Activity level
AmberGebell
Posts: 113 Member
I am wondering if I should be at lightly active or sedentary. I work a desk job and track about 10,000- 18,000 steps a day. I do 4 days of weight training for 30 minutes and after I weight train I walk on treadmill for 45 minutes and 3 days I do H.I.T . I am also synced with Fitbit. What would your recommendations be
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Replies
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To be honest, I don't think it really matters - pick whichever one seems more comfortable, then stick with it for a month or so to see if your results line up its the predictions. They're just estimates and everyone's real-life results will vary to a greater or lesser extent. That said, MFP's activity settings exclude purposeful exercise, so you should only be considering your other normal daily activities.3
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MegaMooseEsq wrote: »To be honest, I don't think it really matters - pick whichever one seems more comfortable, then stick with it for a month or so to see if your results line up its the predictions. They're just estimates and everyone's real-life results will vary to a greater or lesser extent. That said, MFP's activity settings exclude purposeful exercise, so you should only be considering your other normal daily activities.
Ok thank you
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What If I put activity to active and not eat any exercise calories back , Would that work?1
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If you're getting 10k+ steps I would suggest lightly active and not sedentary 3
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Thank youoreo_cookies_1992 wrote: »If you're getting 10k+ steps I would suggest lightly active and not sedentary I think so as well
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AmberGebell wrote: »What If I put activity to active and not eat any exercise calories back , Would that work?
Sure, that could theoretically work, so long as you're maintaining a reasonable deficit but still getting a healthy amount of calories.0 -
MegaMooseEsq wrote: »AmberGebell wrote: »What If I put activity to active and not eat any exercise calories back , Would that work?
Sure, that could theoretically work, so long as you're maintaining a reasonable deficit but still getting a healthy amount of calories.
Ok great
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If FitBit is synced it is recommended to set activity at sedentary and then let FitBit make adjustments based on daily activity5
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Yea pretty sure if you're synced with Fitbit you can just set to sedentary and MFP will adjust your calories based on the number of steps you get0
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If FitBit is synced it is recommended to set activity at sedentary and then let FitBit make adjustments based on daily activityshaunshaikh wrote: »Yea pretty sure if you're synced with Fitbit you can just set to sedentary and MFP will adjust your calories based on the number of steps you get
Ok thank you0 -
@AmberGebell I'm at about the same activity level. Lift 3x per week and get a minimum of 12k steps per day. My Apple Watch calculates that as about 600 "active calories"
I don't like having to track every workout, so I set MFP for ACTIVE and it rarely gives me more than 100 bonus calories. I don't eat them back. That puts me at 1830 when set to lose .5# per week.2 -
@AmberGebell I'm at about the same activity level. Lift 3x per week and get a minimum of 12k steps per day. My Apple Watch calculates that as about 600 "active calories"
I don't like having to track every workout, so I set MFP for ACTIVE and it rarely gives me more than 100 bonus calories. I don't eat them back. That puts me at 1830 when set to lose .5# per week.
this for sure.
Just because you have a tracker doesn't mean you have to set it to sedentary.
I used to think that myself but after discussions I came to understand that changing it will adjust the amount of calories required to get the "extra".
I currently have mine set to sedentary and usually get 15k steps and lift 4x a week plus run 2-3x a week...
I get about 800-1200 extra calories a day and lose about 1/2lb a week...
not sure I want to see those any more so thinking about changing it to active.0 -
The reason why the Sedentary recommendation is because the end of day over-estimate.
MFP is estimating past the last Fitbit sync to the end of the day at whatever burn rate you selected on MFP.
If you are attempting to meet your goal about 8 pm and that is last look, and then it's couch, chair, bed time - then the estimate for final 4 hours is inflated, even at sedentary.
But it's the least inflation at sedentary. Next morning Fitbit sync will allow MFP to correct itself, and you could lose 200 or more cal depending on your setting.
Of course if you always go to bed about the same time, that amount of correction is always about the same - so just leave that much in the green, upon correction it'll be right on.
Then again the amount of your daily burn is likely close to a normal figure, so perhaps knowing big adjustments are coming throughout the day when set to Sedentary doesn't really matter anyway.
It's whatever helps you to plan best - because really it's planning that allows success.
Just FYI - desk job or not doesn't describe your entire daily activity time outside of exercise (going by MFP normal usage), considering there is the weekend and likely household duties after work - many with desk jobs even without intentionally trying to walk or exercise discover they are well above Sedentary, which tops out at about 4000 steps only.
Once you start throwing exercise in, usually the MFP activity levels meant for non-exercise time don't ramp up large enough to also cover exercise.1 -
Set your activity level for "non-deliberate" exercise, i.e. exercise you do as part of your daily routing, then add in calories for "deliberate" exercise - workouts, walks etc.0
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@AmberGebell I'm at about the same activity level. Lift 3x per week and get a minimum of 12k steps per day. My Apple Watch calculates that as about 600 "active calories"
I don't like having to track every workout, so I set MFP for ACTIVE and it rarely gives me more than 100 bonus calories. I don't eat them back. That puts me at 1830 when set to lose .5# per week.
Yes I was thinking of doing that as well:)0 -
The reason why the Sedentary recommendation is because the end of day over-estimate.
MFP is estimating past the last Fitbit sync to the end of the day at whatever burn rate you selected on MFP.
If you are attempting to meet your goal about 8 pm and that is last look, and then it's couch, chair, bed time - then the estimate for final 4 hours is inflated, even at sedentary.
But it's the least inflation at sedentary. Next morning Fitbit sync will allow MFP to correct itself, and you could lose 200 or more cal depending on your setting.
Of course if you always go to bed about the same time, that amount of correction is always about the same - so just leave that much in the green, upon correction it'll be right on.
Then again the amount of your daily burn is likely close to a normal figure, so perhaps knowing big adjustments are coming throughout the day when set to Sedentary doesn't really matter anyway.
It's whatever helps you to plan best - because really it's planning that allows success.
Just FYI - desk job or not doesn't describe your entire daily activity time outside of exercise (going by MFP normal usage), considering there is the weekend and likely household duties after work - many with desk jobs even without intentionally trying to walk or exercise discover they are well above Sedentary, which tops out at about 4000 steps only.
Once you start throwing exercise in, usually the MFP activity levels meant for non-exercise time don't ramp up large enough to also cover exercise.
@heybales So what are you suggesting, Would it make sense to leave on sedentary? I do go to bed around 8 or 9 because I wake up at 4:45 am to go to gym in the morning which I do weights and cardio and some days I do cardio after work as well. I am not sure if it really even matters which setting I put it too because I have the Fitbit synced, If I put it to active or lightly active will it just give me less exercise calories and a bigger negative in the morning when I wake up?0 -
I'm merely describing what takes place - so you can decide which is better for you personally for your planning.
YOU have to decide.
Ok, it's 7pm and you look at current eating goal because this is your last chance to eat a snack to meet goal, you are going to bed in 1 hr. so 21% of the day is still left, 5 hrs.
That 5 hrs if set to sedentary is 1.25 x BMR (say 1600) = 417 cal burn left to day.
If set to Active is 1.6 x BMR = 533 cal burn left to the day.
One of those MFP is using to do math with for your eating goal.
Reality that Fitbit is going to sync the next morning is BMR = 333 actually burned rest of the day.
So if you met your goal at 7pm.
Do you want to discover the next morning you went over by 84 calories - or 200 calories, the night before?
And depending on the time of your last sync the night before, it could be more than that, either by a little more or big amount more. Because last sync from Fitbit to MFP rarely is going to occur right before you look to make final eating decisions at night.
Of course you plan for this - how much do you want to leave in the green at night to compensate for what IS going to happen?
Or do you merely see what the overage was, and leave that much green the next day (perhaps create a bogus food item of that many calories and log it the next day to not eat it).
Now - that known effect has to be balanced with what happens during the day.
Are you making decisions regarding breakfast and lunch based on MFP eating goal that has NOT received a Fitbit sync after your workouts, and therefore the adjustment higher?
Or have you planned on those meals and snacks based on about how much you burn daily already.
If you are a spur-the-moment dieter (not sure how many of them are successful) and you don't like the surprises of big adjustments later - then set to higher Activity level so fewer changes as the day goes on.
If your Fitbit is syncing through the day is MFP is getting this updated info through the day - it really doesn't matter except visually seeing a high adjustment or starting out with a high burn rate - the eating goal would be the same no matter what.
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I'm merely describing what takes place - so you can decide which is better for you personally for your planning.
YOU have to decide.
Ok, it's 7pm and you look at current eating goal because this is your last chance to eat a snack to meet goal, you are going to bed in 1 hr. so 21% of the day is still left, 5 hrs.
That 5 hrs if set to sedentary is 1.25 x BMR (say 1600) = 417 cal burn left to day.
If set to Active is 1.6 x BMR = 533 cal burn left to the day.
One of those MFP is using to do math with for your eating goal.
Reality that Fitbit is going to sync the next morning is BMR = 333 actually burned rest of the day.
So if you met your goal at 7pm.
Do you want to discover the next morning you went over by 84 calories - or 200 calories, the night before?
And depending on the time of your last sync the night before, it could be more than that, either by a little more or big amount more. Because last sync from Fitbit to MFP rarely is going to occur right before you look to make final eating decisions at night.
Of course you plan for this - how much do you want to leave in the green at night to compensate for what IS going to happen?
Or do you merely see what the overage was, and leave that much green the next day (perhaps create a bogus food item of that many calories and log it the next day to not eat it).
Now - that known effect has to be balanced with what happens during the day.
Are you making decisions regarding breakfast and lunch based on MFP eating goal that has NOT received a Fitbit sync after your workouts, and therefore the adjustment higher?
Or have you planned on those meals and snacks based on about how much you burn daily already.
If you are a spur-the-moment dieter (not sure how many of them are successful) and you don't like the surprises of big adjustments later - then set to higher Activity level so fewer changes as the day goes on.
If your Fitbit is syncing through the day is MFP is getting this updated info through the day - it really doesn't matter except visually seeing a high adjustment or starting out with a high burn rate - the eating goal would be the same no matter what.
So if I set my activity to lightly active and I always have positive exercise calories and only in the negative when I get up, Is that correct? Because I would figure if i was set to the wrong activity setting then I would be at a constant negative adjustment, Am I wrong ?1 -
For you with a morning workout, likely would be negative from wakeup to before Fitbit syncs - but positive after it syncs.
In which case that initial big adjustment would slowly lower through the day, unless active after work again, in which case another bump up from perhaps negative to positive, or even more positive on workout days.
So specific to your question:
If you are set at Lightly Active, you will have negative adjustment when you get up.
You may get positive adjustments as the day goes on if you are actually above Lightly-Active by a small amount.
If you do workout first thing in morning - you will get big adjustment after that.
If you were set to an activity level higher than reality - then you would get negatives getting bigger all day long - if you don't workout.
If you workout in morning, perhaps a bump into positive to some amount, that keeps lowering as the day goes on.
In all these methods - the daily amount is going to end up the same.
Unless you have lots of variability to your day - your daily totals will end up about the same.
Are you going to plan your day enough for what you know it's going to end up close to - or do you literally work through your day eating each snack/meal based on how big the adjustment and eating goal at that point is?0 -
For you with a morning workout, likely would be negative from wakeup to before Fitbit syncs - but positive after it syncs.
In which case that initial big adjustment would slowly lower through the day, unless active after work again, in which case another bump up from perhaps negative to positive, or even more positive on workout days.
So specific to your question:
If you are set at Lightly Active, you will have negative adjustment when you get up.
You may get positive adjustments as the day goes on if you are actually above Lightly-Active by a small amount.
If you do workout first thing in morning - you will get big adjustment after that.
If you were set to an activity level higher than reality - then you would get negatives getting bigger all day long - if you don't workout.
If you workout in morning, perhaps a bump into positive to some amount, that keeps lowering as the day goes on.
In all these methods - the daily amount is going to end up the same.
Unless you have lots of variability to your day - your daily totals will end up about the same.
Are you going to plan your day enough for what you know it's going to end up close to - or do you literally work through your day eating each snack/meal based on how big the adjustment and eating goal at that point is?[/quote
No I am a huge planner, I weigh everything in the morning and put in cooler so my whole day is calculated and set at 5am, I try to stay close to the calories MyFitnessPal gives me which is 1470 and I don't eat exercise calories back but if I have a huge adjustment I may eat a bit more0 -
AmberGebell wrote: »What If I put activity to active and not eat any exercise calories back , Would that work?
This is exactly what I do! I prefer to eat the same number of calories every day. That way my rest days aren't sad and hungry days. And on days that I exercise a lot, I don't have time to eat all the extra calories, anyway. 0 -
pbbananacoffeechocolate wrote: »AmberGebell wrote: »What If I put activity to active and not eat any exercise calories back , Would that work?
This is exactly what I do! I prefer to eat the same number of calories every day. That way my rest days aren't sad and hungry days. And on days that I exercise a lot, I don't have time to eat all the extra calories, anyway.
then why bother syncing fitbit?0
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