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How do you define "lifestyle activity level"

Old 06-17-2010, 09:35 AM
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Default How do you define "lifestyle activity level"

I am inputting my lifestyle activities on Fit Day and it says "seated all day" or "Mostly seated with some movement" and then there's "sedentary" these three confuse me...I wish FitDay would put a description under these as some of the sites do; but I didn't find one So I am posting this to seek clarification. I definitely have been sitting more since school let out but I still move...like go to the grocery store or go pick up the may and then working out 4 days a week (which I'm not suppose to consider into this calculation right?). So where do I fit? I thought the latter would be more appropriate but I'm not sure. Anyone have a good strategy on how I can pinpoint the option that would best fit my lifestyle described above?

Last edited by DecemberBlue; 06-17-2010 at 09:45 AM.
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Old 06-19-2010, 08:06 AM
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I out mostly seated with some movement. since I am a stay at home mom I figure im not on the move all day but im not seated all day either.
Sedentary is like those bedridden (people who are in bed and cant get up)
Seated all day is i would think someone that works somewhere where they are at their desk all day (telemarketer who must stay at their desk and answer phone calles)
Seated with some movement i think would be someone with more freedom to move around but also does alot of seated work.

Last edited by avic77; 06-19-2010 at 08:09 AM.
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Old 06-19-2010, 09:55 AM
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avic77:
thanks for the response...do you find the activities section to be mostly accurate when you select this options? are you finding yourself losing weight based on this calculation?
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Old 06-19-2010, 05:40 PM
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I work at a computer all day I had to choose sedentary and adjust my base calories down about 60 calories a day to match my weight loss. I am male and 5'=11". I think the activities are okay for me.
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Old 06-19-2010, 11:55 PM
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Hi,

I work on my computer all day long and chose "sedentary" as well. I also add the amount of sleep I had the previous night and every other activity (such as cleaning, shopping groceries etc.). It's a bit of a hassle, but seems to be fairly accurate, as I'm losing.
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Old 06-24-2010, 05:46 AM
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Red face When did you start your diet?

Originally Posted by rpmcduff
I work at a computer all day I had to choose sedentary and adjust my base calories down about 60 calories a day to match my weight loss. I am male and 5'=11". I think the activities are okay for me.
Hi,
I see you posted you reached your goal & lost 70 lbs. I need to loose 80 & I am 5'-7" I was wondering how long you took to loose the weight? I thought I needed a year but would like to drop it in 9 months if poss.
Thanks
Greg
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Old 06-24-2010, 09:23 AM
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Originally Posted by gregcctx
Hi,
I see you posted you reached your goal & lost 70 lbs. I need to loose 80 & I am 5'-7" I was wondering how long you took to loose the weight? I thought I needed a year but would like to drop it in 9 months if poss.
Thanks
Greg
I wish I had reached my goal of 70lbs but I am only a little over half way there. (See my signature.) I started in the spring of 2009 at 270lbs, I was able to lose some weight during 2009 but I feel my real success has come since I joined Fitday on January 21, 2010. Tracking everything I eat has been the key for me. I have lost over 20lbs since joining Fitday.

Can you lose 80 pounds in 9 months? Let's do the math. 9 months = 37 weeks (approx.). 80lbs divided by 37 weeks = 2.16lbs per week. Since a pound of body weight correlates to 3500 calories you will need to have a weekly calorie deficit of 7560. 7560 divided by 7 days a week = 1080 calorie deficit a day.

This is a moderately agressive goal. Usually 1 to 2 pounds per week is considered safe. You would be just slightly above this. That doesn't mean you can't acheive your goal in 9 months. Many people just don't have the knowledge and the tools, like Fitday (the piece I was missing), to consistently lose at that pace.

Again, this doesn't mean you can't do it. You will need a master plan for diet and exercise. I don't recommend trying to do this with diet alone. If you diet and do not exercise 50% of your weight loss will come from muscle. Since muscle drives your metabolic rate you will have to eat less and less as you near your goal. Dieting with exercise helps you to retain most of the muscle you would have lost dieting alone. I believe you need to incorporate weight/strength training with some cardio work for the most effective exercise plan. Check out Bodybuilding.com if you need workout ideas or plans. If you are extremely out of shape just walking is a great start.

Try to get 30% of your calories from protein (again to help preserve muscle).
Limit simple carbohydrates like sugar, potatoes, and white bread . Substitute fruits, sweet potatoes and whole wheat/grain breads.
Stop drinking your calories. Reduce or eliminate juice, soda and alcohol.

Can YOU do this in 9 months? Go into Fitday and log the foods and activities you are comfortable with doing for a day. (Remember you will need to adhere to this for 9 months to hit your goal.) If the calorie restriction is too great (and you are saying I will be starving) or the activity level too high then push your goal out. We all want it sooner rather than later but don't set yourself up to fail. This should be a lifestyle change and not just a short term fix to a long term problem. Good luck!!
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Old 06-24-2010, 05:16 PM
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@ rpmcduff: you make a good point...the challenge is to maintain muscle mass as you lose the weight...@ gregcctx you can do it...the goal is to achieve a 1000 calorie deficit. The thing about having more weight to lose and being male is that it's easier to accumulate the calorie deficit...I'm not sure how much you weigh with the weight you're wanting to lose you could probably eat 1800-2000 calories workout and burn 500 calories (cardio + weights) and still lose at a rapid rate. here's the thing that I've been researching lately. I am a petite woman wanting to lose 2lbs a week, since I'm close to my goal weight and shorter in height, it's a lot harder than someone who is taller and bigger than me. So what I have been researching is how I can keep my heart rate in 80-90% range during exercise. which is anaerobic and typically not recommended as it robs your muscles of nutrients; thus causing muscle wasting; so people end up losing the weight are not toned. I wear a heart rate monitor which is fairly accurate compare to when I take it manually so when I workout I try to keep my heart rate at 60-70%...but then I burn less calories....so if I could figure out a way to keep my heart rate up longer without feeling like I'm messing up what I'm trying to achieve (tone up and lose weight without losing muscle) then I'll be golden!
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Old 06-24-2010, 05:52 PM
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As another petite woman who was close to goal weight and experiencing the same frustration, I can say that sometimes you just have to stretch the weight loss out over a longer time period. For example, with an hour of hard cardio (HR at 80%) a day, I was still only burning 1900-2000 calories a day (at 42 years old; younger folks' mileage may vary). No way could I have gotten a loss of 2 pounds per week, or 1000 calories a day deficit; that would leave me too few calories for fuel (1000 a day at most, exercising every day). The math just simply didn't work. I had to suck it up and be patient, but it happened eventually and it will happen for you, too. I think that if you are committed to the 2 pounds per week, the best way to go about it would be to exercise twice daily to get to a 1000 calorie a day deficit while still fueling properly; if you don't, your metabolism could slow down and backfire on you. Good luck, and be patient with yourself.
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Old 06-25-2010, 02:24 AM
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[QUOTE=DecemberBlue;14373 I am a petite woman wanting to lose 2lbs a week, since I'm close to my goal weight and shorter in height, it's a lot harder than someone who is taller and bigger than me. So what I have been researching is how I can keep my heart rate in 80-90% range during exercise. which is anaerobic and typically not recommended as it robs your muscles of nutrients; thus causing muscle wasting; so people end up losing the weight are not toned. ....so if I could figure out a way to keep my heart rate up longer without feeling like I'm messing up what I'm trying to achieve (tone up and lose weight without losing muscle) then I'll be golden![/QUOTE]

I would suggest you cut back on the cardio and incorporate heavy lifting (less than 6 reps to failure). The lifting will help to build up the muscle you are losing through cardio. I would also suggest your protein intake be 1g per pound of lean body weight. This will give your body the fuel it needs to maintain and build muscle. I feel like a broken record sometimes recommending Bodybuilding.com but it is a great resource and I think some of the strategies the figure competitors use could help you. Hope this helps.
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