Activity Level

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riley_kinnett
riley_kinnett Posts: 60 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have my activity level set to "Active". I go to the gym 5-6 days a week for an hour-hour and a half each time. Did I pick the right activity level??

Replies

  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    How active are you outside of the gym? Do you have a Desk job? Run a daycare? Work at starbucks?
  • riley_kinnett
    riley_kinnett Posts: 60 Member
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    janjunie wrote: »
    How active are you outside of the gym? Do you have a Desk job? Run a daycare? Work at starbucks?

    I do have a desk job but I only work part time about 20 hours a week, other than that I am usually on the move out running errands etc
  • riley_kinnett
    riley_kinnett Posts: 60 Member
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    I have had it set on Active for the first 3 months on here and have lost 15pb, but the past few weeks my weight has been going up for some reason even though I am eating very well and still at the gym the same amount.
  • silvilunazul
    silvilunazul Posts: 59 Member
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    It's best to choose based on your activity levels besides deliberate exercise. Otherwise MFP will allow calories for your chosen activity level and then add extra exercise calories that you track on top of it. That would be a bit a like double counting. I have it set to sedentary (I have a desk job) and I do track my exercise although I don't always eat back the calories.
  • tiffanylacourse
    tiffanylacourse Posts: 2,985 Member
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    Do you have a fit bit or other activity tracker linked to your account?

    The Activity Level on MFP is meant to be your daily activity outside of intentional exercise. So just what you normally do in a day (more days than not) if you didn't exercise. Then you're supposed to add in your exercise (or let your tracker do that for you) to get 'extra' calories to bring your net goal in line with your goal. Most people eat back 50% - 75% of their 'extra' calories to start.

    Best of luck! :flowerforyou:
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    Personally I'd choose lightly active, but if you are losing weight with the extra calories "active" is giving you then why change a good thing. When Mfp asks how active you are, it's asking outside of any purposeful workouts.
  • 3dogsrunning
    3dogsrunning Posts: 27,167 Member
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    If you are using MFP's calculator, you base your activity level on your daily activity excluding exericse. Then you log your exercise as you do it and eat some portion of those calories back. Some people choose not to eat them all as there are always issues with estimating how much you burned off.
  • janjunie
    janjunie Posts: 1,200 Member
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    riley_kinnett wrote: »
    I have had it set on Active for the first 3 months on here and have lost 15pb, but the past few weeks my weight has been going up for some reason even though I am eating very well and still at the gym the same amount.

    Oh ok just saw this, yea change your activity level. Also for accuracy make sure you are using a food scale for everything that goes in your mouth, if you aren't doing so already.
  • riley_kinnett
    riley_kinnett Posts: 60 Member
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    Update: The scale I was using was pretty old, so I bought and new one and there was about a 5lb difference. Lol!!
  • hlblakeley
    hlblakeley Posts: 55 Member
    edited January 2017
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    Hello, I'm new to MFP. I work as a paraprofessional at a school which some days means sitting behind a desk and some days I"m running from one end of the school to the other or having a dance party with students. Also I work as a cashier at a retail store about 15 hours a week which involves being up and moving and bending and lifting etc. . Then I have the daily living of being a wife and mom of 3. I currently have my activity level set at lightly active, but want to make sure that I'm not eating too many or too few calories. I'm 42 and 5'4" and at 254lbs. I've got it set to lose 2 lbs a week. Any ideas?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    hlblakeley wrote: »
    Hello, I'm new to MFP. I work as a paraprofessional at a school which some days means sitting behind a desk and some days I"m running from one end of the school to the other or having a dance party with students. Also I work as a cashier at a retail store about 15 hours a week which involves being up and moving and bending and lifting etc. . Then I have the daily living of being a wife and mom of 3. I currently have my activity level set at lightly active, but want to make sure that I'm not eating too many or too few calories. I'm 42 and 5'4" and at 254lbs. I've got it set to lose 2 lbs a week. Any ideas?

    Judge your weight loss over the next four weeks. If you aren't losing as fast as you expect, drop to sedentary.

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