How to calculate calories burned correctly.
 

I have a dailyplate account as well, and when asked what my activity level is like, I really don't know how to answer it properly. I plan on starting to exercise by roller blading or walking 4-5 days a week, starting off with one mile per day. I'm a nurse at a hospital, so I am rarely ever sitting on my butt...I'm always on my feet moving around. When I'm at home, though, the most activity I get is either chasing my dog around or cleaning.

What should I classify this as? Lightly active? Moderately active?

Thanks!

I'd personally say moderate. IMO it's always best to error on the low side for calories burned and on the high side for calories consumed. If you do this you won't have to worry as much in going over your daily calories due to calculation errors. It's a built in buffer of sorts.

It depends on how much of your activity you want to record. If you just want to record when you work out (rollerblading, whatever) then you put your activity level outside of that. I would put lightly active to be safe, then add whatever workouts you do in the fitness section.

I set myself at Sedentary in TDP, even though I'm what I would really describe as Lightly Active. I then enter my calories burned from my HRM instead of using the exercise calculators. Like benchmarkman, I wanted to err on the side of caution.

I should edit my first post. I actually meant to say the low level, Lightly active

I would say moderately active since you are a nurse and on your feet a lot. Then I would track the rollerblading seperately. I would try that for a few weeks and then you can always adjust it if you are not losing weight.

I normally put sedentary :o

I totally gave up on charts and guessing and got a go wear fit. I burn a lot more than I thought doing somethings, and a lot less doing others. I put in Lightly active and then log workouts and when I clean for over half an hour, etc.

I put my setting on moderately active and don't log exercise calories (which seems like a lot of trouble and because many machines and websites are wildly inaccurate). My work in lightly active and I work out 6-7 days a week.