Got my Fitbit charge HR.. Now what?

JenniferInCt

hey guys! So last night i came home from work like a kid on Christmas! I was super excited to see my Fitbit waiting for me. This is my first Fitbit ever so im just learning. Excuse me for not having a clue!
Should i link it with MFP? Ive heard some people complaing about how it changed there goals and they unlinked it. I feel like im doing really good right now with mfp and im scared to mess it up. But i realize it should be more accurate when using my fitbit vs my health app on iphone.
Also, please give me any tips/advice that you wish you knew when you first started using your fitbit. I dont even know what setting to use!
Thanks everyone! Love the support here

janiceclark08

I don' t have a fitbit but I think their is a whole group for fitbit users, I would go join that. I dont have any idea on using it, I hope that helps.

JenniferInCt

Thank you! I didnt even think yet to look for a group. I appreciate you responding anyways!

MommysLittleMeatball

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

Read the announcements and posts - your questions will be answered. Enjoy! I love mine.

Go Niners!

Katiebear_81

I have the CHR too. I live and die by that thing! One thing I felt is useful is that I only log my food on mfp (it syncs over to fitbit) - the fitbit does the rest.

StaciMarie1974

You can link it - but it can be a little confusing at first. In my opinion, its Fitbit's fault for the way they display info on their phone app & MFP for assuming we burn at the same rate all day.

When you link/sync and have food entered at MFP the Fitbit app is going to mention calories in two ways. The order may vary because you can alter what is shown on the app and in what order.

One:
599 in/ 925 out
You are under budget
What this means is as of this minute I've logged 599 and have burned 925. I'm aiming for maintenance so Fitbit is telling me that as of this minute I need to eat more. But I'm not worried about this minute. I know I'm going to eat & burn more, and I'm concerned with where I end up.

Two:
866 calories left
I have my settings (thru Fitbit) to sedentary. So Fitbit doesn't assume I'm going to move more. This tells me that if I didn't do anything else today, and I've already eaten 599, that Fitbit expects me to end the day at 599 + 866 burned. I know I'm going to move more, but this clues me in to where I'll end up if I didn't. The next time I sync my Fitbit, it will update this detail based on the new activity added.

MFP can also be a little confusing because MFP thinks you will burn X in 24 hours, and seems to think you'll burn X/24 each hour. Normally you'll reach a point where you are done with major activity for the day, and so your last few hours are less active. A lot of people get frustrated because MFP says "you have zzz calories left" and then come morning, when they look back at the prior day, its less. Its because MFP is projecting. If you pay more attention to #Two above on the Fitbit app, you won't need to worry about this.