I recently read from a couple of sources that jogging is considered vigorous activity. All this time, I was considering it so far away from vigorous that I wasn't even factoring it in to my calorie calculations. For a while, I've been trying to figure out why I've been craving more food and I was trying to tell myself that this is how I'm supposed to feel on a caloric deficit. Now, I'm thinking I need to eat more, but I'm still reluctant to increase my activity level from the usual "Moderately Active" to the "Very Active" category.
Could I please have your assessments based on these activities?
-Wendler 5/3/1 program (main lift + 2 assistance lifts) (3 days/week)
-Jogging 5mph for 30 minutes (everyday)
-Walking 30 minutes (done only when I work up the motivation, estimate a conservative 2 days/week)
-My lifestyle also has me walking at least 45 minutes everyday (walking from my barracks to work and back a few times a day)
-A couple quick ab workouts on off days just to ensure I meet the standards for our PT tests
Yes, I am in the military if you couldn't tell from above. No, that does not factor in because I am on voluntary PT and the work is mostly sedentary.
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Thread: Activity Level?
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05-11-2013, 08:43 AM #1
- Join Date: Mar 2013
- Location: Goose Creek, South Carolina, United States
- Age: 34
- Posts: 9
- Rep Power: 0
Activity Level?
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05-11-2013, 08:50 AM #2
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05-11-2013, 08:54 AM #3
Try one level, monitor your weight change for a few weeks, adjust as necessary. The activity factors just provide "best guesstimates" but you still need to observe and tweak. It's not a critical issue if your initial guess is incorrect. Going from 1.4 to 1.5, at my stats, is a difference of 180 cals -- essentially 2 pieces of bread.
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05-11-2013, 10:46 AM #4
- Join Date: Mar 2013
- Location: Goose Creek, South Carolina, United States
- Age: 34
- Posts: 9
- Rep Power: 0
By stickies, I assume you refer to just the one titled "Calculating Calorie & Macronutrient Needs" as it seems to be the only relevant one there. I have already looked at it, but I had to stop pursuing it once I reached the TEE part. First of all, as is typical of all calorie calculators, the activity level isn't specific enough. It increases 3 factors at once (daily lifestyle, frequency of workouts, and intensity of workouts). This makes it difficult for me to guess which one I am because I can say I workout 7 days a week, but intensity varies and outside of exercise, I'm pretty much sedentary. Also, I was unable to determine if jogging is considered hard exercise. It certainly doesn't feel like it, but other sources say otherwise. Judging my 5/3/1 program is equally confusing. On the one hand, I know intensity is high, but I'm only doing it 3 days per week. So does it fall under moderate exercise 3-5 days/week, or hard exercise 6-7 days/week?
Anyway, I know I'm not supposed to rely totally on calorie calculators, but if I made the mistake of setting my calories too low, I will lose weight and think everything's fine. But what I won't realize until much later is that some of that weight will have been muscle. Obviously, I want to prevent that. But also, I've been feeling really deprived, which might be due to too few calories. If I can eat more and still lose weight, than I need to know so I can make adjustments.
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05-11-2013, 11:46 AM #5
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05-11-2013, 11:54 AM #6
Aware.
I considered myself sedentary as I walk only about 75 minutes/day at a moderate pace with intensive weight training 3x a week, roughly 75 minutes per...
Did the little online test thing, told me I was 'very active'.
Try this: http://www.shapeup.org/fitness/assess/level1.html
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05-13-2013, 03:02 AM #7
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