Fitbit almost doubling my calorie intake

Jabbarwocky
Jabbarwocky Posts: 100 Member
I know this has probably been brought up before but I'm trying to figure out what's going on with my Fitbit Charge 2. At the end of the night last night, it told me that I was getting almost 1800 calories from exercise. This is almost double what my normal, no exercise allowance is. I tried going by what it said for almost a week and put on almost 5 pounds, presumably because I was overeating based on what Fitbit was saying.

The question I have is why? Why is it giving me so many calories? Am I supposed to enter my exercise into MFP like I have been? Am I not supposed to? I know somewhere between the MFP app and Fitbit app I'm doing something wrong but cant figure out what it is. For the moment, I'm just deleting the Fitbit adjustment at the end of the day but any advice on how to get a more normal reading would be greatly appreciated.

Oh, forgot to mention that I've only been using the Fitbit for a few weeks now so not terribly experienced with using them but above average on computer literate.

Replies

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    You need to read the FAQ in the stickies for one thing to understand how it works. Experience won't help with understanding what is going on, you'll merely see different amounts and that won't help.

    You likely have MFP set to non-exercise daily activity level of Sedentary - and your Fitbit is telling MFP by it's calorie count, and MFP is correcting the fact that you are no where near Sedentary - hence the large calorie adjustment.

    It's not just or maybe even exercise adjustment though - that's just where it happens to be put for the correct math to be done.

    You could have no exercise and huge adjustment - just means that whatever you selected on MFP is wrong activity level for reality.

    So if you normally get a 900 cal adjustment on non-exercise days, you are not the activity level you selected.
    If you can plan your day well because that's about what it's always been - then the large adjustment doesn't matter.
    If you need a closer to reality figure to start the day with to plan better - then increase your MFP Activity level by a lot.

    And on the 1800 adjustment, you had normal day and lots of exercise it sounds like.

    But - the device is still learning you - namely what is your resting HR, to decide when it should use HR-based calorie burn.
    It may be using that on average daily things when step-based should be used - and that results in inflated calorie burn until it figures it out. And if you have lots of steps and are active - it probably is using HR-based a lot when it shouldn't.

    It may also be using HR-based on workouts that are incorrect to use it on - like if lots of lifting, or intervals - wrong use of HR-based calorie burn - inflated is result.
    Intervals with steps best done with step-based calorie burn. Manually enter that workout on Fitbit, giving distance done for time, let it estimate calories per formula.
    If lifting - log it as Weights - it's small burn, but that's true.

    Could also be it's seeing a lot of extra steps that aren't true. Normally bogus ones also get minimal calorie burn, so it doesn't matter in a day.
    Could also be you are active and lots of steps - but your walking stride length is inflated, meaning inflated daily calorie burn.

    So while there could be some improvements and corrections to make the data more reliable, it could also be that you are merely lots more active than you told MFP you are - and what you see is indeed the correct result of that.
  • Jabbarwocky
    Jabbarwocky Posts: 100 Member
    I currently have MFP set at sedentary but when the weight gain started, I had adjusted it up to light active. I have a desk job but work in a prison so end up doing a lot of walking from office to office sometimes. During the time MFP was adjusted up to light active it was still giving me what I would consider to be a seriously over blown amount of calories although I cant remember now exactly how many.
  • Jabbarwocky
    Jabbarwocky Posts: 100 Member
    And I have read, at least in part, the stickies. A lot of it just doesn't make any sense to me.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    The higher activity level doesn't change the eating goal, only the adjustment and your ability to pre-plan.

    You weigh all the food you eat? Calories is per gram, not spoons or cups.

    Say with Sedentary MFP thought you'd burn 2000 daily. 500 cal deficit means 1500 eating goal if your day exactly matched that.
    Fitbit reports you burned 2500 which includes whatever, daily activity and/or exercise.

    Fitbit 2500 - 2000 MFP = 500 cal adjustment.

    Eating goal 1500 + 500 adjustment = 2000 eating goal

    500 cal deficit still.

    or.....

    Say Lightly Active MFP says daily burn 2240, less 500 deficit means 1740 initial eating goal.

    Fitbit says you burned 2500.

    Fitbit 2500 - 2240 MFP = 260 adjustment

    Eating goal 1740 + 260 adjustment = 2000 eating goal.

    500 cal deficit still.

    Nothing changes between those. Except you planning on eating 1740 and making up less of an adjustment.


    ALL MFP is doing is correcting itself for estimated daily burn by using the info from a better estimate (Fitbit) - that's all.

    Then adjusting the eating level exactly as it would have if it had the better estimate in the first place.

    Stick with the 1st section in the FAQ for how to use it. If you don't enjoy math and deep details how something works - skip the 2nd section.

    So what you think is a reason for the effect - is not at all.
  • Jabbarwocky
    Jabbarwocky Posts: 100 Member
    Question about tracking exercise with the fitbit. When should I use the button on the side to start a workout? I'm currently using this to track time on the elliptical, walking, and weight training, but from what I've been reading should I only use this for the elliptical? Along with this, I've been logging my exercises in MFP. Could this be what's causing MFP to give me too high of an intake?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    You've been told wrong.

    It merely starts an Activity Record and allows you to give it a name - so you can review your workouts later.

    The HR-based devices slip into HR-calorie burn if HR goes up high enough automatically, and may eventually start a record anyway automatically.

    As the FAQ mentions, weight lifting if several long sessions weekly should be manually logged later, as HR-based calorie burn will be inflated.
  • handyandy9x
    handyandy9x Posts: 93 Member
    Don't log in MFP if you are logging activity on Fitbit as you will be double dipping the calories burnt. Let Fitbit do all the exercise logging.
  • Jabbarwocky
    Jabbarwocky Posts: 100 Member
    Not long weight lifting sessions. Right now about 15 to 20 minutes. That will hopefully change later but for now, its about all I can manage. So then I should quit logging exercise in MFP then?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Contrary to comment above - you do NOT double dip.

    What you log on MFP goes over and replaces what is on Fitbit. That's why you say start and duration time.

    So it's really wasted effort as the FAQ says. Log any that are needed to be on Fitbit.
    Make a wall post on MFP about your workout to share it.

    Now - if you are getting the time wrong, if the time zones don't match up - you could be leaving some of the exercise burn on Fitbit and adding the MFP to different time range. That would double things up.

    Merely look at your Fitbit daily calorie burn graph and confirm no times are showing a big workout where there was none.
    Or look at the listed workouts and confirm no Workout records show different time starts.
  • Jabbarwocky
    Jabbarwocky Posts: 100 Member
    Sorry, been working overtime and then sick so haven't been on here in a bit. If there is no need to log exercise, other than non-heart rate related, on MFP then I will stop doing it. It could very well be that my times aren't quite right and to be honest, I have NO idea if the time zones are correct which could well mean I've been getting double calories because of that. For now, I'm just fighting to get the Fitbit to sync with MFP again. I've tried all of the listed tips and nothing seems to work. Granted, haven't tried in a few days so will try again when I get home from work. Thanks!
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    There seems to be major issue right now for getting the Fitbit daily burn figure for MFP to do math with.

    Not sure if that is Fitbit not sending it, or MFP having trouble receiving it.

    I never had sync issues, probably because I never used the apps.
    But mine has stopped recently even after doing all needed steps.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
    heybales wrote: »
    Contrary to comment above - you do NOT double dip.

    What you log on MFP goes over and replaces what is on Fitbit. That's why you say start and duration time.

    So it's really wasted effort as the FAQ says. Log any that are needed to be on Fitbit.
    Make a wall post on MFP about your workout to share it.

    Now - if you are getting the time wrong, if the time zones don't match up - you could be leaving some of the exercise burn on Fitbit and adding the MFP to different time range. That would double things up.

    Merely look at your Fitbit daily calorie burn graph and confirm no times are showing a big workout where there was none.
    Or look at the listed workouts and confirm no Workout records show different time starts.

    No, MFP doesn't ask you for a beginning or end time for your workouts.

    Log all your workouts on Fitbit and don't log any on MFP.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    If you have accounts synced, MFP will ask for exactly what I stated when you log a workout - a start and duration time.

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    And as I stated - wasted effort - log on Fitbit if actually required to.

    It's still incorrect to manually log all workouts on Fitbit - because you don't need to for anything it'll be good at measuring, and wherever you are getting the calories for your manual logging may not be as accurate.

    In those cases just allow Fitbit to keep it's estimate.

    If you want to see the stats for the block of time for a workout - then you create an Activity Record with start/end times, name it something meaningful for review, and then you'll see the stats for the workout.