Lightly active or sedentary?

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laciemn
laciemn Posts: 77 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
According to Scooby's calculator, my TDEE at lightly active will be 1987. However, at sedentary, it would 1734. This is really quite a difference! I work at a pretty active job as a waitress 3 days a week and am a student the other days, which includes some walking but not what I would call a lot, definitely not as much as I walk at work. I exercise by walking ~30 minutes a couple times throughout the week.

So, would I count that as lightly active? I hope so!

Replies

  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Lightly active
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
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    My personal opinion is that any type of drop-down calculator will underestimate sedentary needs for most people, as most people are not truly that sedentary. Even on Sundays when I'm just at home, I tracked that I stood and walked for 3.5 hours! that's just from cooking, getting food/drinks, showering, etc.

    I recommend websites such as exrx.net and health-calc.com instead because you enter in average time spent at different activity levels. So if you looked at an average week and see that cumulatively you are walking/standing about 30 hours, then that's over 4 hours a day on average, which you can enter in. And then subtract 20% for a healthy 1lb/week loss rate and monitor results for a few months, increase or decrease if not achieving results.

    An FYI, if you calculate total energy then that is usually assuming you include exercise, meaning you'd not log and eat back calories here. Otherwise if you are estimating before exercise, then you'd log and eat back calories.
  • terbusha
    terbusha Posts: 1,483 Member
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    Calculator estimates are a good place to start, but they may not be correct for you. The best way to figure your ideal calorie level out is by trial and error. What I do and what I recommend to people is to eat at a calorie level that allows you to make good progress towards your goal. If you are trying to lose weight, eat so you drop 1-2 lbs/week. This assumes an average calorie burn from you getting in all of your workouts. This will be different for everyone, so you'll have to do some trial and error to figure it out. I'd start ~1600 cal/day. Hit this goal, along with your macros and getting in your workouts, for a week. If you lose 1-2 lbs, you're good to go. If you lose too much, increase your intake and repeat. If you don't lose enough, reduce your intake a bit and repeat. After a few weeks, you'll figure out what works for you in your situation.
    Allan
  • bwogilvie
    bwogilvie Posts: 2,130 Member
    edited October 2014
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    terbusha wrote: »
    Calculator estimates are a good place to start, but they may not be correct for you. The best way to figure your ideal calorie level out is by trial and error.

    This, and the rest of Allan's advice, is good. Regardless of your initial setting, you need to adjust your calorie goals to match your own progress. I initially set my activity level to "Lightly Active," but I wasn't making the progress I wanted, so I later switched to "Sedentary," and now I have a custom calorie goal.

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  • IrisFlute
    IrisFlute Posts: 88 Member
    edited October 2014
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    OP: No one who works as a waitress, even part-time, could be considered "sedentary." Definitely "lightly active," at least.
  • marilandica
    marilandica Posts: 88 Member
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    I'm probably more than sedentary - I sit at a desk a good bit, but I also do adult education and in days and weeks when I have a lot of classroom time, I'm definitely active. In addition, my life outside of work is fairly active. I'm an obsessed gardener and do a lot of outdoor activities. I'm one of those people who always take the stairs and park far away from the door. All that being said, I've always listed myself as 'sedentary' and I only log daily fitness walks or hiking activity. I'd rather under-estimate my activity level than over-estimate it. As a waitress, you're probably something more along the lines of 'lightly active', but if you're on the bubble, list yourself as 'sedentary' and log your workouts as well as perhaps your walks to/from school. Logging that kind of more easily and accurately tracked exercise will give you extra calories to work with (you should eat back those calories).


  • DonnaJones7
    DonnaJones7 Posts: 99 Member
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    Waitressing is not "lightly active". Either way, the others are right. Start at one level and after a few weeks, see where your results are. You can adjust after that.
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
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    Definitely at least lightly active. Then adjust as needed.
  • galprincess
    galprincess Posts: 682 Member
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    This is all trial and error I am a stay at home mum I have 3 children I don't sit down until the evening and I started sedentary and burnt myself out went active and gained weight lightly active with logging cardio but not lifting works for me

    These things are guides try something stick with it 5-6 weeks see how it goes but definitely not sedentary ive changed things a lot since starting and 18 months on just found what works
  • 101sal
    101sal Posts: 43 Member
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    I drive a desk during the day but do a fair bit of walking around too, add in spinning 3 nights a week and 30-50kms on a weekend and still use lightly active ! probably wrong but it helps the weight loss.

    Ant suggestions for me, should i up my activity level?

    BTW never hungry
  • 101sal
    101sal Posts: 43 Member
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    sorry that should be 30-50kms cycling minimum per weekend
  • ILiftHeavyAcrylics
    ILiftHeavyAcrylics Posts: 27,732 Member
    edited October 2014
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    101sal wrote: »
    I drive a desk during the day but do a fair bit of walking around too, add in spinning 3 nights a week and 30-50kms on a weekend and still use lightly active ! probably wrong but it helps the weight loss.

    Ant suggestions for me, should i up my activity level?

    BTW never hungry

    How is your rate of loss?

    If it's as expected and a healthy rate for your height and weight (probably about a 1/2-1 pound per week judging by your ticker) then I wouldn't worry about it.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    I think it all depends on what works best for you. I would try setting it as lightly active, but if you find you're not losing as expected then you might want to downgrade to sedentary.

    Personally, I have mine set to sedentary, but I am hardly sedentary. I do work a desk job, but I'm also a mother and a home owner. I lug laundry, I vacuum, I clean, I work in the yard, I walk the dog, I play with my son... I don't specifically track any of these things as exercise however--I only count as exercise the things where I put on my heart rate monitor or strength training in the gym or on the TRX. I know there are people who would disagree with me, but this is what works for me. I find that by underestimating my activity I can be less obsessive about weighing every single morsel that goes into my mouth and I can still successfully lose weight.
  • laciemn
    laciemn Posts: 77 Member
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    Okay, thanks guys. I'm definitely thinking I will consider myself lightly active. The extra calories will really help out!

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