Activity levels - Based on steps?

FatMoojor
FatMoojor Posts: 483 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have been thinking about the activity levels that MFP uses for its calc. Wouldn't it be more useful is they put something which the user could actually relate to?

I do an office job and spend most of my day sitting, but since I started counting steps for a challenge thing, I found I do at least 10k steps on a daily basis without going out of my way to do any extra walking.

So how does having a basic, non workout average of 5 miles a day now relate back to the activity level?

Replies

  • Clarewho
    Clarewho Posts: 494 Member
    I would say that's lightly active. It would be helpful if they put in terms of steps though wouldn't it. Save guesswork!

    There is a definition of each level on the website which might help. I couldn't find it on the app when is what I usually use but I googled it one day and it was quite helpful.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    edited June 2015
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    Yes your activity level is based on pre exercise movement.


  • Jerseygrrl
    Jerseygrrl Posts: 189 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    Yes your activity level is based on pre exercise movement.


    Thank you for posting this. This makes SO MUCH MORE sense than "desk job, etc..."
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
    I average way over 12,500 steps a day and setting activity to highly active would really skew my results.

    The easiest thing for me was just to leave it at sedentary and adjust what I ate to get the rate of loss I wanted.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    I average way over 12,500 steps a day and setting activity to highly active would really skew my results.

    The easiest thing for me was just to leave it at sedentary and adjust what I ate to get the rate of loss I wanted.

    I had mine set at lightly active based on my average of 8500 pre exercise...

    I have since started using my activity tracker as it is suppose to be...so mine is set to sedentary now too with negative adjustments...it's all in personal preference.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,268 Member
    Jerseygrrl wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    Yes your activity level is based on pre exercise movement.


    Thank you for posting this. This makes SO MUCH MORE sense than "desk job, etc..."

    welcome glad I could help...
  • DeguelloTex
    DeguelloTex Posts: 6,658 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    DeguelloTex wrote: »
    I average way over 12,500 steps a day and setting activity to highly active would really skew my results.

    The easiest thing for me was just to leave it at sedentary and adjust what I ate to get the rate of loss I wanted.

    I had mine set at lightly active based on my average of 8500 pre exercise...

    I have since started using my activity tracker as it is suppose to be...so mine is set to sedentary now too with negative adjustments...it's all in personal preference.
    Definitely preference, but basing it on specifics rather than broader categories can often help. I mean, 12,450 and 12,600 steps is a pretty small difference in reality but could make a pretty big difference in calorie allotment if it bumps you from one activity level to the next.

  • FatMoojor
    FatMoojor Posts: 483 Member
    Stef, thanks for that. I had found something similar but it was just on a random website. Had no information linked as to where the numbers had come from.

    I think information like that is such a better starting place for people using this site. Quantifiable information is 100% more useful than any of the generic groupings.

    Going by what you have posted, I would put my MFP activity levels at around somewhat active, then also eat back around 50% of my exercise calories.

    Use that for maybe 4 week, track loss and then adjust accordingly. Going straight in at sedentary because I do a desk job and eating back 50% exercise calories will leave me feeling hungry.
  • FatMoojor
    FatMoojor Posts: 483 Member
    So, looking at the details from the site linked and then checking back in MFP, there is a slight offset by that research having an extra level of activity
    If we were to try and link to the options given on this site, what do people think about the following.

    Sedentary: Spend most of the day sitting (e.g. bank teller, desk job) <5000 steps
    Lightly Active: Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. teacher, salesman) 5000 - 9999 steps
    Active: Spend a good part of the day doing some physical activity (e.g. waitress, mailman) 10k - 15k steps
    Very Active: Spend most of the day doing heavy physical activity (e.g. bike messenger, carpenter) >15k steps
  • CurlyCockney
    CurlyCockney Posts: 1,394 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035

    Yes your activity level is based on pre exercise movement.


    Thank you so much for this! It's frustrating for me as I really am sedentary most of the time (powerchair user) and my steps average <100 per day. I couldn't figure out why I was having calories stolen (that's how I like to think of it) because I didn't reach a goal that I hadn't set! I've disabled negative adjustments now, but your explanation at least makes sense of it for me :smile:
  • LisannevdL
    LisannevdL Posts: 13 Member
    I use an activity tracker to track my steps and set MFP to make negative adjusments. I've set MFP to sedentary but I actually need 9000+ steps in order for me to get out of the negative zone when my activity tracker adjusts my calories burned.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    Necro post...
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,547 Member
    Ugh
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,547 Member
    And ugh that the revive was that article which helps nothing

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