So confused with FitBit and MFP

DalbozTheLantern

I know this is kind of long and convoluted, but please help!

I recently got a FitBit Zip and synced it to MFP. MFP has been showing that I can eat more because of the activity my FitBit reports to it. For example, last night MFP said I could eat a little over 200 more calories, and my steps were over 11,000. I walked more (my steps were over 12,000) and ate some cereal that was below 200 calories. I recorded this, but did not sync the FitBit again.

When I did sync it the next day, even though I had taken more steps the day before, MFP dropped the calories allotted and showed that I was over. I looked back at other days, and apparently I've been eating over every day because MFP consistently drops the calories I can eat after the day is over because I took MORE steps. I've been eating around 1,500 calories a day and walking a lot and exercising (weightlifting and cardio). I don't understand how that could be too much.

Why on earth does MFP DROP my exercise calories burned the MORE I steps I take??

malibu927

When you sync your Fitbit, MFP looks at what you've burned up to then and estimates what you will burn for the entire day, thus computing your Fitbit adjustment. If you move more than it expects between then and your next sync, you get more calories; if you move less, it takes them away.

WalkingAlong

Do you mean the Fitbit adjustment is less the next day? That happens a lot. It's making estimations of how much you'll burn across the day until midnight, so if you tend to not do much at night, it overestimates often. By midnight, it doesn't have to estimate anymore and adjusts down. Which is no help if you ate the 200 it suggested at 7pm and then didn't look anymore.

One workaround is to use yesterday's adjustment to guide today's eating. Or you can watch it and see around how much it's overestimating by the time you normally check it and ignore that much for eating purposes. If it's usually giving you around 200 more calories by 7pm then is down to 150 the next day, just eat back 3/4 of what it suggests and see if that's more accurate the next day?

Or move more at night. ; )

TimothyFish

It sounds like a timing issue. Some of the stuff that needed to be updated may not have been when you looked at it. I would suggest figuring out how much you've been overeating and leaving yourself that many calories at the end of the day.

DalbozTheLantern

WalkingAlong, okay, that makes sense that it adjusts weirdly the next day if it is a projection of what I can eat and not what I can actually eat. Thanks for giving me a thorough explanation and suggestions!

And thanks to everybody else who responded, too!

elizabethmetge

I am having trouble getting MFP to sync with Fitbit. My phone syncs my fitbit every 15min but I have to continue to disconnect MFT from fitbit to see any change. It is driving me crazy!! I am about to quit MFP and log everything only in fitbit

WalkingAlong

Your foods aren't showing up at the Fitbit site or your steps aren't showing up here?

Shoechick5

malibu927 wrote: »

When you sync your Fitbit, MFP looks at what you've burned up to then and estimates what you will burn for the entire day, thus computing your Fitbit adjustment. If you move more than it expects between then and your next sync, you get more calories; if you move less, it takes them away.

^^ ^^ This. Don't eat all MFP gives you from your fitbit. Stick to around 75% and you'll be fine.

Liftng4Lis

This is exactly why most people only eat half of their exercise calories.

KylaDenay

Yes I have been struggling to understand how this fitbit thing works. This is only my second day using mines. I had many many many questions. I synced it with MFP, logged all my food with MFP and even did a 37 minute workout with it off that I added to MFP. It all synced to my fitbit and I didn't understand. The calories left did not match up. I was afraid to eat all of the calories.

This morning I woke up and it took calories away. I am glad I didn't eat them all back, or I would have been over. Now both MFP and Fitbit have me at 130 calories left for the day yesterday and I feel better. I think it will take a week or so for you to get used to your averages and what not.

StaciMarie1974

(This is my theory - don't have proof of the programming.)

MFP assumes you will burn a steady rate of calories. Based on your stats and activity level setting. If MPF thinks you'll burn 2400 in a day, it assumes 100/hr. But in reality we have some hours that we just use more and some we use less. So if you're checking in to MFP at 6pm, it doesn't know you're going to sit around from 6-9, and sleep from 9-12. It doesn't know your most active hours were earlier in the day.

How to get around this? Think ahead. What's your BMR? Look it up. Divide by 24. This is the base # of calories you will burn per hour. When you look at your Fitbit burn, mentally calculate how many calories you'll be at come midnight. So if your BMR is 60/hr and its 6pm and you've burned 2000 then you'll burn another 60x6 or 360. +2000 = 2360. Based on your planned calorie deficit, you should then know where you want your final calorie burn to be.

jkal1979

There is a MFP group for FitBit users that has a lot of good information on how the two work together, and is a great place if you are looking to add friends to your FitBit leaderboard.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users