Lightly Active vs. Active

newwed412
newwed412 Posts: 68 Member
edited November 19 in Health and Weight Loss
How do I determine which one I am? I don't want to cheat myself by I also don't want to give myself too many calories either. I workout 6 days a week for at least an hour but I also have a desk job. So should I say lightly active?
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Replies

  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    I get about 12-15k average daily steps and I still have myselfnat liggtliggt active, plus I train 3/week with weights. I'd say start at lightly active.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
    I believe the activity level is correlated to the number of steps you take a day (excluding exercise). I'd probably start sedentary and get yourself a pedometer or something like that, track for a couple of weeks and adjust as appropriate (I aim for 10-11k steps a day which puts me solidity in the active range (IIRC)
  • newwed412
    newwed412 Posts: 68 Member

    I have a Fitbit and I usually average between 13,000-15,000 steps a day

    I believe the activity level is correlated to the number of steps you take a day (excluding exercise). I'd probably start sedentary and get yourself a pedometer or something like that, track for a couple of weeks and adjust as appropriate (I aim for 10-11k steps a day which puts me solidity in the active range (IIRC)

  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    newwed412 wrote: »
    I have a Fitbit and I usually average between 13,000-15,000 steps a day

    I believe the activity level is correlated to the number of steps you take a day (excluding exercise). I'd probably start sedentary and get yourself a pedometer or something like that, track for a couple of weeks and adjust as appropriate (I aim for 10-11k steps a day which puts me solidity in the active range (IIRC)

    what works for me is setting myself to sedentary, and then just letting fitbit do the adjustments for me, I eat what it tells me to eat. I generally leave about 200 calories to account for any errors in logging or inaccuracy from my workout.
  • Getfit0720
    Getfit0720 Posts: 17 Member
    That's lightly active.
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    It actually doesn't matter what you set your level at if you are using a fitbit and it's sync'd to MFP.

    If that is the case however you really should set yourself to sedentary and let the fitbit do it's job of tracking and adjusting for you.

    However if you choose not to do that remember that if you set yourself as light active to active your adjustment will come much later and be a lot less because you already have accounted for those calories.

    for the rest who don't use a tracker


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18562971

    Per this article
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)

    Adult public health guidelines promote > or =30 min of at least moderate-intensity daily PA, and this translates to 3000-4000 steps if they are: 1) at least moderate intensity (i.e., > or =100 steps.min); 2) accumulated in at least 10-min bouts; and 3) taken over and above some minimal level of PA (i.e., number of daily steps) below which individuals might be classified as sedentary.

    PA=physical acitivty

    I know with my fitbit it matches this quote from this study.

    For a walk to be classed as "exercise" it has to be at least 10mins in length etc.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    newwed412 wrote: »
    I have a Fitbit and I usually average between 13,000-15,000 steps a day

    I believe the activity level is correlated to the number of steps you take a day (excluding exercise). I'd probably start sedentary and get yourself a pedometer or something like that, track for a couple of weeks and adjust as appropriate (I aim for 10-11k steps a day which puts me solidity in the active range (IIRC)

    The way I see it, you have three choices:
    1. Set yourself to "active" and don't log any additional exercise. (I'm assuming your 13,000-15,000 steps includes steps taken when working out. If not, you're likely "very active" if you don't log any additional exercise.)
    2. Calculate the number of steps you take when you're *not* working out, choose an activity level based on that (sedentary if less than 5,000 steps; lightly active if less than 10,000 steps; active if over 10,000 steps), and log your exercise as well for a calorie increase on workout days.
    3. Sync your FitBit, enable "negative adjustments" and let FitBit do all the work for you.

    Whichever option you choose, after a month, compare your observed weight loss with your predicted weight loss and adjust accordingly. I'd go with Option 3 because it's the easiest (and makes it mostly irrelevant which activity level you choose).
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    newwed412 wrote: »
    I have a Fitbit and I usually average between 13,000-15,000 steps a day

    I believe the activity level is correlated to the number of steps you take a day (excluding exercise). I'd probably start sedentary and get yourself a pedometer or something like that, track for a couple of weeks and adjust as appropriate (I aim for 10-11k steps a day which puts me solidity in the active range (IIRC)

    The way I see it, you have three choices:
    1. Set yourself to "active" and don't log any additional exercise. (I'm assuming your 13,000-15,000 steps includes steps taken when working out. If not, you're likely "very active" if you don't log any additional exercise.)
    2. Calculate the number of steps you take when you're *not* working out, choose an activity level based on that (sedentary if less than 5,000 steps; lightly active if less than 10,000 steps; active if over 10,000 steps), and log your exercise as well for a calorie increase on workout days.
    3. Sync your FitBit, enable "negative adjustments" and let FitBit do all the work for you.

    Whichever option you choose, after a month, compare your observed weight loss with your predicted weight loss and adjust accordingly. I'd go with Option 3 because it's the easiest (and makes it mostly irrelevant which activity level you choose).

    For number 3 it is suggested to set level to sedentary as well.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    newwed412 wrote: »
    I have a Fitbit and I usually average between 13,000-15,000 steps a day

    I believe the activity level is correlated to the number of steps you take a day (excluding exercise). I'd probably start sedentary and get yourself a pedometer or something like that, track for a couple of weeks and adjust as appropriate (I aim for 10-11k steps a day which puts me solidity in the active range (IIRC)

    The way I see it, you have three choices:
    1. Set yourself to "active" and don't log any additional exercise. (I'm assuming your 13,000-15,000 steps includes steps taken when working out. If not, you're likely "very active" if you don't log any additional exercise.)
    2. Calculate the number of steps you take when you're *not* working out, choose an activity level based on that (sedentary if less than 5,000 steps; lightly active if less than 10,000 steps; active if over 10,000 steps), and log your exercise as well for a calorie increase on workout days.
    3. Sync your FitBit, enable "negative adjustments" and let FitBit do all the work for you.

    Whichever option you choose, after a month, compare your observed weight loss with your predicted weight loss and adjust accordingly. I'd go with Option 3 because it's the easiest (and makes it mostly irrelevant which activity level you choose).

    For number 3 it is suggested to set level to sedentary as well.

    I see that suggestion a lot and I think it depends a lot on the person. Personally, I find it easier and more logical to choose the activity setting that most closely matches my typical day (or a slight underestimate of my typical day). For me, seeing the tiny calorie target that "sedentary" gives would make me less motivated to move. "Chasing" the point at which I switch from negative to positive adjustments is highly motivating for me. And because I go to bed fairly late, I don't suffer from the "calories taken back for inactivity late in the day" issue that posters who go to bed early experience.

    "Sedentary" would be the best choice for people whose activity level is inconsistent enough that they have days where they truly are sedentary, for people who would react poorly to seeing negative adjustments and for people who go to bed early. Probably a few other scenarios too.

    At midnight, the calorie total will be the same no matter which activity level is chosen and after a few weeks, you know what sort of numbers result from your typical days, so the choice should be made based on what will work best psychologically for the individual. IMO, of course.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    edited June 2017
    SezxyStef wrote: »

    For number 3 it is suggested to set level to sedentary as well.

    I see that suggestion a lot and I think it depends a lot on the person. Personally, I find it easier and more logical to choose the activity setting that most closely matches my typical day (or a slight underestimate of my typical day). For me, seeing the tiny calorie target that "sedentary" gives would make me less motivated to move. "Chasing" the point at which I switch from negative to positive adjustments is highly motivating for me. And because I go to bed fairly late, I don't suffer from the "calories taken back for inactivity late in the day" issue that posters who go to bed early experience.

    "Sedentary" would be the best choice for people whose activity level is inconsistent enough that they have days where they truly are sedentary, for people who would react poorly to seeing negative adjustments and for people who go to bed early. Probably a few other scenarios too.

    At midnight, the calorie total will be the same no matter which activity level is chosen and after a few weeks, you know what sort of numbers result from your typical days, so the choice should be made based on what will work best psychologically for the individual. IMO, of course.[/quote]

    QFT: use the setting closest to your true activity when negative adjustments are enabled. it avoids unexpected large positive adjustments. And it provides a more graphical warning <a large negative adjustment vs the absence of a positive adjustment> as to what happens when you sit on your **kitten** all day!
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    edited June 2017
    I see that suggestion a lot and I think it depends a lot on the person. Personally, I find it easier and more logical to choose the activity setting that most closely matches my typical day (or a slight underestimate of my typical day). For me, seeing the tiny calorie target that "sedentary" gives would make me less motivated to move. "Chasing" the point at which I switch from negative to positive adjustments is highly motivating for me. And because I go to bed fairly late, I don't suffer from the "calories taken back for inactivity late in the day" issue that posters who go to bed early experience.

    "Sedentary" would be the best choice for people whose activity level is inconsistent enough that they have days where they truly are sedentary, for people who would react poorly to seeing negative adjustments and for people who go to bed early. Probably a few other scenarios too.

    At midnight, the calorie total will be the same no matter which activity level is chosen and after a few weeks, you know what sort of numbers result from your typical days, so the choice should be made based on what will work best psychologically for the individual. IMO, of course.
    QFT: use the setting closest to your true activity when negative adjustments are enabled. it avoids unexpected large positive adjustments. And it provides a more graphical warning <a large negative adjustment vs the absence of a positive adjustment> as to what happens when you sit on your **kitten** all day!

    and that is fine but if you look at the study I linked in you see that to be something other than sedentary (over 5k steps) would not be the norm for most people....otherwise they wouldn't be here to lose weight.

    Esp since MFP activity level SHOULD NOT include exercise....so without purposeful movement what I say stands...

    Yes it depends on the person...I am a desk jokey but do purposeful extra steps (not walks) and I get about 7-8k on a normal day...then I exercise...I am not sedentary...but lightly active.

    And by saying it depends it confuses the topic as the OP indicated that they had a desk job and their activity was from purposeful exercise...so in this case they need to set it to sedentary PER THE QUESTION.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    and that is fine but if you look at the study I linked in you see that to be something other than sedentary (over 5k steps) would not be the norm for most people....otherwise they wouldn't be here to lose weight.

    Esp since MFP activity level SHOULD NOT include exercise....so without purposeful movement what I say stands...

    Yes it depends on the person...I am a desk jokey but do purposeful extra steps (not walks) and I get about 7-8k on a normal day...then I exercise...I am not sedentary...but lightly active.

    And by saying it depends it confuses the topic as the OP indicated that they had a desk job and their activity was from purposeful exercise...so in this case they need to set it to sedentary PER THE QUESTION.

    I am confused a bit Stef because specifically the study you linked to is one of the first ones that I read that clued me in that indeed my initial MFP setting of sedentary was incorrect and that I shouldn't have been scared to change it.

    You are correct that there is some topic drift here and that the advice to the OP (who did not indicate she was using an activity tracker) ought to be to set to sedentary or lightly active and count exercise separately and adjust as per trend of weight level results over a period of 4-6 weeks.

    However both Susan and I were addressing a subject that you too discussed. Namely the settings that should be used WITH an activity tracker. And on those settings we will have to agree to disagree as you seem to believe that the correct setting is sedentary + large positive adjustments, while I believe that both Susan and I feel that the best setting is one that generates smaller adjustments.
  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    edited June 2017
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    It actually doesn't matter what you set your level at if you are using a fitbit and it's sync'd to MFP.

    If that is the case however you really should set yourself to sedentary and let the fitbit do it's job of tracking and adjusting for you.

    However if you choose not to do that remember that if you set yourself as light active to active your adjustment will come much later and be a lot less because you already have accounted for those calories.

    for the rest who don't use a tracker


    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18562971

    Per this article
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)

    Adult public health guidelines promote > or =30 min of at least moderate-intensity daily PA, and this translates to 3000-4000 steps if they are: 1) at least moderate intensity (i.e., > or =100 steps.min); 2) accumulated in at least 10-min bouts; and 3) taken over and above some minimal level of PA (i.e., number of daily steps) below which individuals might be classified as sedentary.

    PA=physical acitivty

    I know with my fitbit it matches this quote from this study.

    For a walk to be classed as "exercise" it has to be at least 10mins in length etc.

    This is confusing me, they say 1 mile is ~2000 steps, so if you took 12,000 steps during the day (6 miles) and that was the only exercise you did and the rest of the time you lay on the couch or at a desk this would have you at "active". But then if you look at the "calories burned while walking" formula from runners world I see posted a lot:

    http://www.runnersworld.com/weight-loss/how-many-calories-are-you-really-burning

    According to Runners World they claim that walking burns barely anything (they claim 0.3 x bodyweight per mile for net calorie burn) so with only walking 6 miles (12000 steps) you can do the math e.g. 150 lb person would only burn 270 (150x0.3x6 = 270) then add that 270 on to their BMR and it would come out much lower than what "active" on MFP would tell you for said person's maintenance. The math just doesn't add up, maybe I'm overthinking it but either runners world formula is way off, or the steps calculation is off, or am I missing something here?

  • ladyhusker39
    ladyhusker39 Posts: 1,406 Member
    This is just the way I do it which may or may not be helpful for you, but here goes.

    I also use a Fitbit. I have my activity level set at lightly active so I start the day with more calories. I have negative calorie adjustments disabled.

    I do this because it gives me a few extra calories regardless of whether it's a workout day for me or not. I've been doing this for 4 months now and have figured out that I'm less hungry on days I workout really hard but much more hungry the next day esp. if I workout in the evening.

    It was stressing me out to go over my calories on my rest days even though I had "banked" plenty of extra calories the day before.

    For most people weight loss/getting healthier is as much a mind game as a physical one. That's definitely true in my case. I find that this helps me keep my head in a positive place as I go through this process.

    Maybe start by experimenting with the settings. Sometimes it's simply a matter of taking your best guess. You can always make adjustments as you go. After you're at it for a while you can start to look for patterns that work best for you.

    All the best!
  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    According to Runners World they claim that walking burns barely anything (they claim 0.3 x bodyweight per mile) so with only walking 6 miles (12000 steps) you can do the math. The math just doesn't add up, maybe I'm overthinking it but either runners world formula is way off, or the steps calculation is off. Am I missing something here?

    The runners world "formula" is a piece of unscientific **kitten** woo some idiot pulled out of their **kitten** that people like quoting to prove that walking is not exercise (and it certainly isn't as vigorous as... running, which for some reason makes people on runningworld... happy)

    The "formula" does not take into account a few things such as weight, height, age, body fat % or physical condition, terrain, incline...

    so yeah...

    Yeah, I've never believed that formula for a second either yet I see it referenced all the time, it was just bugging my ocd brain.
  • no44s4me
    no44s4me Posts: 73 Member
    Per this article
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)

    Has anyone figured out the corresponding activity factors (i.e. 1.25, etc.) for these step numbers?
  • Sunna_W
    Sunna_W Posts: 744 Member
    Eating back calories - unless you are "highly active" running marathons is IMO counter-productive. It's like having a savings account and nickel and dimeing yourself to death. At the end of the day you'll have nothing in your savings account.
  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
    edited June 2017
    Sunna_W wrote: »
    Eating back calories - unless you are "highly active" running marathons is IMO counter-productive. It's like having a savings account and nickel and dimeing yourself to death. At the end of the day you'll have nothing in your savings account.

    Yes because undereating and creating too big a deficit you originally planned for is the goal here right? smh
  • SezxyStef
    SezxyStef Posts: 15,267 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    SezxyStef wrote: »
    and that is fine but if you look at the study I linked in you see that to be something other than sedentary (over 5k steps) would not be the norm for most people....otherwise they wouldn't be here to lose weight.

    Esp since MFP activity level SHOULD NOT include exercise....so without purposeful movement what I say stands...

    Yes it depends on the person...I am a desk jokey but do purposeful extra steps (not walks) and I get about 7-8k on a normal day...then I exercise...I am not sedentary...but lightly active.

    And by saying it depends it confuses the topic as the OP indicated that they had a desk job and their activity was from purposeful exercise...so in this case they need to set it to sedentary PER THE QUESTION.

    I am confused a bit Stef because specifically the study you linked to is one of the first ones that I read that clued me in that indeed my initial MFP setting of sedentary was incorrect and that I shouldn't have been scared to change it.

    You are correct that there is some topic drift here and that the advice to the OP (who did not indicate she was using an activity tracker) ought to be to set to sedentary or lightly active and count exercise separately and adjust as per trend of weight level results over a period of 4-6 weeks.

    However both Susan and I were addressing a subject that you too discussed. Namely the settings that should be used WITH an activity tracker. And on those settings we will have to agree to disagree as you seem to believe that the correct setting is sedentary + large positive adjustments, while I believe that both Susan and I feel that the best setting is one that generates smaller adjustments.

    The OP indicated a fitbit was in play 4 posts in...with her 13-15k steps (which is her exercise + daily movements)

    I believe the correct setting for the OP is sedentary yes...she has indicated that most of her movement comes from exercise so if that is the case then she is "sedentary"...

    I think that post weight loss and in maintenance or after you have gotten used to having your tracker and it is in tune with you and your movements aka stride length etc and you are moving purposefully without the exercise then by all means change your setting if you want...that is your choice. I don't have an opinion one way or the other which is the best...I think it's which ever one works best for the individual (outside the preview of this particular post)

    So I am not sure why the confusion. I am referring only to this post. Not anything else.

    I expect because you are referring in general terms that would cause the confusion for you...hence why I try not to muddy waters with outside info that doesn't pertain to this post.

    PS I currently am set to sedentary as my fitbit is new and I need it to get used to my stride etc. and yes i am getting larger adjustments....as soon as I am confident it has my stride in check etc I will move my activity level to lightly/somewhat active based on my 6-9k steps pre exercise.

  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,966 Member
    edited June 2017
    I thought that since I have a desk job I should be sedentary. But according to my fitbit I actually burn quite a bit more than that. Even on a "bad" day I still end up burning an additional 200 or so calories. I only get an average of 6000 Steps maybe. I would say I'm actually more like lightly active.

    If you have a fitbit that is synced to mfp, I don't personally think it matters what activity level you choose because it will adjust based on your activity for the day. If you move your activity level up make sure to turn on negative adjustments though.
  • SusanMFindlay
    SusanMFindlay Posts: 1,804 Member
    Sunna_W wrote: »
    Eating back calories - unless you are "highly active" running marathons is IMO counter-productive. It's like having a savings account and nickel and dimeing yourself to death. At the end of the day you'll have nothing in your savings account.

    I don't run marathons. If I called myself "lightly active" like the site wants me to and didn't eat back my extra calories, I'd be undereating by 1000(!!!) calories every day. Except, of course, that after a week or two of that, I'd be so tired and hungry that I'd either binge or stop moving as much.

    Choosing not to eat back your exercise calories (assuming we're talking more than 100-200 per day) is what's counterproductive.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,242 Member
    no44s4me wrote: »
    Per this article
    1) <5000 steps.d (sedentary);
    2) 5000-7499 steps.d (low active);
    3) 7500-9999 steps.d (somewhat active);
    4) > or =10,000-12,499 steps.d (active); and
    5) > or =12,500 steps.d (highly active)
    Has anyone figured out the corresponding activity factors (i.e. 1.25, etc.) for these step numbers?

    I haven't looked at this for well over a year if not two.

    With the understanding that the TDEE adjustment section is very much in need for a review and probably fully superseded by my "fitbit adjustment" spreadsheet and understanding that the formula I used to convert bmi to body fat is extremely rough.... the description of activity level correspondence that you seek can be found in this spreadsheet: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1D9ayGxT_UVw2PNI9kOYh0aIvRjCvHNZL7Z1rpLW7LKI/edit?usp=sharing

    A very important note: MFP does not take into consideration exercise which has to be added on top. The other activity factors in the spreadsheet are inclusive of exercise.

    Also @heybales used to have some very nifty spreadsheets available to help calculate tdee
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