Am I "lightly active" or "active"?

LaurenAOK
LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello all, I have been on MFP for a while, but have always been a student and had myself in the "lightly active" category. Now that I have started a job, I'm wondering if I should move up to "active." I've been pretty hungry during work the past few days, even though I eat what I consider to be a good breakfast and lunch. I used to not eat breakfast at all (I'm never hungry in the mornings) but I eat before work so I can concentrate a little more without dreaming about lunch. But I've still been hungry. I realize I haven't hit my calorie goals a couple of days so I technically could eat more, but I always just assume I'm going to be extra hungry at night because that's how my body normally works, so I hesitate to use too many calories throughout the day.

So what do you think? An overview of my day (not including workouts) is: I walk a mile round trip just getting to and from the train to work. I work in a legal office so I do spend a decent part of the day sitting, but I also walk around quite a bit going to different attorney's offices, meetings, etc. I sometimes have to file things with the court and that's another half a mile round trip walk - so far I haven't had to do that more than once a day, but some days I might end up making that trip a couple of times. When I get home from work I do light activities like cooking and cleaning.

I feel that I'm probably just "lightly active" still, but I just think having the extra calories from "active" would make me feel like I have the calorie freedom to eat a couple snacks throughout the day, which would help me feel more satiated. I probably would end up under my goal most days in the long run. Advice, MFPers?

Replies

  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Sounds lightly active to near sedentary to me. Active would be like a construction worker or a waitress.

    I consider myself on the edge of sedentary to lightly active and I walk about 3 miles roundtrip to my work and log about 10k steps a day just in normal walking which is about 6 miles. I have a desk job.
  • mikejholmes
    mikejholmes Posts: 291 Member
    Sounds like the thing to do is wait a few weeks, and see what happens to your weight. If it goes down, you can eat more, and be fine. If it stays the same, and you eat more, you're going to gain.

    Which isn't inherently bad, so long as you're aware of what will happen.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Sounds like the thing to do is wait a few weeks, and see what happens to your weight. If it goes down, you can eat more, and be fine. If it stays the same, and you eat more, you're going to gain.

    Which isn't inherently bad, so long as you're aware of what will happen.

    yeah this. Really the only way to tell is to track your progress over time and adjust accordingly. Can take a few months to get a good read on your weight loss rate.
  • thankyou4thevenom
    thankyou4thevenom Posts: 1,581 Member
    Do you have access to a step counter? That might help you work out your activity level better.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Lightly
  • woofer00
    woofer00 Posts: 123 Member
    I set it sedentary for the slowest days - Sundays on the couch - and let the fitbit count steps activities and calories for the rest of the week.
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Thanks for the input. I do have a step counter and since I live in NYC and walk most places, I hit the 10,000 steps a day most days not including exercise. To each his own, but to me if you're walking several miles a day you're nowhere near sedentary, no matter what kind of job you have. There are people who walk two steps to their car, drive to work, sit all day, walk two steps back to their car and then go home and sit all day (I know these people... I'm from Florida). Those people are sedentary.

    I guess the only reason I thought I might need an increase is because again, I've always had it at "lightly active" and have been able to lose weight without being hungry. Ever since starting this job, I'm hungry all day. I guess I'll give it some time and see.
  • Mariachicat
    Mariachicat Posts: 311 Member
    I'm a teacher in a 4th floor walkup and I climb 5 flights of stairs 3-4 times a day, up and down, within 45 minute intervals and spend most of my day standing and teaching. MFP categorizes me as "lightly active".
  • UpEarly
    UpEarly Posts: 2,555 Member
    Figuring out one's activity level is kind of trial and error. I thought I was sedentary because I have a 100% sedentary desk job. I sit behind a computer screen for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. While I was actively working on losing weight, I lost much faster than TDEE calculators and MFP predicted based on my activity level. And after I hit my goal weight, I kept on losing weight quite steadily (.5-1 lbs a week).

    Then I got a BodyMedia and learned that I was averaging about 13,000 steps a day. I fidget, I don't take elevators, I walk my errands, I walk my dogs, etc. Once I changed my activity level to active, my weight loss stopped and I've found it really easy to maintain my goal weight.

    From what I've heard/read, you can use these steps-per-day guidelines to estimate your general activity level:
    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) ≥10 000 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’
  • LaurenAOK
    LaurenAOK Posts: 2,475 Member
    Figuring out one's activity level is kind of trial and error. I thought I was sedentary because I have a 100% sedentary desk job. I sit behind a computer screen for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. While I was actively working on losing weight, I lost much faster than TDEE calculators and MFP predicted based on my activity level. And after I hit my goal weight, I kept on losing weight quite steadily (.5-1 lbs a week).

    Then I got a BodyMedia and learned that I was averaging about 13,000 steps a day. I fidget, I don't take elevators, I walk my errands, I walk my dogs, etc. Once I changed my activity level to active, my weight loss stopped and I've found it really easy to maintain my goal weight.

    From what I've heard/read, you can use these steps-per-day guidelines to estimate your general activity level:
    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) ≥10 000 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’

    Thanks, see this is kind of what I was thinking! Even though I have an office job I, like you, spend a lot of time on my feet and don't like to sit still :) I probably should have done better explaining my activity level in the original post... anyway, this was helpful. Based on the step thing I'm probably between "somewhat active" and "active."

    Maybe I'll see what MFP would give me for "active" and set my calorie goal in between that and my current number??

    Anyway, thanks for the input. It's so hard to know. I appreciate the people keeping me in check by saying I'm only lightly active, but I also think A LOT of people on MFP underestimate their activity levels like you originally did. Just because you have an office job doesn't mean you are sedentary. And my increase in hunger leads me to believe my body needs more food, so I'd like to listen to it and try eating more. I guess if I start gaining I'll know it was just wishful thinking, haha.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Yeah I typically get 10k+ steps in a day including a set of 450 stairs that are part of my walk to work commute and I have myself set to lightly active.
  • MelodyandBarbells
    MelodyandBarbells Posts: 7,725 Member
    Thanks for the input. I do have a step counter and since I live in NYC and walk most places, I hit the 10,000 steps a day most days not including exercise. To each his own, but to me if you're walking several miles a day you're nowhere near sedentary, no matter what kind of job you have. There are people who walk two steps to their car, drive to work, sit all day, walk two steps back to their car and then go home and sit all day (I know these people... I'm from Florida). Those people are sedentary.

    I guess the only reason I thought I might need an increase is because again, I've always had it at "lightly active" and have been able to lose weight without being hungry. Ever since starting this job, I'm hungry all day. I guess I'll give it some time and see.

    I'm one of those people (sedentary). But doesn't being hungry all day simply make you like many of us during initial phases of our weight loss journey? We typically just had to play with the meals and snacks we were eating to satisfy our hunger better. But I also agree to watch what happens to your weight and adjust accordingly. To me though , it actually seems like you described less activity than when you were a student, but I am probably just being dense
  • JengaJess
    JengaJess Posts: 109 Member
    Have you ever calculated your BMR/ TDEE?
    http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/
    That might be helpful if you haven't considered it. You might be able to eat more and still lose weight.
    According to your ticker, you seem to be pretty close to, if not at your goal weight. I looked at a few days in your diary and it seems like you're eating around 1600 calories, which to me, does seems like it could possibly be a little low, especially if you're exercising on top of your daily activities, but then again I'm not sure how tall you are. You also might want to eat a little more protein. Some days seems higher than others, but I find high protein snacks and meals keep me fuller throughout the day.
    What do you have your weight loss goals set to? I'm like 3lbs away from my goalweight, and I just recently switched mine from losing 1 lb a week to .5 lbs a week (since I'll be approaching maintenance) and I'm allowed WAY more calories now. I don't always eat them, but it's nice to have a little more wiggle room. Granted, I am only losing .5 lbs a week, but with so little left to lose, I'm alright with that.

    But to answer your question, I'd say your closer to "lightly active" than "active." But like others have suggested, I think you should experiment with eating more calories. See what happens in a few weeks. I'm all about eating as much as you can while still losing weight haha.
  • idiganthro
    idiganthro Posts: 2 Member
    I find this question tricky also. I'm an archaeologist. If I'm out in the field digging and screening, I consider that active. BUT part of our time is also doing labwork, which I'd consider lightly active. I set it to the lesser one to be safe.
  • SingRunTing
    SingRunTing Posts: 2,604 Member
    I put "lightly active" and get 10k steps a day (which aren't logged in MFP) to justify that.

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