How active am I?

[Moaningturtle1]

I never know how to answer the activity level when calculating my calories. I was hoping to get some objective opinions!

I work 3 x 10 hour night shifts in a care home. I am on my feet doing care and cleaning for about 7 of those hours.

I walk 12000 steps 4 or 5 days a week

I am pretty lazy on my days off though, I try and rest to recover from nights, so weekends are pretty sedentary. I don’t do any formal exercise, no workouts or strength exercises.

I’m 5’ 7.5” and 11st 9lb and my Fitbit tells me yesterday (a working day) I burnt 2600 calories but I take it with a pinch of salt and don’t calculate it into my daily calorie intake. I’m aiming for 1500 a day with a bit extra for weekends. Hoping to lose a stone by the summer hols.

Hopeful bump

Hi OP, the best advice I've seen repeatedly is don't try to count your exercise calories burned. There's no truly accurate way to make the calculation and if you over estimate and then 'eat your calories' you won't end up losing as much weight as you'd like and will find the whole thing demotivating and frustrating.

You'll be far better counting your calorie intake which you CAN do accurately.

(Trust me I've tried!)

as a retired nurse this is what i have learned. with our constant walking (halls nightshift answering bells), the muscle group used becomes very efficient and doesn't use many calories. the night shift affects your hormones again making weight loss, the muscles use of fat to burn energy near impossible. next comes heart rate, all of that motion doesn't raise your heart rate and maintain the elevated heart rate long enough.
so despite all that you do, you need to count that as sedentary.

I don’t eat my exercise calories, I have stuck to 1500 or less every day regardless of what my Fitbit says!

I don’t feel like I’m sedentary, I understand what @fallfallfall is saying about my muscle groups being effective but I walk for 2 hours a day outside of work (that’s the 12000 steps) 4 x a week with about an hour of raised heart rate over 115bpm. I can’t count my work steps because I can’t wear a Fitbit due to infection control, I do work up a sweat though. I’d like to start doing some weights at home but no idea where to start.

My job is definitely why I’ve put on weight, a stone in the 2 years I’ve been working nights. It’s hard to restrict calories on shift when you’re basically eating for energy and to stop feeling sick at 4am. This week I’ve saved 300 calories for work and eaten hummus and veggies.

Its been a week so I’m going to weigh myself in a minute when the kids have cleared off out of the bathroom!

2lb loss this week

Well done OP. Have you considered a clip for your Fitbit to attach to your bra if you want to keep it on through your shift?

There are some really supportive ongoing weight loss threads if you want to join one. I'm not on one at the moment so can't suggest a specific bit got tons of help and moral support last year.

What I have found is that walking the steps is one thing, but walking them in a way where your heart rate is faster and you get sweaty is the key.

I don’t go to a gym but I go out on 3 walks a day walking at a fast pace. There is a whole theory around the ideal heart rate for burning calories and walking at a normal pace will add to your overall TDEE but if you raise your heart rate over 90, you will burn more. Don’t count them from a Fitbit though in terms of calories and don’t eat them back. I would say you are moderately active?

I have myself down as lightly active as I have an office job . Moderately active is walking between 1.5-3 miles a day at 3-4mph and having an active job