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How to choose your activity level honestly

It's the setting that changes your result the most, and the one people get wrong most often.

Written by AdnanUpdated 6 min read

Choose your activity level by your whole typical week, not just your workouts, and if you are between two levels, pick the lower one. Most people overestimate. For an 80 kg man, the gap between Sedentary and Athlete is more than 1,200 calories a day, so this one choice matters more than which formula you use. The maintenance calories calculator shows your number at every level side by side, and the TDEE calculator uses the one you choose.

Why it matters so much

Your activity factor multiplies your BMR. A man with a BMR of 1,768 calories gets a maintenance of 2,121 at Sedentary (×1.2), 2,740 at Moderate (×1.55) and 3,358 at Athlete (×1.9). Picking one level too high adds roughly 300 calories a day. That is enough to cancel most of a typical diet's deficit.

What each level really looks like

LevelFactorTypical person
Sedentary1.2Office or remote job, drives or takes transit, little or no planned exercise.
Light1.375Desk job plus 1–3 workouts a week, or no workouts but a lot of walking.
Moderate1.55Trains 3–5 times a week, or has a job with plenty of standing and walking, such as retail or teaching.
Very active1.725Hard training 6–7 days a week, or a physical job such as construction plus regular exercise.
Athlete1.9Trains twice a day, or does heavy manual work all day plus training.

Why most people overestimate

  • Workouts feel bigger than they are. A hard hour in the gym is one hour out of the 16 or so you are awake.
  • Desk time is invisible. Sitting for 8–10 hours keeps everyday movement low, even for people who train.
  • Best weeks stick in the memory. Choose your typical week, including the weeks you skipped sessions.
  • Movement drops when you diet. When you eat less, you tend to move less without noticing. That is one reason your TDEE falls during a diet; see why your TDEE drops as you lose weight.

Three quick examples

The office lifterAyesha works at a desk and lifts four times a week for an hour. She is tempted by Very active, but most of her day is seated. Moderate is the honest choice, and Light is reasonable if her non-gym days are very still.
The nurseBilal doesn't go to the gym, but he is on his feet for 12-hour shifts. His job alone fits Moderate.
The new runnerHina runs three times a week for 30 minutes and otherwise works from home. Light fits her best.

Test your choice

Start with your best guess, eat at that maintenance for 2–3 weeks, and track your weekly average weight. Stable weight means you chose well. If your weight falls, move up a level; if it rises, move down. How to track and adjust your calories has the full routine.

See your maintenance at every activity level.

Open the maintenance calculator

Frequently asked questions

What activity level should I choose if I work out but sit all day?
Usually Light or Moderate rather than Very active. An hour of training is a small part of your day, and long hours of sitting pull your total down. If you are unsure between two levels, choose the lower one.
Does walking count as exercise for the activity level?
Regular walking adds up. If you walk a lot every day, for example a long walking commute or a job on your feet, you can move up one level from where your workouts alone would put you.
What if my activity changes from week to week?
Choose the level that matches your typical week over a month, not your best week. If you have distinct phases, such as a training block and a rest period, recalculate for each.
How do I know if I picked the wrong level?
Your scale will tell you. If you eat at your calculated maintenance for 2–3 weeks and your average weight keeps falling, you chose too low. If it rises, you chose too high.

Keep reading

7 TDEE calculator mistakesOverestimating activity is number one.Calculate TDEE by handWhere the activity factor fits in.TDEE calculatorYour number in seconds.

Sources

  1. Mifflin MD, St Jeor ST, Hill LA, Scott BJ, Daugherty SA, Koh YO. A new predictive equation for resting energy expenditure in healthy individuals. Am J Clin Nutr. 1990;51(2):241–247. PubMed 2305711
  2. Hall KD, Sacks G, Chandramohan D, et al. Quantification of the effect of energy imbalance on bodyweight. Lancet. 2011;378(9793):826–837. PubMed 21872751