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My daily calorie estimate setting

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LadyLilion
LadyLilion Posts: 276 Member
in Social Groups
Here on MFP I have myself set as "sedentary" and my calories max is set at 1900, per my dietician. I was just looking at my Fitbit setting and see that on the "daily calorie estimate" you can have it "personalized" which it says means "Uses your past activity history to estimate your calorie burn for the day and increases or decreases if you're more or less active than usual." or you can have it set at "sedentary" which means "Starts out low and lets you earn calories as you are active throughout the day. Note: with this setting you can start the day with a very low calorie estimate."

For purposes of the exercise calories, which is all I really look at fitbit for, does it matter what that setting is? Or is it just for the fitbit food plan?


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  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    That is indeed merely for Fitbit to estimate the daily calorie burn to give you your eating goal.

    Just like MFP does.

    It has no bearing on MFP math for the adjustment calories found under exercise (which isn't just exercise calories).

    Except Fitbit keeps adjusting as the hours go by, same as MFP does after it receives Fitbit data when syncing correctly.

    But if you have MFP hard set to 1900 - then syncing is going to throw that off - you probably don't want to sync.

  • LadyLilion
    LadyLilion Posts: 276 Member
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    Thank you. I don't understand why my calorie goal set at 1900 on MFP will throw off my calories burned? Can you explain that - to someone mathematically challenged? :)
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    It doesn't throw off your calories burned, or estimated calories burned.

    MFP estimated what your daily burn will be based on BMR and your selection of activity level. Say that is 2240.
    Eating level is then based on that figure minus 250, 500, ect.
    Say 2240 - 500 = 1740.

    You merely put in your own eating goal 1900 - doesn't change MFP's daily burn estimate.

    Fitbit then reports you burned 2500 according to it.

    Fitbit 2500 - 2240 MFP = 260 cal adjustment.

    base eating goal 1900 (would have been 1740) + 260 = 2160 new eating goal (would have been 2000, keeping 500 deficit).

    That's why you need to not sync if dietician already has an eating goal based on your expected level of activity and exercise. And you need to keep them up if that changes.
  • LadyLilion
    LadyLilion Posts: 276 Member
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    Thanks! I'll talk this over with my dietician.

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