEE calculator I'm "moderate" active...with MFP, to get a similar calorie goal I would have to put "very active". If you're using MFP, just use your day to day hum drum activity without exercise...then you log your exercise and eat those calories the same as with losing. With MFP, my NEAT is "light active" and I get a calorie goal of 2360...I usually burn 350 - 450 per day with exercise so I gross 2700 - 2800 per day give or take. Using a TDEE calculator I get a calorie goal of around 2750.

There is no right answer no matter what anyone tells you.

Try any activity level you like and see how your weight reacts to it... if it goes up then you've overestimated your activity... if it goes down then you've underestimated your activity... there's nobody who will fit exactly into a specific activity level.

I posted this in fitness, but I thought I would try here, since I'm in maintenance . I'm having trouble deciding what activity level I should use. I'm hoping to find an answer here. I weight train (dumbbells) 3 times a week for 20-30 minutes per session, do pilates 3 times a week for 20 minutes and I walk 5 miles a day (14 minute mile) 6 days a week. I also take care of a grandmother so I'm up and down all day, as well as general housework. I keep going back and forth between lightly active and active. Any help would be appreciated!

I agree. go with how you feel and see how it works for you

Here is the answer straight from the myfitnesspal help section Entitled Goals, Check-in and Progress: (http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1375583-a-message-about-myfitnesspal-s-updated-nutrition-goals)

Physical Activity Levels

Estimation of how much energy an individual needs plays a critical role in helping MyFitnessPal members achieve their health and fitness goals. Calculating estimated energy requirements is not a perfect science but we're constantly trying to improve our services to better meet the needs of our members.

We have updated the way in which we calculate calorie need estimates, also known as the estimated energy requirement (EER). The changes, which have been thoroughly reviewed by MyFitnessPal nutrition experts and other professionals in the field of dietetics, align with Physical Activity Level (PAL) values set by the Institute of Medicine (IOM). MyFitnessPal members with Lightly Active, Active or Very Active physical activity levels will notice a modest increase in daily calorie need estimations that, we feel, will better meet energy needs.

As a reminder, we recommend setting your PAL based on your normal level of daily activity, excluding any optional exercise you may choose to do. Workouts or exercise outside of your daily work/life routine should be logged in the exercise diary.