Whats my activity level?

[nigesakis]

I walk 3000–7000 steps per day and 10.000 once a week, I do sit-ups and jog in place/on the spot about 5-10 minutes every day before bed. What should I log when calculating my daily calorie needs?

[cathm]

Hi @nigesakis 

I found a post that you might find helpful.  It discusses the various activity levels.   https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Get-Moving/What-activity-level-would-you-say-I-am/td-p/1480877

[Colinm39 · Accepted solution]

@cathm  Thanks for the link, but as many of us know some of the information is not available now via Fitbit Profile.. Sadly because I was a strong advocate of the 30 day activity Profile graph..

@nigesakis 

So I will post part of what is in that link by comparing the Calories burned for the day to BMR.  I use this method because it's all about being active.. The aggressive walk from a carpark to a shopping centre.. Day to day domestics all add up.

Use this BMR calculator which is within 7 calories of my BMR. It uses the same equations that Fitbit use.  It's important your physical settings are correct.

When you have your BMR, divide that into the Calories burned for the day.. 

An example of that is my yesterday's effort. The biggest day since a month after an operation.. A variety of efforts.. Calories burnt = 2458, BMR = 1546... Result 2458/1546 = 1.59.  I was pleasantly happy with the results and only 7,000 steps...

Comparing that to the table of levels of activity.

Sedentary. Little to no regular exercise. (factor 1.2)

Mild activity level: Intensive exercise for at least 20 minutes 1 to 3 times per week. This may include such things as bicycling, jogging, basketball, swimming, skating, etc. If you do not exercise regularly, but you maintain a busy life style that requires you to walk frequently for long periods, you meet the requirements of this level. (factor 1.375)

Moderate activity level: Intensive exercise for at least 30 to 60 minutes 3 to 4 times per week. Any of the activities listed above will qualify. (factor 1.55)

Heavy or (Labor-intensive) activity level: Intensive exercise for 60 minutes or greater 5 to 7 days per week (see sample activities above). Labor-intensive occupations also qualify for this level. Labor-intensive occupations include construction work (brick laying, carpentry, general labor, etc.). Also farming, landscape worker or similar occupations. (factor 1.7)

Extreme level: Exceedingly active and/or very demanding activities: Examples include: (1) athlete with an almost unstoppable training schedule with multiple training sessions throughout the day (2) very demanding job, such as shoveling coal or working long hours on an assembly line. Generally, this level of activity is very difficult to achieve. (factor 1.9)