Sedentary + Every Activity or Lightly Active?

Options
jillerin457
jillerin457 Posts: 70
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been using MFP for a few months now, and after about 10lbs of initial weight loss, have settled into a frustrating cycle of 2-5lb. gains and losses. I've tried zig-zagging calories, but that has stopped working too.

Currently, I'm at 1500 cal./day, Lightly Active, but I'm not sure this is right. I have 2 jobs. One is 20 hours per week at a desk, and the other is 6 hours per week teaching college (standing or walking the entire time). At both jobs, I do a lot of walking to and from distant parking lots while carrying heavy bags full of books, and there are usually stairs involved. I probably walk 15-30 minutes per weekday. Other than that, I do some light housework and laundry, but spend most of my time reading, writing, and researching for graduate school.

Should I stay at Lightly Active, and only add real, intentional exercise, or drop to Sedentary and count all the walking and stairs as exercise? I won't have time for real workouts until I pass my qualifying exams in May, but I'd like to drop a few more pounds before then if at all possible. Help!

Replies

  • alyssa83202
    alyssa83202 Posts: 334
    Options
    I have mine at sedentary because I spend more time off my feet than I do on them, and I walk a lot during the day and usually work out an hour each day too. I just add in some of my walking and any time that I'm at the gym as exercise!
  • togden
    togden Posts: 324 Member
    Options
    I have mine listed as sedentary but do not count everyday moving around .... I only count real workouts or powerwalks that I do at home.
  • themommie
    themommie Posts: 5,022 Member
    Options
    different things work for different people so I think I would experiment.
    But I would think it would be more accurate to do sedentary and then count all the walking, because you dont do the same amount of walking or doing stairs per day. But like I said experiment and do what seems to work best for you. Good luck. You can do it
  • anubis609
    anubis609 Posts: 3,966 Member
    Options
    Well, seeing as how you have a lot going on in your 2 jobs, it may not be convenient for you to literally count all of the minutes you spend walking or teaching or whatnot, and so since it's part of your actual daily routine, it might be easier if you choose "lightly active" and only track any exercise or activity that's not within your normal routine.

    "Sedentary" would just mean you have the option of tracking anything outside of sitting all day, doing almost minimal work, but as a sedentary person, you also have the time to calculate how many minutes were spent doing laundry, preparing food, and other similar "sedentary activities."

    The other option that I forgot to mention would be to choose "sedentary" but still track only exercise. It will lower your daily net calorie intake, which can help with weight loss. It's really up to you.
  • shadowofnature
    shadowofnature Posts: 27
    Options
    I saw someone post something similar to this once before and she said "If it hasn't worked for you before then you shouldn't count it now." and I think she's right.

    If working at your job, going up and down stairs etc hasn't yielded you results thus far, don't count them.

    If you do however find a few extra minutes (15-30) to hardcore run up and down said steps and get your heart really pumping by all means log that under cardio!

    Best of luck. =)
  • oldperson
    oldperson Posts: 8 Member
    Options
    If your weight lose has stopped, it could be one of 2 things. Per my Dr & personal trainer, when I had a 2 week period where my weight remained the same, I was told by both that I was under calories, mind you I work out 5 days a week, for a total of 1hr to 2 hrs each time, combinding cardio 2 days a week with strength & cardio the other 3 days. My trainer makes up a new program for me every 2 weeks, which I follow very closely. So you need to check with a physician or trainer, but if I had to guess, I would say either under calories, or you need to do my exercising. Oldperson
  • ladyhawk00
    ladyhawk00 Posts: 2,457 Member
    Options
    You might try switching to sedentary and getting a pedometer. With that, you can track your actual "mileage" per day, since it sounds like it varies quite a bit. With such an irregular schedule, it can be hard to estimate a good average.

    Also, here's a good thread on overcoming plateaus:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/20343-how-i-have-avoided-plateauing-length-warning

    Hope you can get it figured out. Good luck to you!
  • Samana06
    Samana06 Posts: 107
    Options
    I have mine at sedentary because I spend more time off my feet than I do on them, and I walk a lot during the day and usually work out an hour each day too. I just add in some of my walking and any time that I'm at the gym as exercise!

    This is what I do! I'm a preschool teacher and spend a lot of time on my feet and chasing the kids. I just average the time at work and use the walk slow-moderate pace. Usually about an hour (in a 4 hour day) Then add whatever extra exercise I do for that day.
  • ChristineM1953
    ChristineM1953 Posts: 135 Member
    Options
    I had mine set to lightly active, but then realized that shouldn't include the workouts - those are separate. So I changed mine to sedentary, then count my workouts as they occur. It dropped my calorie intake by 400 calories! So we will see if that works. I just started it the other day, and so far, I have been able to keep within my calorie allowance. I just need to make sure I exercise everyday.
  • asallen7
    asallen7 Posts: 301
    Options
    The same thing happened to me. I was at lightly active because I'm a teacher and I'm generally on my feet all day. But after about a 12 pound loss, my weight loss halted. Even after workout out for an hour 6 days per week. After switching to sedentary, my weightloss has picked back up. Try it for a week and see what happens. You can always go back if you think its not for you.
  • Mrs_McFadden
    Mrs_McFadden Posts: 1,139
    Options
    I'm no expert but I keep abreast of a lot of scientific/health information. From what I've been reading in the past few years- what we lack when we feel like we have our calories under control and are already exercising regularly is intensity. If you aren't losing weight it's because we are truly not doing enough exercise nor at the intensity required to make a significant difference.

    So particularly for women, you may be exercising a few hours a week and keeping your calories decent- but it's just maintenance. To lose further you will probably have to work out harder and more :(. It seems insane, the amount of effort/time that is required but it's b/c our bodies make it an uphill battle. Particularly for women and I'm not talking about the standard idea that women bear children therefore female bodies prefer a higher fat ratio vs men who have more muscle mass and lose weight easier scenario. They have discovered recently that 'minimum' requirements in activity to prevent heart disease and other chronic issues are simply not enough to lose weight significantly.
  • staceyb_2003
    staceyb_2003 Posts: 396 Member
    Options
    could you not try seditery and just add everything that includes walking around and working out so you get more of an idea
  • ajbeans
    ajbeans Posts: 2,857 Member
    Options
    I would say sedentary, and then add things that get your heart rate up. 6 hours a week standing is not what they're talking about when they say lightly active -- that's for people who are standing for a full-time job, you know?

    I had a hard time with that myself, being a SAHM, so I decided to go with sedentary and add anything that gets my heart rate up (like vacuuming the whole house). I wasn't getting enough to eat with the guidelines MFP gave me, so I just added about 150 and now I'm satisfied and still losing weight.
  • JohnnyNull
    JohnnyNull Posts: 294 Member
    Options
    IMO, Togden is spot-on.
  • jillerin457
    jillerin457 Posts: 70
    Options
    Thanks for the help, everyone. I will definitely try some of these strategies in the next few weeks.

    To clarify, the 6 hours of teaching per week is definitely NOT "just standing around"! And my walk in from the parking lots at both universities where I work actually does get my heart rate up when I'm carrying that heavy bag of books, especially up multiple flights of stairs!

    Unfortunately, exercise for its own sake will have to wait until May. Every spare moment I have should be spent reading for my qualifying exams. I have about 100 books left to at least skim by the first week of April! [Which begs the question of why I'm spending time on this message board...! ;) ]
  • jillerin457
    jillerin457 Posts: 70
    Options
    Oh and about the walking and pedometer: I'm naturally a "fast walker" (always passing others on the sidewalk) so I know I burn more than a leisurely stroll at least. But I may start consciously trying to up that pace to more like 3.5-4.0 mph if possible.

    Also, I just realized last week that my iPod Nano has a built-in pedometer. This has been life-changing! If any of you have a newer Nano you should see if it has a pedometer in it... 2 birds, 1 stone!

Categories