Activity Level Help

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sbl1881
sbl1881 Posts: 213 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm still struggling with the correct activity level to choose. Any help would be much appreciated.

Female, 5'3, 36 years old
CW: 142
GW: 130

I've plugged my numbers into both the Scooby website calculator and Heybales (MFP user) spreadsheet and came up with the following.

Scooby (assumes 1-3 hrs light exercise per week)
BMR: 1306; TDEE: 1796; TDEE-10%: 1616

Heybales spreadsheet (assumes # of minutes working out each week and desk job w/ no kids)
BMR: 1303; TDEE: 1798; TDEE-10%: 1618

They're almost identical, but I just don't know if the activity level is right. I workout 5 times per week currently.

Stronglifts 5x5 - 35 minutes, 3 times per week
HIIT - 30 minutes, 2 times per week

Based on everything above, should I be considered Lightly active because I'm in the 1-3 hrs of exercise per week? Moderately active because the workouts are more intensive? Somewhere in between?

Thanks!

Replies

  • kirayng2
    kirayng2 Posts: 36 Member
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    What do you do for work? Or do those calculators disregard that and only count exercise?
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
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    I'd start with 1600 cals for 4-6 weeks and then recalculate bases on what the scales are doing?
  • sbl1881
    sbl1881 Posts: 213 Member
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    The spreadsheet had a choice between desk job and no kids/pets or desk job with kids/pets. I chose desk job, no kids because I don't have any. The website just had exercise, but it probably assumes desk job.
  • savithny
    savithny Posts: 1,200 Member
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    If you're not doing anything other than 1-3 hours of exercise a week, I would put yourself down as "sedentary" and then count exercise and eat some o the calories back.

    All the evidence suggests that if you spend most of your time at a desk or on a sofa, you're sedentary even if you go exercise for 30 minutes a few times a week.

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