Activity level....!
Alpine021
Posts: 27 Member
Hi,
I put myself as active but have read that I might be wrong as I have an office job.
I walk my 10,000 steps a day and go to the gym 3 times a week. If I record my gym sessions separately as exercise do my 10,000 steps a day class me as lightly active / or active?
I put myself as active but have read that I might be wrong as I have an office job.
I walk my 10,000 steps a day and go to the gym 3 times a week. If I record my gym sessions separately as exercise do my 10,000 steps a day class me as lightly active / or active?
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Replies
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Light active or sedentary selection and eat 50 to75% of your exercise calories should see you lose well .
The terms are a bit confusing as how active one is is a very subjective description.
Try the lightly active setting for 2 weeks and see how you go. If you are not getting the result you expect drop the setting to sedentary1 -
Yep ... sedentary.
Then add your exercise in on top of that and eat a portion back.1 -
So you think setting myself as sedentary and then just count all my exercise including the 10,000 steps? (Or a portion of them). It seems that putting yourself as active includes workouts so when I do a big workout (say 500 calories) I've no idea how to include it. Does that sound like the way forward?0
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So you think setting myself as sedentary and then just count all my exercise including the 10,000 steps? (Or a portion of them). It seems that putting yourself as active includes workouts so when I do a big workout (say 500 calories) I've no idea how to include it. Does that sound like the way forward?
MFP's activity level doesn't include exercise. Active is for those who have an active job that has them moving a lot.
Set yourself to sedentary, then add your method of measuring steps (activity tracker/phone app) to here. Then log exercise.0 -
If you have a step/ fitness tracker you can sync a lot of information across, if you do workouts search the exercise in the database add the time and add in MFP will give an estimate on burn based on reaserched MET values for that type of activity.
The definition of active I have seen for MFP is at least 8k steps every day plus about 40min cardio every day .
Try the setting you chose for a period of at least 2 weeks then adjust if you need to based on results1 -
So you think setting myself as sedentary and then just count all my exercise including the 10,000 steps? (Or a portion of them). It seems that putting yourself as active includes workouts so when I do a big workout (say 500 calories) I've no idea how to include it. Does that sound like the way forward?
You can do it like that, but the way MFP is designed is to give you a calorie goal based on your activity without exercise...just your day to day...this is why there is absolutely no mention of exercise in the descriptors. MFP's methodology would have you log your deliberate exercise after the fact and "earn" additional calories to "eat back" to account for that activity that isn't included in your activity level.
If it were me, and I was walking that much regularly I'd just set to light active and not bother logging steps...even sedentary is going to account for some of those steps...I'd just log deliberate gym workouts.1 -
Unless those steps are separate from your logged exercise and are concentrated into a heart-rate increasing session, I wouldn't count them as anything.1
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MFP activity levels are just accounting for day to day routine activity levels, not exercise. You add exercise separately. Make sure you're not setting yourself to active because you are thinking of exercise as part of your activity level and then also logging the exercise as well. That would be like double counting your exercise and would defeat the whole purpose.
When I'm exercising, I'm going all out. I'm quite "active" many days of the week and fairly physically fit, but for the purposes of MFP, I'm NOT set to active. Because when I'm not actively exercising, I'm generally sitting on my butt. I could go all day (or two) just napping or lounging around, but then maybe run 15 miles the next day. My days are so varied that it wouldn't make sense to assume anything other than basic slug mode PLUS exercise, if any. Therefore, I set myself to sedentary and then log any exercise. It has worked well for me for years now!
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You are "sedentary" if your work involves bouts of sitting for an hour, interrupted by less than 5 minutes of activity.
That's why the various fitness gadgets which remind you to get up and move frequently are so NEAT. They raise your NEAT. Get it? NEAT. That's really the nut of the issue. If you get paid to sit and work, you're sedentary.1 -
JeromeBarry1 wrote: »You are "sedentary" if your work involves bouts of sitting for an hour, interrupted by less than 5 minutes of activity.
That's why the various fitness gadgets which remind you to get up and move frequently are so NEAT. They raise your NEAT. Get it? NEAT. That's really the nut of the issue. If you get paid to sit and work, you're sedentary.
No. If you get 10,000 steps/day and are not logging it as exercise, you are "active". Because you get enough NEAT to put you there. Doesn't matter what you do for a living.
So, the question is: are the 10,000 steps/day including the steps you get working out? If not, you're active. If they do, look at how many steps you get outside of workouts:
1) <5000 steps/day (sedentary);
2) 5000-7499 steps/day (low active);
3) 7500-9999 steps/day (somewhat active);
4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps/day (active); and
5) > or =12,500 steps/day (highly active)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/147150351 -
I do about 12,500 steps a day and workout on top of that. So I'm highly active?0
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »You are "sedentary" if your work involves bouts of sitting for an hour, interrupted by less than 5 minutes of activity.
That's why the various fitness gadgets which remind you to get up and move frequently are so NEAT. They raise your NEAT. Get it? NEAT. That's really the nut of the issue. If you get paid to sit and work, you're sedentary.
No. If you get 10,000 steps/day and are not logging it as exercise, you are "active". Because you get enough NEAT to put you there. Doesn't matter what you do for a living.
So, the question is: are the 10,000 steps/day including the steps you get working out? If not, you're active. If they do, look at how many steps you get outside of workouts:
1) <5000 steps/day (sedentary);
2) 5000-7499 steps/day (low active);
3) 7500-9999 steps/day (somewhat active);
4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps/day (active); and
5) > or =12,500 steps/day (highly active)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035
hallelujah!
10,000 steps plus exercise says the original post.
Answer: MFP setting ACTIVE. Add deliberate exercise that does not include the 10,000 steps to that.0 -
Alpine0021 wrote: »I do about 12,500 steps a day and workout on top of that. So I'm highly active?
Your original number was 10,000. That falls in the definition of ACTIVE.
Your new number is 12,500. In my opinion this is the level where you BEGIN to be "Highly Active" This will vary based on how you get these steps and what level of activity they represent.
Today I "stepped" 13500 steps...around the house because I am recovering from minor surgery. These steps did NOT yield the same amount of calories as 13500 steps at my top speed going uphill.
All these estimates are just that. Estimates. You still have to adjust based on real results.
If you're losing faster than you should... adjust up. If you're finding what you're doing un-sustainable, re examine your goals.
A lot of people set their weight loss to 2lbs a week, "maximum allowed". Which is not right for them unless they are obese and have a substantial amount of fat available to lose.
Most people should limit their deficit to about 20% of their TDEE for the day. In practice this means 500Cal deficits for the majority of MFP users.
So the direct answer to your question(s) is:
10,000 = "active" plus actual exercise calories burned and not included in the 10,000 steps.
12,500 = "highly active" plus actual exercise calories burned and not included in the 12,500 steps.
Whether that is the correct answer for you is a more subtle issue.
And it also depends, a lot, on the quality of your food intake logging, your goals, and your ability to correctly judge your weight trend which is much trickier than most people think (hint: use a weight trend tracking web site or app)1 -
Sorry what I meant it is always hit the 10,000 minimum but because I make sure I end up doing about 12,500 anyway. So I'm thinking put myself as active then just add extra specific exercise?
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That pic wasn't supposed to be that big, lol0
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »You are "sedentary" if your work involves bouts of sitting for an hour, interrupted by less than 5 minutes of activity.
That's why the various fitness gadgets which remind you to get up and move frequently are so NEAT. They raise your NEAT. Get it? NEAT. That's really the nut of the issue. If you get paid to sit and work, you're sedentary.
No. If you get 10,000 steps/day and are not logging it as exercise, you are "active". Because you get enough NEAT to put you there. Doesn't matter what you do for a living.
So, the question is: are the 10,000 steps/day including the steps you get working out? If not, you're active. If they do, look at how many steps you get outside of workouts:
1) <5000 steps/day (sedentary);
2) 5000-7499 steps/day (low active);
3) 7500-9999 steps/day (somewhat active);
4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps/day (active); and
5) > or =12,500 steps/day (highly active)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035
I use this chart to figure out my calorie allotment. I am set at sedentary. Once I hit 7500 steps I add through exercise 125 calories to my daily allotment. Then if I reach 10000 steps I will add another 125 calories and then again at 12500.
I chose this method based on the fact that there is about a 250 calorie difference between activity levels.
This method covers me if I have a in-a-coma day all the way through a I-can-conquer-the-word day.
Plus...I got tired of trying to figure out how many calories I was burning through exercise. I don't worry about the calories I burn at this point from my light resistance workouts. Most of my cardio comes from brisk walks so the method that I use covers that part. My first 5000 steps covers my sedentary activity level and all the rest of the steps (regardless of how I got them) are covered in 2500 step increments.0 -
If I was you, I would drop one level from what the above charts say and pick somewhat active. Not saying they are wrong, but it's how I would cover my butt.
I use a linked tracker so I set as sedentary and track my steps and exercise automatically. Without exercise, I'm a frikken sloth so this works for me. I know I end up around 2000 cals per day (set to lose 2 lbs), but I have to do some work to get the last 400 or so. And I eat those damn things back.2 -
Tacklewasher wrote: »If I was you, I would drop one level from what the above charts say and pick somewhat active. Not saying they are wrong, but it's how I would cover my butt.
MFP doesn't have a choice for "somewhat active" though. At 12,000 steps/day, the OP ought to be fine as "active" *if* they log accurately. FWIW, I cross into "active" territory (i.e. the adjustments switch from negative to positive; default activity level set to "active") between 6,000 and 8,000 steps most days. Admittedly, some of those steps involve hills and/or stairs. So, I think that the choice of "active" is already providing that buffer you're recommending. Outside of that, I agree that having a buffer and starting with a slight underestimate of activity level then adjusting based on actual weight loss is a good idea.2 -
Just had a play about on MFP and "not very active" and "lightly active" have the same calorie goal? It only changes when I move it to "active" ??0
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Alpine0021 wrote: »I do about 12,500 steps a day and workout on top of that. So I'm highly active?
This isn't an exact science. Set it to active and see what happens. If you aren't losing weight, just keep re-adjusting down to a lower activity level and try again until you reach the sweet spot. You'll eventually find it.
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Just had a play about on MFP and "not very active" and "lightly active" have the same calorie goal? It only changes when I move it to "active" ??
Were they both 1200 calories? MFP will not give a calorie goal below 1200 calories under any circumstances. So, if your weight loss goal is aggressive enough to put you there, it will just "stop dropping" at 1200.
For most people (who aren't sedentary and small), a weight loss goal that has MFP telling you 1200 calories/day is too aggressive.*
*That comment is NOT for small sedentary women pursuing a conservative weightloss goal. But it's very common for people who are close to healthy weight to choose "lose 2 pounds/week" or people who want to lose vanity weight to choose "lose 1 pound/week" - and "it told me 1200" is often a good sign that the goal chosen was too aggressive.1 -
Both 1500...0
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There should be about a 250 calorie difference between activity levels...at least that is what it usually is for me.0
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SusanMFindlay wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »You are "sedentary" if your work involves bouts of sitting for an hour, interrupted by less than 5 minutes of activity.
That's why the various fitness gadgets which remind you to get up and move frequently are so NEAT. They raise your NEAT. Get it? NEAT. That's really the nut of the issue. If you get paid to sit and work, you're sedentary.
No. If you get 10,000 steps/day and are not logging it as exercise, you are "active". Because you get enough NEAT to put you there. Doesn't matter what you do for a living.
So, the question is: are the 10,000 steps/day including the steps you get working out? If not, you're active. If they do, look at how many steps you get outside of workouts:
1) <5000 steps/day (sedentary);
2) 5000-7499 steps/day (low active);
3) 7500-9999 steps/day (somewhat active);
4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps/day (active); and
5) > or =12,500 steps/day (highly active)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035
I use this chart to figure out my calorie allotment. I am set at sedentary. Once I hit 7500 steps I add through exercise 125 calories to my daily allotment. Then if I reach 10000 steps I will add another 125 calories and then again at 12500.
I chose this method based on the fact that there is about a 250 calorie difference between activity levels.
This method covers me if I have a in-a-coma day all the way through a I-can-conquer-the-word day.
Plus...I got tired of trying to figure out how many calories I was burning through exercise. I don't worry about the calories I burn at this point from my light resistance workouts. Most of my cardio comes from brisk walks so the method that I use covers that part. My first 5000 steps covers my sedentary activity level and all the rest of the steps (regardless of how I got them) are covered in 2500 step increments.
OMG that makes it so complicated.
If you have an active job that requires you to be on your feet, set to sedentary and get a fitbit or similar that can link up with your MFP and do the hard work for you. If you are doing a non-step related exercise log it.
If you have a desk job / mostly sitting job, set to sedentary, log exercise. I walk as part of my commute but have a desk job. I used to log that using a GPS and let MFP sort out the maths. Now I have a fitbit which does it for me.
In both cases, eat back some or all of your exercise calories.
Boom!
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mumblemagic wrote: »SusanMFindlay wrote: »JeromeBarry1 wrote: »You are "sedentary" if your work involves bouts of sitting for an hour, interrupted by less than 5 minutes of activity.
That's why the various fitness gadgets which remind you to get up and move frequently are so NEAT. They raise your NEAT. Get it? NEAT. That's really the nut of the issue. If you get paid to sit and work, you're sedentary.
No. If you get 10,000 steps/day and are not logging it as exercise, you are "active". Because you get enough NEAT to put you there. Doesn't matter what you do for a living.
So, the question is: are the 10,000 steps/day including the steps you get working out? If not, you're active. If they do, look at how many steps you get outside of workouts:
1) <5000 steps/day (sedentary);
2) 5000-7499 steps/day (low active);
3) 7500-9999 steps/day (somewhat active);
4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps/day (active); and
5) > or =12,500 steps/day (highly active)
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14715035
I use this chart to figure out my calorie allotment. I am set at sedentary. Once I hit 7500 steps I add through exercise 125 calories to my daily allotment. Then if I reach 10000 steps I will add another 125 calories and then again at 12500.
I chose this method based on the fact that there is about a 250 calorie difference between activity levels.
This method covers me if I have a in-a-coma day all the way through a I-can-conquer-the-word day.
Plus...I got tired of trying to figure out how many calories I was burning through exercise. I don't worry about the calories I burn at this point from my light resistance workouts. Most of my cardio comes from brisk walks so the method that I use covers that part. My first 5000 steps covers my sedentary activity level and all the rest of the steps (regardless of how I got them) are covered in 2500 step increments.
OMG that makes it so complicated.
If you have an active job that requires you to be on your feet, set to sedentary and get a fitbit or similar that can link up with your MFP and do the hard work for you. If you are doing a non-step related exercise log it.
If you have a desk job / mostly sitting job, set to sedentary, log exercise. I walk as part of my commute but have a desk job. I used to log that using a GPS and let MFP sort out the maths. Now I have a fitbit which does it for me.
In both cases, eat back some or all of your exercise calories.
Boom!
It isn't complicated...takes me about 30 seconds to log the extra calories after a quick look at my pedometer to see how many steps I have taken. When I reach 7500...I log a 125 calories of exercise...when I reach 10000 I log another 125 calories.
I am set at sedentary...I am retired.
I am just not sure why you think it is so complicated. If I have a lazy day or don't go for a walk then I just eat at sedentary level. I do it this way because MFP does not offer us a moderately active option. There is a big difference IMO between lightly active and active...I need something in between.0 -
Well for me not very active and slightly active are 1500 cals. Active bumps it up to 1700. I think I'm going to set mine to slightly active anyway to give me a buffer even though I walk my 12,000 or so steps every day. Then log gym sessions separately. Need to go tomorrow. So don't fancy the thought of that right now0
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Alpine0021 wrote: »Both 1500...
Male? Same answer applies at 1500 for men as for 1200 for women. MFP will not go lower than 1500 for a man. Which usually means your proposed rate of weightloss is too aggressive (unless you are very short and sedentary).0
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