Light or Moderate Exercise

CaddieMay
CaddieMay Posts: 356 Member
edited November 30 in Fitness and Exercise
So I've been on and off MFP for a few years now, and in the past counting calories and walking for exercise always did the trick. I lost weight and was happy with the results. This time around, I calculated my TDEE and set my daily calories for that, but I am confused as to how active I am (or am not!). I sit for much of the day, but I go for walks about 5 days per week - 4 miles at a time and at a pretty good pace. So would you say that I am lightly active or moderately active?

This is where I figured out my TDEE, etc. scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/

Thanks!

Replies

  • Meganthedogmom
    Meganthedogmom Posts: 1,639 Member
    I would say you are sedentary if you sit most of the day.
    Then log your walks as exercise and eat back a portion of the exercise calories MFP gives you.
  • CaddieMay
    CaddieMay Posts: 356 Member
    Thank you. I will try this!
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,458 Member
    If the MFP way worked before, do it that way again.

    meganrigenour suggested the same thing above.

    Using the scooby calculator, you would NOT eat back exercise calories. Scooby and MFP use opposite ways of calculating for exercise. Pick one or the other...stick with it for a month, adjust if you aren't getting expected results. As far as lightly active or sedentary, that's a matter of degrees that you have to experiment to find the answer.
  • CaddieMay
    CaddieMay Posts: 356 Member
    Thanks! Yeah, I usually go with the Scooby way, but I'm not sure what he considers sedentary/active/etc. I remember a few years back someone saying that choosing sedentary with the Scooby method was not really feasible, so I believe I chose "1-3 hours of light exercise" and lost weight with that method. I will pick one and stick with it for a while. So far, with that method, I've lost 3 pounds in the last 3 weeks or so, which is standard for how things work with me. Trial and error, with patience. :smile:
  • blues4miles
    blues4miles Posts: 1,481 Member
    Sedentary based on my own data.

    Scooby gives me 1953 for sedentary. I have an office job but walk 3 miles a day 5x a week, and usually jog anywhere from 1.5 miles to 3 miles another 3-4x a week. My actual TDEE as calculated by my weight loss is only about 2100 (Scooby says 2200 for lightly active). So even walking/jogging most of every week doesn't push me into Scooby's calorie level for lightly active. I'd rather underestimate than overestimate my TDEE right now anyways. If you have enough data, you can figure out if your guess was right or wrong.
  • CaddieMay
    CaddieMay Posts: 356 Member
    I think Scooby has set a very high bar for activity. :smile: Thanks for the input!
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