Should I change my activity level?

train_01
train_01 Posts: 135 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone! I am 5'4, 220 lbs (SW: 232-9 weeks ago) GW: 160 lbs. I work a desk job all day (don't move around too much) but when i'm at home, I don't usually spend more than a couple hours sitting (except for sleep of course). My routine is as follows: get up at 6, shower/dress, cook breakfast, sit for 15 min eating breakfast, drive to work (20 minutes), sit for about 8-9 hours (with a couple 15 minute walking breaks some days), go home (20 minutes), work out 30 minutes, cook dinner, clean up dinner, watch TV (maybe an hour at most), go to bed around 9-9:30. (Sometimes I do the 30 minute workout in the morning at 5 am).

So my question is, should i choose Sedentary or lightly active? Should i count my 15 minute break walks as exercise (I walk for 12 minutes and usually do 3 minutes of stairs each time)? I had sedentary selected and have lost 12 lbs in 9 weeks. I was generally eating at or just below my calorie level (1430) while eating back most exercise calories.

Thanks for the help! I tried to be as detailed as possible.

Edit: I do try to weigh my foods most of the time.

Replies

  • train_01
    train_01 Posts: 135 Member
    Anyone out there with some help?
  • FJDodd
    FJDodd Posts: 140 Member
    My weight goals are different but my daily routine is basically the same. I keep myself at sedentary and log all my exercise. Even sedentary allows for some movement. And from what I have read in the forums, cooking, cleaning etc are factored in as something everyone likely does. Lightly active is more for people that get up and move a lot in the course of their day, as opposed to sit behind a desk.
  • TaxPrepLiz
    TaxPrepLiz Posts: 28 Member
    I think what you're doing is working. Why do you think you have it set wrong? Do you want to lose faster?
    I have a similar routine and walking on breaks and lunch work for me too. I also have a fitbit and I manually set my calories to 1500 (I get cranky with anything less). But still, I mostly walk and have been losing consistently.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
    As much as us desk sitters would like to up our info from Sedentary, we just can't!

    We just need to find more time to get the extra workouts/cardio in.
    For me that is 5:30 am.

    Keep up the work.
  • train_01
    train_01 Posts: 135 Member
    Thanks for the help. So should I count my 15 minute walks during the day as exercise? I walk pretty briskly and do stairs.
  • FJDodd
    FJDodd Posts: 140 Member
    I would log anything you do that is not a normal daily function. (ie. Taking a walk, working out, playing a sport/athletic game)
    Just make sure you are being real about the level of intensity. And keep in mind that MFP attributes way too many calories to the burn for exercise. If you can get some kind of HRM or a Fitbit that will help you with logging more accurately.
  • train_01
    train_01 Posts: 135 Member
    I try to only eat back 40-70% of my exercise calories that they list here (try being the key word). I want to get a fitbit or something, but haven't gotten around to it.
  • SarahMarieYates
    SarahMarieYates Posts: 27 Member
    I have a similar schedule but I spend a lot more time commuting and don't currently set aside time for exercise :(

    I have my settings set for sedentary and recently started using the Fitbit Flex. I love it! I move around more than I thought I did and I have been eating back some of the extra calories burned. So far so good, I haven't weighed myself in 3 weeks because I'm holding out until my Fitbit Aria arrives tomorrow. I'll probably weigh in once a week to track my progress.

    Good luck with your journey, it seems like you are on the right track. Remember, slow and steady wins the race (and has better chances on their skin going back to normal in my case). lol
  • ekztawas
    ekztawas Posts: 114 Member
    I think what you're doing is working for you, and that's what makes it right. 12 lbs in 9 weeks is awesome! Expect that to level off at some point and when it does adjust your calorie intake accordingly. I agree with the others saying to get a heart rate monitor. It will be much more accurate estimating your calorie burn during your walks and workouts. I'd also say each calorie calculator has a different definition for activity level and I find MFP's to be pretty vague. I found the one below helpful when I was debating which activity level I fell into (http://scoobysworkshop.com/accurate-calorie-calculator/#results):
    Little to no exercise --> Desk job with little exercise
    Light exercise (1–3 days per week) --> 1-3 hrs/wk of light exercise
    Moderate exercise (3–5 days per week) --> 3-5 hrs/wk of moderate exercise
    Heavy exercise (6–7 days per week) --> 5-6 hrs/wk of strenuous exercise
    Very heavy exercise (twice per day, extra heavy workouts) --> 7-21 hrs/wk of strenuous exercise/work

    I also have a 8-5 desk job, but I also do lunch walks when I can and 20-50 minutes of strenuous (HIIT, Jillian Michaels, running, etc.) most days. I wasn't sure what I would call myself, but I decided "moderate exercise, 3-5 hours/week" sounded like me because that's what I do!

    good luck!
  • Kitship
    Kitship Posts: 579 Member
    If it were me, I would keep it at sedentary, just to be on the safe side. However, if you feel that you're usually hungry by the time you go to bed, it might be worth it to switch it up.
  • LC458
    LC458 Posts: 300 Member
    Thanks for the help. So should I count my 15 minute walks during the day as exercise? I walk pretty briskly and do stairs.

    I log my cleaning :) lol.
    If I worked, walked, or simply moved I log it. Okay not literally but yes taking a short walk on breaks or cleaning the house (vacuuming, dusting, sweeping and mopping, etc) it adds up, just like the little nibbles we have here and there, I log those suckers too :) Plus it shows me I move more than I think I do just as tracking my food shows me how much I really eat as a serving.
  • train_01
    train_01 Posts: 135 Member
    Thanks everyone. I will keep it at sedentary for now. It just seemed to me that I wasn't losing like I should but once I averaged it out, it's actually 1.3 lbs per week which is good. I think I was just sad that the numbers didn't seem to be falling very quickly. I was losing in spurts, a couple pounds, then none, then a couple more so it didn't seem as good. And the intellectual part of me knows that losing slowly is better for you and more sustainable but the emotional part says, "I want to have it gone!". :)

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