Activity levels and rate of loss question

If you are hungry and consistently losing weight faster than desired then yes increase your calories.
Options to do that are changing your rate of weight loss, changing your activity setting or simply changing your goal calories manually. The basic set up just gives you a start point but your results over an extended period of time are a far more personal guide.

I was easily Lightly Active when I had an exclusively desk job due to building as much movement into my working day and non-working hours (the activity setting isn't just your job, it's all your waking hours but excluding purposeful exercise).

Lietchi wrote: »

Your rate of loss is quite steep yes, and since you don't have that much to lose, it's not advisable.
The app (at least my version) specifically states teacher as an example for lightly active
Also, your job isn't the only thing that counts for your activity level. If you are also doing a lot of chores around the house, taking care of children, have an active hobby,... this could also lead to a higher activity level.

Aside from that, MFP uses a formula for estimating your calorie burn, but that formula is just a statistical average. Some people have a faster or slower metabolism than average, so extra adjustments may be necessary.

If those 8lbs lost over 3 weeks are representative, that would indicate you can eat 750 calories extra per day to lose 1lb per week (it's estimated that you need a 3500kcal deficit to lose 1lb). Just increasing your activity level to lightly active is a start, but you might have to increase your calorie intake even more than that to arrive at a weight loss rate that isn't too fast.

I'm endorsing this (and sijomial's) idea of using your own results to estimate your actual calorie needs, then adjusting your calories eaten based on the results.

If there's a big gap - if losing much faster than MFP's estimate would indicate - there's no need to tweak calories upward gradually by tiny amounts. If you're actually 750 calories below what would give you the pound a week loss in actual practice, add back a big slug of that at the start, at least. You can gradually tweak upward after that based on longer-term results if you like, but your current bodyweight isn't excessive enough to merit such fast loss.

MFP significantly underestimates my calorie needs (it's that "statistical average" issue). I lost faster than sensible when I first got to MFP (then at 5'5", around mid-150s pounds). Though I corrected quickly once I realized, and had been feeling energetic/not hungry most of the way, I did hit a wall and get weak and fatigued, before the dust settled. It took a few weeks to recover. No one needs that. I was lucky nothing worse happened.

"Too slow" weight loss can be frustrating. Too fast weight loss increases health risk. I know which direction I'd rather err, personally.