What is your activity level set at?

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2

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  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,147 Member
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    scarlett_k wrote: »
    Pick one and try it for a few weeks, see what happens and adjust as required. Doesn't matter what everyone else is doing :)

    ^^^ This. Don't agonize about it up front, just try one and adjust.

    I'm set on 'active'. In real life, I'm sedentary, outside of intentional exercise (and I eat all my exercise calories) - I'm retired, have sedentary hobbies. But I lost too fast on sedentary, so I kept bumping the activity level upward until my actual loss rate was close to my target loss rate. Even now, in maintenance, that's what I'm doing.

    So, pick one, try it, adjust. It's all estimates anyway, but as long as you fine-tune based on results, you'll reach your goals.
  • lucerorojo
    lucerorojo Posts: 790 Member
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    I put "lightly active". I don't have a desk job but my career isn't that active anymore either.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
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    Active. I have a desk job, but get at least 10,000 steps outside of purposeful exercise each day. I find the higher calorie amount due to the setting is less than what I get from the "steps" exercise adjustment leaving less guesswork for me.
  • Heather4448
    Heather4448 Posts: 908 Member
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    Sedentary. I let my Fitbit make adjustments because I am lazy.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,900 Member
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    SisepuedeLinda wrote: »
    I had it set at active in the beginning and lost 10 pounds in a month. That was before I started school and was working 4-5 days a week at a veterinary office so I was constantly running around (sometimes literally when I walk the dogs) lifting dog food, lifting big dogs on the exam table, lifting dogs into the bathtub, restraining dogs, doing the cleanups and closing down the hospital like sweeping mopping etc! But now that I started school I only work 2-3 times a week for 5 hours a day. I'm in class from 11:30-2:30 and 4:30-6:30 so almost like 5-6 hours roughly I'm sitting now so I put it at sedentary last week when I started but man am I a little more hungry lol I got used to the 1800 calories I had on active setting! But my weight did slow down after that first month which is why I'm asking what y'all put. I'm gonna try to stick out sedentary for a while to see if that'll get the scale moving but we'll see. I'm just like I'm still active at work I just work less so maybe I could try lightly active soon after giving the sedentary a shot. Edit: I don't work out or exercise. It's possible I will soon but as of now I don't.

    I seem to like the same amount of calories regardless of my activity level. So, when I'm inactive, I gain weight, and active I lose or maintain. It's really hard for me to stop at my base calories so I try very hard to get in some activity at lunch time and before or after work, depending on my sleep schedule.

    If I had your schedule, I would definitely work in a walk between 2:30 and 4:30. This would make me more alert for the afternoon class and energized into the evening.
  • zjpq
    zjpq Posts: 198 Member
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    I have mine on sedentary and eat back exercise cals and fitbit adjustments
  • boredloser
    boredloser Posts: 119 Member
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    Sedentary, I work the graveyard shift at a desk job and the most exercise I get is walking the dog or to/from the local shop lately because I've become prone to napping after work and just not having energy...
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    Sedentary, and I've let my Fitbit and Garmin add extra exercise calories for my health.

    I ate 75% of the exercise calories back and lost 80 lbs in a year, and I've eaten 100% of them back and kept it off 17 months.
  • rawrrgenn
    rawrrgenn Posts: 118 Member
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    So sedentary-- I'm practically a rock on a seashore :smiley:
  • Bluetail6
    Bluetail6 Posts: 2,874 Member
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    ^^ :D !!
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    Active. I typically get 300 extra calories or not from Fitbit though (I walk 15000 steps typically).
  • Rosemary7391
    Rosemary7391 Posts: 232 Member
    edited September 2017
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    I've set mine to lightly active. It's rare that I do less than 10,000 steps in a day since going anywhere involves walking and I don't get the train if it's less than 30 minutes to walk. I don't bother adding steps to my diary, but I do add a bit for running (usually half of what runkeeper gives me rounded down).
  • Aerona85
    Aerona85 Posts: 159 Member
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    Mine is set to sedentary and I have my Fitbit connected. It adjusts calories accordingly. I know some have little success with that but for me it seems to be spot on. I put sedentary because I would rather see positive adjustments than negative.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,876 Member
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    When I logged, I had it set to active because I included my exercise rather than logging it separately. I have a desk job, but I exercise in some manner or another pretty much daily save for an off week here and there. I'm also chasing around 2 young boys when I get home from work and there's always something needing fixed or cleaned or cooked...so I don't really sit down when I get home until about 8:30...
  • rcervetto
    rcervetto Posts: 57 Member
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    Typically I have it set to sedentary. I work a desk job and don't get much regular activity in. I currently have it set to lightly active to account for extra calories from breastfeeding.
  • kpk54
    kpk54 Posts: 4,474 Member
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    Sedentary. Because I am one of those "less than 5000 steps" a day people. I'll eat back some of my calories if I'm hungry. I consider them a cushion for logging error most of the time. This method worked for me in 1 year of loss and 3+years of maintenance.

    I'm not much into exercise. I do walk for additional movement 3-5 miles a few days a week @ about 3.5-4 mph but the extra steps don't equate to much more than a chicken leg and a chunk of cheese based on my personal records/history.
  • Tried30UserNames
    Tried30UserNames Posts: 561 Member
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    Mine is set to lightly active. I am extremely sedentary on days I don't work except for my daily 3-4 mile walks which I don't log. I figure the "lightly active" calorie increase covers it. I'm highly active on days I do work (4-12 days per month) but I allow some extra calories those days.

    I don't like to see the 1200 calories MFP allows me as a sedentary woman. It messes with my brain and exacerbates old eating disorders. Therefore, I don't use sedentary.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    edited September 2017
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    Just pick one and see what happens! Adjust from there. I used to choose sedentary and then let my Fitbit make adjustments throughout the day but I honestly got tired of wearing that stupid thing all the time. It's funny, even though I have a desk job and I'm not particularly active outside of work, it still added quite a lot of calories to my diary. (Like 100-400) so I decided to change it to "lightly active" and just eat that.
  • Kwoconnor
    Kwoconnor Posts: 39 Member
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    Very Active - work out 6 days a week so I guess I would be. However, once I leave the gym that's me done for the day activity wise (other than playing with my baby).
  • lorrpb
    lorrpb Posts: 11,464 Member
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    I use sedentary and sync my fitbit for steps. I log my exercise but I greatly reduced the calorie burn early on and probably eat it back most days. Anything else is bonus burn but I've never had a problem with losing too fast. Lost 150 lbs this way and have now maintained for about a year.

    If you are hungry on your current calorie level, try upping the protein and reducing carbs a bit, this may lead to greater satiety. How much more are you trying to lose and what is your weekly loss goal set at?

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