Sedentary or lightly active?

I would say lightly active

How many exercise calories you eat back is kind of up to you. Some people choose to eat between 50-80% to make up for the fact that exercise machines and the MFP databse tend to overestimate. Some people don't eat any back (though if you're on 1200 you should really eat at least some back).

Personally I eat all of mine, but I only get exercise calories from my Fitbit, and Fitbits are reasonably accurate (compared to things like exercise machines at least, anyway). Eating back less is probably safer in that you won't be risking eating too many if the burn is overestimated, but I get far too hungry for that!

I have a Fitbit, walk an average of 10 miles per day, and have my MFP level set to sedentary with negative adjustments enabled. That way, I have a minimal base calorie level and 'earn' extra calories by walking. I prefer this method because how much I can eat in any particular day is directly determined by how active I am. My Fitbit is synched to my MFP account and does all the work for me.

Except the walking.

Edited to add: I usually eat back around 60% of my exercise calories, and leave the rest on the table to compensate for logging inaccuracies and a crappy thyroid.

editorgrrl wrote: »

flosoup38 wrote: »

hi as the title says should I have mfp set to sedentary or lightly active. I also use a Fitbit. I am on my feet for roughly 3 hours a day minimum. I got to 3 workout classes per week too. Which is best to set it too?

If (and only if) you enable negative calorie adjustments, choosing an activity level when you have a Fitbit is entirely a matter of personal preference. At lightly active, you start with more calories in the morning and get smaller adjustments. Either way, your adjusted goal is TDEE minus deficit.

Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

No need to log any step-based activity—your Fitbit is tracking it for you. Log non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit or in MFP—never both. Exercise logged in MFP overwrites your Fitbit burn (which is TDEE) during that time.

I log all food in MFP, and any exercise that isn't step-based in Fitbit. Easy to remember.

It actally doesn't all work out the same if sedentary + the weight loss rate you chose (your deficit) would put you below 1200.

Mfp will cap 1200 and change your deficit to whatever it would be at the 1200 cap and will maintain that new deficit number.
So even when fitbit sends you calories mfp will adjust your calories to maintain this new deficit, not the deficit you chose at set up.

A way to avoid this is to pick a higher activity setting which when combined with the rate off loss you choose would put you above 1200 at the start of your day. That way mfp will maintain your chosen deficit when you get fitbit adjustments and any other exercise calories you input.

Otherwise, your adjustments could be to maintain a deficit you didn't pick, like a 204 deficit instead of a 250 or 500 (or more?) deficit.

Sedentary setting might help people on less active days, Esp people who are above 1200 at sedentary setting, but choosing a higher setting to avoid mfp lowering your deficit goal, and having negative adjustments enabled is more helpful imo for those who do fall below 1200 at sedentary to ensure you don't eat more than the goals that you chose would dictate.

flosoup38 wrote: »

I too have a crappy thyroid so I'm afraid of eating back.

I have Hashimoto's (autoimmune thyroid disease). I eat back 100% of my Fitbit adjustments, lost the weight, and have kept it off. I log everything I eat & drink accurately & honestly, I enabled negative calorie adjustments, and I log exercise in Fitbit—never MFP.