Question for Fitbit Users

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  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,754 Member
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    bvifun wrote: »
    My Charge HR arrived last night. Now the learning curve starts. I'm ready to rip it off my wrist and I have only been wearing it overnight but i am not used to wearing a watch at home. iT is a lovely purple color. :wink:

    Congrats, it will become your best friend in weight loss.

    I don't sleep with mine on, I did that for about a week to see my patterns, but then I stopped as the battery ran out when I needed it to track activity in the day. My night time activity I really couldn't care less about.

    I wear mine with the display inside my wrist, it rests on the veins there, it is just more comfortable that way and I have not had "the inch above the wrist, move it higher when exercising issue" or the "too loose, tighten it up" issue that some have reported in the Fitbit forums. I put it above the wrist bone and forget it. It is not overly tight there and I get my whole days records without any issues.

    Oh and I haven't worn a watch in decades, I was always in front of a computer or had a cell phone handy so no need, I have even gotten used to typing with it on. Remember it can take an occasional splash but is not water proof, no showering or washing dishes, car, etc with it on. It is so comfortable I have almost stuck it in the sink when washing dishes because I just forget it is even there.


  • bvifun
    bvifun Posts: 402 Member
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    I am loving my fitbit so thank you to all of you who encouraged me to get one. Not just for jocks!
    I'm wondering why the numbers of calories remaining do not match between fitbit and MFP. I realize during the day that calories used are calculated differently but if I go back the next day they still do not match. I thought the fitbit adjustment was the difference.
    Also, I do not get negative calories. Is that maybe because I am on only 1200 calories per day right now?
    I have not been able to find these answers elsewhere.
    Wanda
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,754 Member
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    Does this help (from Heybales FAQ in the Fitbit group)
    **********************************************************
    Why doesn't my MFP Exercise Diary - Fitbit calorie adjustment equal my workout calorie burn?
    Because that MFP figure is not exercise.
    That figure is the difference between Fitbit's total daily burn which includes your exercise, and what MFP thought you'd burn with no exercise.
    Any difference includes exercise and daily activities. You could have no exercise and big positive adjustment from being very active. You could have big exercise and no positive adjustment from being very inactive that day outside of exercise.
    You can see this fact by clicking on the "i" for more info on that Fitbit calorie adjustment line.

    You should enable Negative Calorie adjustment too for sick or lazy days.
    MFP - Settings - Diary Settings - Calorie Adjustments - Enable Negative Adjustments.

    The reason it's put under exercise is so MFP correctly increases your eating goal, so the same deficit is maintained. You do more, you eat more, same deficit. MFP is merely correcting it's estimate of daily burn, which is based on your selection of activity level, and if you selected wrong, you get big adjustments, and then deficit is taken.

    *************************************************************

    I just let Fitbit track my step based activities, if I do strength training etc. I will log it in Fitbit not MFP. MFP is strictly for the food side of things for me. I have negative calories enabled, you see your available calories going up throughout the day that way, to me it is very motivating to move it, move it.

    Those adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn (which is TDEE, aka your maintenance calories) and your MFP activity level. If (and only if) you enable negative calorie adjustments, eating your adjustments means you're eating TDEE minus deficit: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    The goal is to eat as much as possible while still losing the weight. I usually try to leave a few behind for any errors in logging anything, exercise or food. But not many, as the deficit is already figured into the maths between the two apps. I have seen the amount of food I can eat in a day increase, I was a 1200 cals person too, hated it, this has changed all that for me. Some days I get 1800 when I do long walks and classes, some light/rest days I get atleast 1300 or more. Way easier to stick to your "diet" that way.

    My reports are showing me at .91 lbs lost per week since I started using the Fitbit and eating more. I can totally live with that, it was slightly over 1 lb per week till I had to drop an exercise class and cut back to 10K per day average, I was doing 12K I also had a few personal celebrations events before the slight drop in average loss. Again, I am fine with this rate as I am within 15 lbs of my goal weight and normally, I would be in the middle of a big old stall in my losing. At my current weight I should change my goal to .5 lbs per week. But I really want to do as close to 1as I can for as long as I can, and still eat a lot of course >:)
  • DreamOn145
    DreamOn145 Posts: 468 Member
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    There is a setting that I am wondering about in diary settings and I was wondering if any of you fitbit wearers use it. It has to do with negative calorie adjustments and I do not completely understand how this would effect the recording. Do any of you do this?

    Change Handling of Partner Adjustments
    If you have linked your MyFitnessPal account to a device or app that measures your total calorie burn (Fitbit, Bodymedia, etc.), check this box to allow negative calorie adjustments from that partner to appear on your exercise diary. Otherwise, only positive adjustments will be allowed.
    Changes to this setting will be in effect only for adjustments received from that point on (past adjustments will not be restated).

    A negative adjustment means that your projected calorie burn for the day from the partner is below MyFitnessPal's initial estimate. If you are unable to sync your tracking device until late in the day, or if you don't consistently use your tracking device, you may prefer not to enable negative adjustments.
  • grandmothercharlie
    grandmothercharlie Posts: 1,361 Member
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    I use the negative settings as I like to know that my burn is accurate. I adjust my eating with my fitbit calorie burn, not MFP. So, if I have a lazy day but have a good workout, I still could end up with negative adjustment. The major thing that fitbit proves is that the most important thing is to keep moving. 30-60 minutes of exercise being your only movement helps, but not enough for good calorie burn!
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,754 Member
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    If you have negative adjustments checked, your goal will change throughout the day based on the fitbit data vs. the MFP TDEE that it works off of, I prefer the negative adjustments in case I had a lazy day. If I am particularly active, I like to have a few extra calories to fuel that activity. And I am being more successful on more calories this way.

    If you prefer to just have a calorie amount you want to eat, day in day out than do not set it to negative.

    Remember if you eat at a low calorie amount, 1200 or so, your metabolism will adjust to that and slow down, so you have to eat that way always. I like good food and wine too much to live that way any longer. Life is too short to subsist on 1200 total calories, NET is ok but total nope not for this gal. YMMV
  • grandmothercharlie
    grandmothercharlie Posts: 1,361 Member
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    I agree with Joelle. Unfortunately, I have done 1200 mostly for 500 days. I don't do well when I eat more, but, at my height and weight goal, 1200 will be about it anyway when I get to goal, so I guess I will be used to it.
  • DreamOn145
    DreamOn145 Posts: 468 Member
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    Very interesting! I have never tried the negative adjustment, but my curiosity is now aroused. I am going to try it and see how it goes.
  • grandmothercharlie
    grandmothercharlie Posts: 1,361 Member
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    If you continuously have a negative adjustment, you have your activity level set too high. You can then lower that for a more realistic projection.
  • sharondtd
    sharondtd Posts: 549 Member
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    My Charge HR exercise calories numbers coincide almost exactly with my Shealth app numbers if I am able to carry my phone around and I'm feeling well. They also coincide on burn reported with a reliable treadmill.
    I get a kick out of seeing the negative adjustment after doing weight training or floor exercise, because I'm not earning steps and my heart rate doesn't go up much. Once I've completed my 5 miles of steps for the day, my burn coincides fairly closely to the Fitbit burn.
    Per doctor's instructions, I do not eat back exercise calories. Once I reach goal weight, I think I will leave the settings on Fitbit and MFP at sedentary, and eat back the calories. My BMR at goal weight will be just over 1200 calories. I'll use these cool electronic tools to find out what my tdee is and eat healthily accordingly, with occasional treats once I've met this ol body's nutritional needs for health.
  • CrisEBTrue
    CrisEBTrue Posts: 454 Member
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    I finally got my Fitbit to sync with my phone. woo.

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  • grandmothercharlie
    grandmothercharlie Posts: 1,361 Member
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    Sounds like a good maintenance plan, Sharon. I think I will eat about the same, with a treat on e a week.
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,754 Member
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    Crisbtrue wrote: »
    I finally got my Fitbit to sync with my phone. woo.

    Ah happy you got it sorted out Cris.