Fitbit Making Me Fat?

JessaLee0324

Before I purchased my Fitbit charge, I was under the impression that I couldn't eat more then maybe 1850 calories a day or I'd gain weight.

Fast forward a couple months and all I'm doing is gaining. Fitbit tells me I burn about 2030 calories a day!!! So instead of eating less I eat more. 2030 calories a day is a decent amount and I STILL eat too much!!!!

It's like seeing it makes it OK. (( This sucks!!

marcolbmp

I have only read about fit bit, but it appears that it may only be good for counting steps. I wouldn't put my faith in the caloric burn aspect. Even with a heart rate monitor with chest strap, I would factor in a 20% fudge factor. Check out Scoobys Workshop dot com and go to the fitness tools on the right to find your true caloric needs. Just my 2 cents though.

zyxst

So don't eat the 2030 calories Fitbit tells you? I'm guessing the Charge works much like the rest of Fitbit's products and gives you a ballpark figure of your TDEE based on the numbers you input on the website. If you want, take a percentage off the 2030 (like 10%) and eat that amount for a few weeks to see if you start losing weight. Or go with what MFP says to eat for weight loss.

runner475

JessaLee0324 wrote: »

Before I purchased my Fitbit charge, I was under the impression that I couldn't eat more then maybe 1850 calories a day or I'd gain weight.

Fast forward a couple months and all I'm doing is gaining. Fitbit tells me I burn about 2030 calories a day!!! So instead of eating less I eat more. 2030 calories a day is a decent amount and I STILL eat too much!!!!

It's like seeing it makes it OK. (( This sucks!!

OP, I don't know what exercise you do and neither do I know anything about FitBit but here is a small incident that may help you realize of what just might be going on.

I sometimes run with my one friend. I have higher end GPS watch that tracks the miles I run - accurate.
My friend who is not a runner joins me on short runs and one time she clipped her fitbit to her bra.

At the end of the run my GPS gave the data saying it was 3.5 Miles run. Ours was supposed to be a 3.5 Mile run.

Her FitBit displayed she ran/walked/covered (I don't know exact term - Like I said I don't know much about Fitbit) 4.2 Miles.

Hope you are able to find some answer to your puzzle.

twinkles2121

When I had my flex, I found I had to delete my fitbit calorie adjustment. I immediately stalled out on my weight loss when I started allowing fitbit to control my calories. Marc is right, use it as an activity tracker and not a calorie counter.

rjrobert

Just remember that a fitbit has no understanding about your true stride length, turn over rate or metabolic fitness. It is basically a high tech pedometer that try's to take some guesses. I wouldn't use it as a testament to all things health. That said, I am addicted to mine and except for recharging it once a week it's never off of my wrist. I literally don't go to bed until it says 10,000.

DawnieB1977

I ignore my Fitbit when it tells me I haven't eaten enough. Mine's just a Zip so it's not a HRM. Anyway, don't forget you need to subtract 500 calories a day from what you burn to get your 3500 calorie deficit for 1lb a week loss, so eat 1500 a day. 2030 is what, in theory, you need to eat to maintain.

ShannonMpls

From looking at your diary, it doesn't look like you use a food scale. If not, it's likely you are eating more calories than you think.

(also, sidenote: totally giggled at your Sunday Feb 15 entries. that's my kinda day!!)

redheaddee

If you burn 2030 a day and eat 2030 a day = maintain your current weight. To lose weight, eat less than you burn. Seems straightforward enough.

totaldetermination

Unfortunately any method you use to determine your daily calories burned is going to be an estimate. You just have to try to estimate as accurately as possible. The benefit of a Fitbit (compared to other methods) is that it considers each day's activities in determining it's estimate. Clearly, though, it's estimate is a little too high for you.

You could enter into MFP that you want to lose 1/2 pound per week. This will set your daily calorie target to be 250 cals less than what your fitbit says. Perhaps this will give you a more accurate daily estimate whilst still allowing it to be flexible depending on how active you were. ie you wont actually lose any weight - it will just reduce Fitbit's estimate to make it more accurate.

To lose weight you need to reduce your calories even more. Want to lose 1/2 pound a week ? then tell MFP that you want to lose 1 pound per week. The first 1/2 pound will just be to make the fitbit estimate more accurate. The other 1/2 pound will give you a 250 cal daily deficit so that you lose weight.

sodakat

You can easily set your stride length with Fitbit. The default on mine when I bought it was for someone 6' tall. I'm 5'2" so the distance I was covering was way off, until I adjusted the stride length and other personal info.

I've found Fitbit to be very accurate as long as I log meticulously. I tested it for several months last summer and every week it was spot on to the amount of weight I lost.

But, when I drive school bus it gives me 4,000 unearned "steps" that I have to manually remove.

Zx14chick

I try to stay at least 200-300 calories lower than my estimate for each day and I have been losing weight. And while it seems to be working for me, it isn't unreasonable to think that it could be overestimating YOUR calorie burn. I would take the suggestions of scaling back a percentage.

DawnieB1977

Zx14chick wrote: »

I try to stay at least 200-300 calories lower than my estimate for each day and I have been losing weight. And while it seems to be working for me, it isn't unreasonable to think that it could be overestimating YOUR calorie burn. I would take the suggestions of scaling back a percentage.

It's not overestimating, it's giving her her TDEE. So yes she needs to eat fewer calories to lose.

Zx14chick

I also checked out your diary and I am unsure whether you are allowing Fitbit to upload for the earned exercise calories, but I see that you are either running really close or over your calorie goal each day. I don't intend at all to sound mean, but am trying to be helpful. You must eat at a calorie deficit in order to lose weight so you will want to get lower. You are welcome to check out my diary if you are interested. I often (like just a few minutes ago!) fit in the foods I want to eat in my calorie goal so I don't feel deprived and end up eating an entire bag of chips (man I love chips!).

pplastics

Like others have posted, you do not eat the full calorie amount the fitbit gives you if you want to lose weight. You would need to reduce that number by 500 calories per day to lose one pound per week. You can use MFP to give you a daily calorie goal, based on your current weight and weekly goals, or you can go here to calculate one.

If you are still hungry at the end of the day, you might want to try incorporating more lean proteins, fruits and veggies into your diet. It has meant success for me. I could not do this eating smaller, high calorie meals and snacks(I noticed that from your diary). Instead, I eat around six-seven times a day, and usually have some calories left at the end of the day for a treat.

Iron_Feline

I take it you have altered the setting in your fitbit as a weightloss goal?

Also if you are not weighing your food your probably eating more than you think.

Iron_Feline

Yeah. Less spoons and cups and get out the scales.

simplydelish2

I HAD a fitbit flex - the worst thing I ever spent a $100 on. Tracking steps - only if you swing your arms; mileage - not even close; sleep - what a waste. My advice - toss the Fitbit and go back to your prior eating plan.

TheVirgoddess

redheaddee wrote: »

If you burn 2030 a day and eat 2030 a day = maintain your current weight. To lose weight, eat less than you burn. Seems straightforward enough.

Yeah, this.

If it's messing with you mentally, stop using it.

ILoveGingerNut

sounds like you are underestimating the calories of what you eat. weight your food.

_Zardoz_

No one's mentioned it but are you logging your food accurately? Are you weighing all solids measuring liquids and using accurate entries off the database? It;s very easy for this to slip and would always be my first call. Looking at your diary I can see numerous inaccuracies. Generic entries of other people recipes. (How do you know that someone else's recipe for Macaroni cheese is the same as yours). 1 banana? How big is the banana my average banana is around 150g so at least 50 calories more than your generic banana entry. Get your logging sorted because your eating far more than you think then if your still not losing adjust your fitbit estimates. This thread will help and good luck

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1234699-logging-accurately-step-by-step-guide

shellma00

2030 is your daily burn.. if you want to lose weight you need to eat less than that.. 2030 would be your maintenance calories. -500 would have you losing 1 lbs a week. -750 would be 1.5 lbs a week..

didnt you post about your fitbit on another thread and I explained that you have to set your goals on your fitbit dashboard so that you are eating at a deficit and not eating at maintenance??

earlnabby

I ignore anything my Fitbit says as far as TDEE calories. I follow MFP's NEAT recommendations and eat back about 2/3 of my earned calories from my Fitbit. The only exercise I log anywhere is my lap swimming and water aerobics, and I only log them into MFP. I then eat back about 1/3 of those calories unless I am hungry, then it might be 1/2 or a little more.

As far as the mileage thing, that is determined by how you set up your stride length. I calculated mine by using a GPS and walking a mile. I synced my fitbit before taking the first step, then again after the mile and figured out my average step length based on how many steps I took in that mile. I have tested the numbers on a track using how many steps to go 100 meters also.

fitnessbugg

I read this post entirely different than all of the people who replied. I don't think the OP is saying she wants to lose weight. I think she's trying to maintain and upped her calories because the FitBit said she could but now she's having a hard time keeping to the upped calories and thus gaining weight. Now, I could be totally wrong about all that. Anyway, if I was the OP, I would go back to the 1850 a day she was eating if she was maintaining at that weight. Obviously the FitBit is only an estimate or you need to recallibrate.

marcolbmp

@JessaLee0324 If you're trying to lose weight, you need to adjust your calorie goal to closer to 1500/day. That should be your base. If you do cardio, record only 80% of what you actually did (record 30 minutes of running as 24 minutes), if you do strength training, do not record anything.
Eat/drink lots of protein.
Lose the fit bit.

azulvioleta6

[quote="marcolbmp;31359207"}it appears that it may only be good for counting steps. [/quote]

Yes.

TinaGA2015

I use a heart rate monitor and never eat my exercise calories back

JessaLee0324

The Fitbit messes with me. Now I "think" I can eat up to 2030 and maintain or eat less and start losing a little. My diary has been at or over each day because of this and the more I walk the higher my burn is.

I'm thinking I need to get rid of this thing. The only issue is that it does help me get more steps in.

Iron_Feline

JessaLee0324 wrote: »

The Fitbit messes with me. Now I "think" I can eat up to 2030 and maintain or eat less and start losing a little. My diary has been at or over each day because of this and the more I walk the higher my burn is.

I'm thinking I need to get rid of this thing. The only issue is that it does help me get more steps in.

You need to weigh your food = spoons of peanut butter and butter, cups of mac and cheese. That is not accurate,

You're eating more than you think.

Alatariel75

My Fitbit was messing with my head a bit when I first got it, so I set my MFP calories to 1200 and eat back up to 1500 (which was my pre-Fitbit calorie goal). I believe it over-estimates my burns so I compensate.

I guess the trick is to just be aware of it and compensate? And agree with the above - weigh solids rather than measure in cups, spoons etc.

yellowlemoned

From what I've heard all of these fitness watches/armbands are basically just overpriced pedometers because everything else ends up inaccurate.