Activity Level/Rate of Loss

Run4fitness12
Run4fitness12 Posts: 34 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi :smile: I have a couple of questions about activity levels/rates of loss:

I have my activity level set to "active" because I do about 15,000 steps a day and I have read that this makes me "active". Obviously, this gives me more calories to play with. I have my rate of loss set to 1.5lbs a week which gives me a calorie goal of 1660 a day (which I can achieve each day if I don't reach for that extra bar of chocolate).

I have read in the forums that for someone with less than 30lbs to lose (like me) you should really be going for a slower rate of loss, i.e. 0.5 - 1lbs a week. If I change my rate to lose 1lb a week MFP gives me 1910 calories to play with. This sounds great, but it seems like such a high number and I know that I will most likely end up filling it with chocolate/muffins/anything sweet. I am aware I can make more of an effort to make up the rest of my calorie goal with more veg etc. The reason I am thinking about changing this is because I want to be able to sustain this once I've met my goal and I don't want to be too aggressive about my loss.

So, my questions are:
1. Should my activity level really be set as "active"? Is 15,000 steps a day enough to consider myself as "active"?

2. In your opinion should I set my rate of loss to be 1lb a week rather than 1.5lb a week and just eat the extra calories?

Stats, for reference:

25yo female
5'5"
CW: 167.9
GW: 140

Thanks in advance! :smile:

Replies

  • jordandills
    jordandills Posts: 103 Member
    What is your job? The activity levels are really based on what you're doing for a majority of the day. If you work a desk job, set it as sedentary and manually add in exercise that will add calories. Set to lose 1 lb a week, and stick to the goal it gives you. Re-evaluate based on your results after 4-5 weeks and adjust as needed.
  • Run4fitness12
    Run4fitness12 Posts: 34 Member
    jordandills wrote: »
    What is your job? The activity levels are really based on what you're doing for a majority of the day. If you work a desk job, set it as sedentary and manually add in exercise that will add calories. Set to lose 1 lb a week, and stick to the goal it gives you. Re-evaluate based on your results after 4-5 weeks and adjust as needed.

    Thanks for the reply. I work in an office so I am sitting down for most of the day, which would make me sedentary. I'm just confused because I still walk about 6miles every day. I have an apple watch so it calculates all of my exercise calories for me. If I set it to sedentary, it sets my calorie goal at 1380 which really doesn't seem like much although I guess with the exercise calories it will be more like 1600 anyway?
  • MikeEsko
    MikeEsko Posts: 81 Member
    Run4fitness12 wrote: »
    jordandills wrote: »
    What is your job? The activity levels are really based on what you're doing for a majority of the day. If you work a desk job, set it as sedentary and manually add in exercise that will add calories. Set to lose 1 lb a week, and stick to the goal it gives you. Re-evaluate based on your results after 4-5 weeks and adjust as needed.

    Thanks for the reply. I work in an office so I am sitting down for most of the day, which would make me sedentary. I'm just confused because I still walk about 6miles every day. I have an apple watch so it calculates all of my exercise calories for me. If I set it to sedentary, it sets my calorie goal at 1380 which really doesn't seem like much although I guess with the exercise calories it will be more like 1600 anyway?

    Set it to sedentary and log your walking. You will earn cals back for exercise.
  • cheryldumais
    cheryldumais Posts: 1,907 Member
    I think the issue is when you have your device synced with MFP you are already getting credit for the steps. If you set your activity level as active and then take the calories you get for the device you are counting them twice. I have a desk job, set as Sedentary and allow my device to add in the extra calories for my steps. You can tell what is working for you based on your rate of loss. If you are happy with how you are losing you are fine. Most of us try not to eat back all our "earned" calories because often they are over estimated. You can monitor how you are doing and see where it takes you. I am on my last 8 pounds and find my rate of loss is right around .5/week as expected doing it this way. Every body is different. These rules are just guidelines but a very good place to start. Good luck on your journey!
  • Run4fitness12
    Run4fitness12 Posts: 34 Member
    cheryldumais wrote: »
    I think the issue is when you have your device synced with MFP you are already getting credit for the steps. If you set your activity level as active and then take the calories you get for the device you are counting them twice. I have a desk job, set as Sedentary and allow my device to add in the extra calories for my steps. You can tell what is working for you based on your rate of loss. If you are happy with how you are losing you are fine. Most of us try not to eat back all our "earned" calories because often they are over estimated. You can monitor how you are doing and see where it takes you. I am on my last 8 pounds and find my rate of loss is right around .5/week as expected doing it this way. Every body is different. These rules are just guidelines but a very good place to start. Good luck on your journey!

    Thank you for the advice. So I shouldn't log my exercise and just let my device do it for me? I guess I'll leave it as sedentary and see how I get on. Our of curiosity, what percentage of earned calories do you eat back?

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