Active? Sedentary?

What are you trying to apply this too? MFP, fat2fit? etc

I am sincerely curious about the terms.

i'm also seriously trying to figure this out, specifically in terms of this site, because i'm trying to figure out my baseline and i feel like i'm way off already, after only 2 days. i've been reading the posted noted and i get the whole eat your exercise credits back and all, but i feel like i am way off in some part of this.


So if i am (which i hope will apply to the OP's question as well) trying to figure out if i am active or sedentary or lightly active or what... for this site and the equations this site uses, how do i determine that within a reasonable degree? i set myself as lightly active and i feel like i am either adding in my exercise totally wrong (what should be included in basic life on top of basic life) or am starting out with too many calories, because i am almost always like, stupidly under my goal calorie intake. like, even after something like a beer or two...which so isn't a good part of a weight loss plan.

i'm at a loss.

i'm also seriously trying to figure this out, specifically in terms of this site, because i'm trying to figure out my baseline and i feel like i'm way off already, after only 2 days. i've been reading the posted noted and i get the whole eat your exercise credits back and all, but i feel like i am way off in some part of this.


So if i am (which i hope will apply to the OP's question as well) trying to figure out if i am active or sedentary or lightly active or what... for this site and the equations this site uses, how do i determine that within a reasonable degree? i set myself as lightly active and i feel like i am either adding in my exercise totally wrong (what should be included in basic life on top of basic life) or am starting out with too many calories, because i am almost always like, stupidly under my goal calorie intake. like, even after something like a beer or two...which so isn't a good part of a weight loss plan.

i'm at a loss.

With MFP you need to look at your activity without workouts - I find MFP very stingy on the levels so what you may think is sedentary is actually lightly active. For example, someone with a desk job who pretty much sites all day without walking around and who goes home and does very little would be sedentary. If you get up and walk around at work, go home and cook or look after the kids, you should be at least lightly active. Plus you should eat most, if not all, of your exercise calories back.

These are probably questions that are asked ad nausium and i'm sorry to be repeating (and hijacking, a bit, sorry OP) so...my daily activity varies hugely. i have a 3-day-a-week desk job that does involve some walking around and up and down and greeting clients and cleaning lockers and other general activity, but the rest of my week varies by appointment (i'm a massage therapist) and ...just is hugely variable. i get workouts in when i can, but not in a routine (i try to go at least 2 x a week for an hour or two when i can of what feels to me like hard working out) and then i have a 45 minute 2x a week "boot camp" weight training class with a sadist that i try to make. And then there are (so few and far between) days i honest to gods do nothing but stay in bed with a book and 1 - 3 cats and love every minute.

With such a variable schedule... should i set my baseline to sedentary and then add in *everything* i do (any idea what the equivalent for an hour massage would be? 30 minutes of yoga? housecleaning?) or go with lightly active and ...at that point i don't seem to be eating enough, which doesn't make much sense to me, because i am not hungry at all and i'm not like, denying myself. Except cookies. i am avoiding cookies and twix bars.