Activity Level is used to estimate your calorie needs when creating a weight plan.
Your maintenance calorie needs are estimated using your age, height, current and target weight, along with a Physical Activity Level (PAL) multiplier that reflects your usual activity. Choosing a higher activity level significantly increases the result, as the PAL coefficient ranges from 1.0 (Sedentary) to 1.45 (Very Active).
To avoid double-counting calories burned during workouts, select “Sedentary” as your Activity Level if you plan to log exercise separately.
The Physical Activity Level setting is located in the Personal Info section. You can access it from the 'Me' section in the mobile app, via the '<' icon (left-side menu) on the iPad app, or through the 'Plan' > 'Weight & Calories' page on the web.
Available Activity Levels
Sedentary
A person with this level of activity performs routine daily tasks such as shopping, cooking, doing laundry, and walking short distances (e.g., to and from a car, bus, or train), but spends most of the day sitting. Example occupations: office workers, phone-based roles, computer programmers.
Low Active
Includes all sedentary activities, plus 30–60 minutes of moderate daily activity (e.g., walking about 2 miles at 3–4 mph). Example occupations: school teachers, cashiers, retail workers, and stay-at-home parents caring for active children.
Active
Includes all sedentary activities, plus 60–120 minutes of moderate activity each day (e.g., walking more than 7 miles daily). Example occupations: restaurant servers, light construction workers, cleaning staff, and nurses.
Very Active
Includes all sedentary activities, plus at least 60 minutes of moderate activity and 60 minutes of vigorous activity daily — or 120 minutes or more of moderate activity alone. Example occupations: lumberjacks, heavy construction workers, and professional athletes during training or competitive seasons.
Physical Activity Level can be roughly estimated using a pedometer or step counter.
- Sedentary: fewer than 7,500 steps per day
- Low Active: under 10,000 steps per day
- Active: under 12,500 steps per day