Sedentary vs lightly active vs active

joehempel
joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
edited September 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I'm messing around with this, and don't quite know where I fall.

I workout HARD 60-75 min a day, plus running on top of it a few days a week...and I add those into my Exercise Profile...I sit at a desk 8 hours...or pace sometimes, but when I'm not working out, or off, I am usually at an amusement park walking around with my son, or just walking with my son..sometimes a few miles a day, or swimming etc...those I DON'T add into it.

I currently have it set to active, but have toyed with lowering it to Lightly Active or Sedentary.

I'm trying to lose 2lbs a week and am 200lbs.

Replies

  • kateopotato
    kateopotato Posts: 215 Member
    what I do is set my activity level to sedentary and then add in my work outs. If you work out consistently every day and dont want to log the activity then you can increase the activity level, but just be careful not to say you are active (it gives you more calories that way) and then also add on your work outs (giving you even MORE calories)

    like I said, that's what I've done and it's been working for me so far. Good luck :)
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    Thanks!

    My problem is not getting enough calories!! That's why I was hesitant to lower it. When set to lightly active I was adding my workouts, sometimes over 1,000 calories a day! and still only NETTING 500 calories.

    Setting it to sedentary will help I guess in me meeting the goals I need.

    But I THINK I'll keep it at Lightly Active, because of all the walking/riding/swimming that's not added into it.
  • Pebble321
    Pebble321 Posts: 6,423 Member
    I started out at sedentary and changed to lightly active to account for the bits of walking and moving around that I do getting to work, at work, on the weekend etc. Then I only log actual running or riding or long walks as exercise.
    Maybe try "lightly active" and see how it works out for you after a few weeks.
    If the issue isn't being able to eat enough calories, then that's another thing to think about - my best tip there is to plan out your day so you get in enough calories earlier in the day. This helps me eat the right amount during the day AND means that I tend not to be so hungry later on and don't eat at much junk!
  • Jenalyn
    Jenalyn Posts: 17
    I have mine set to Sedentry due to a desk job too. What I do is log ANY activity I actually do, not just my workouts.
    ie. Walk the dog for 20 minutes, cooking or food preparation for 1 hour, vacumming/mopping floors for 45 minutes, etc.
    You'll find quite a few activities are in the MFP database, but the ones that aren't, I have added myself in "My Exercises" and found the calories burned from an awesome calculator on http://shapesense.com
    I know it sounds like a lot more effort but I can be a little bit tedious sometimes :)
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    Thanks, I'm going to keep it at Lightly Active...that seems to be manageable, and after all the stuff I eat at work I still have 680 calories left over during during the day to eat...I am up 24 hours and work 3rd shift from Tues-Wed and Thurs-Fri so between working out and a couple other times of "eating" I should be at or a little above the calorie intake. But then again, I did have a Chipotle Burrito today, so that accounted for about 730 calories. And being up 24 hours I think being a little over is okay.
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    I have mine set to Sedentry due to a desk job too. What I do is log ANY activity I actually do, not just my workouts.
    ie. Walk the dog for 20 minutes, cooking or food preparation for 1 hour, vacumming/mopping floors for 45 minutes, etc.
    You'll find quite a few activities are in the MFP database, but the ones that aren't, I have added myself in "My Exercises" and found the calories burned from an awesome calculator on http://shapesense.com
    I know it sounds like a lot more effort but I can be a little bit tedious sometimes :)

    Thanks for that link!! I know my heart rate when doing alot of things like running etc...but for swimming and walking etc, I'm dealing with a 3 year old, so don't really keep track, and it's not a hard swim or anything.

    I'm burning alot more calories than I think apparently when running LOL. According to that site, in 35 minutes I'm burning 615 calories...my heart rate stays up at about 160-165...wow.
  • Icewolf_The
    Icewolf_The Posts: 308 Member
    Well if you really want to know how many calories you're burning every day, the only way to figure it out is to pick up a Heart Rate Monitor. I was actually shocked at how many calories it says I burn during my workouts. Not just the elliptical, but lifting weights, or stretches, or really anything. As long as your heart is in the 'range' of what it needs to be to burn fat, it will do so given the chance.
    The HRM's take the guess work out of it all, and it makes it a lot easier to track and get consistent results. Also that way you don't have to enter the exercise if you want to avoid eating back all the calories you just worked off. :) Hope this helps.
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    Usually the HRM calorie count is off...but I check my HRM by hand and just do it on the computer. It's easy enough for me, I have a notebook everywhere I go just about.

    My zone is supposedly somewhere around 132-169, I tend to lift weights around the 150-160 and run at 170-180, so my zone is off, and I know the 220-age is not accurate, which I think maybe they base it off of.
  • Icewolf_The
    Icewolf_The Posts: 308 Member
    Yes, everyone uses the 220-age scale to figure out the rates. Plus you're then supposed to only work out at a max rate of 85% of that, and that would classify as cardio. 75% of the scale = max aerobic level.. 65%= fat burning level etc...

    From what I've been told, and read... The lower your heart rate while maintaining target numbers the more fat you burn. The higher your heart rate the more glucose/ATP you burn up, and then slowly begin to burn fat.

    I don't consider the HRM to be inviolate about it's numbers, but it's a good mark to let me know where I"m at. I lift weights between 130-150, elliptical 140-160.. Lately my recovery has been going up, as I've been doing more cardio and I've noticed that my HR has been dropping from the max range.. I can now elliptical pretty solidly for example in the 140-150 range today. Never came near the 160 mark. So I know that's improving as well as burning calories. IMHO, two benefits for the price of one. :)

    And the numbers are only a good gauge. Of course you know how your body responds, but you should always be careful not to keep pushing if you feel dizzy or pain. :) But that's only common sense! :D
  • Rae9911
    Rae9911 Posts: 200 Member
    I had to up my from Sedentary to lightly active as even though I was logging all my exercise the scale never moved for 7 weeks I just seemed to be maintaining so I upped it to lightly active three weeks ago and still log all my exercise and I have lost 1lb a week for those three weeks which was my goal. Just have a play around and put it for one setting for one week and see what happens. We all know the weight loss is going to take time so if your in no rush just tweek it till your happy.
  • joehempel
    joehempel Posts: 1,543 Member
    I'm hoping my heart rate will go down with this continued exercise...I know my cardio is getting better, I was able yesterday to run for over a mile without stopping, I'm usually an interval runner....and run for 15 minutes straight, both while pushing a jogging stroller :)

    I didn't know about the fat burning or glucose/ATP, that's good to know...I just don't know how to keep it down when running without feeling like I'm NOT getting a workout.
  • Icewolf_The
    Icewolf_The Posts: 308 Member
    Awesome on the RUN!!! :) WTG!

    I think for both of us. The only way to keep our rates down will be with continued cardio. The heart loves to get a workout ;) I can tell because every time I get off the elliptical it feels better. By that I mean, my rate hasn't gone as high, it recovers more quickly. Gone already are the days where I think I'm going to die and have to stop the program early.

    I have noticed, that if I take long slow breaths in through my nose, and exhale through my mouth, it will lower my HR more than if I just all out gasp for air. I know it makes little sense. I would have thought that getting more air would be better, but it seems that if I purposely force myself to inhale slowly and exhale slowly, even while full out exercising it will drop the rate.

    And I think it's human nature in us, that if we feel like we're not completely exhausting ourselves that we aren't getting a good workout. But then if you think about professional athletes and how much they exert themselves, they never look like they're trying "that" hard sometimes ;)
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