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Adjustment doesn't make sense

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Tracy2162
Tracy2162 Posts: 17 Member
in Social Groups
I burned 701 calories riding my bike 13.5 miles at 16mph for 45 minutes, and I had 8,000 steps, yet my fitbit adjustment was -425? Seriously? This isn't fair. I worked hard for that calorie burn!!!!

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  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Your Fitbit burn is TDEE (aka your maintenance calories). Your default MFP calorie goal is your activity level minus your deficit. Adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn & your MFP activity level.

    If you're getting a -425 adjustment, then you've set your activity level unrealistically high.

    PS. How did you calculate a 701-calorie burn? I log all non-step exercise in Fitbit (never MFP), and it gives me 400 calories for 12 miles in 45 minutes.
  • Tracy2162
    Tracy2162 Posts: 17 Member
    edited March 2015
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    First, MFP says to log all food/exercise on their site, second, My bike has a mileage/calorie/time. I ride very fast between 14-16mph. I went back change my activity level from very active to sedentary and changed how much weight I want to lose a week and now my adjustment is a positive 127 extra calories. Thanks for your help. :-)
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Tracy2162 wrote: »
    My bike has a mileage/calorie/time/mph. Where would I change my activity level?

    Fitbit's burns are way more accurate than exercise equipment.

    Lower your MFP activity level at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
  • MrsNonsense
    MrsNonsense Posts: 55 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I'm confused!
    I've enabled the negative calorie adjustment and now I have one of my past days that's -1000 calories, when it used to say +90. How does this work?
    Also, right no my Fitbit says 403cals left for the day but MFP says 111.
    Edit: it used to say -42 and now it's down to 109 (2 minutes after it showed 111.
    Oh well, calories left are going down slowly, both on Fitbit app and this one. No clue.
    Coooonfused.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Ignore your Fitbit calorie goal & follow MFP's.

    Did you just get a Fitbit? My adjustments got better & better—as if MFP was "learning" my routine. Click on any adjustment to see the math MFP used to calculate it.
  • Tracy2162
    Tracy2162 Posts: 17 Member
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    I have to manually sync my charge. It's supposed to sync every 15-20 minutes when I'm neat my computer but it doesn't so now I manually sync every 2-3 hours. I never had this problem with my Flex. Oh well, I did change my activity level.
  • MrsNonsense
    MrsNonsense Posts: 55 Member
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    editorgrrl wrote: »
    Ignore your Fitbit calorie goal & follow MFP's.

    Did you just get a Fitbit? My adjustments got better & better—as if MFP was "learning" my routine. Click on any adjustment to see the math MFP used to calculate it.

    I bought it two weeks ago.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Your device may sync frequently with your Fitbit account, but Fitbit only sends data over after the daily burn increases by 100 calories, which depending on a Fitbit option you have set, could be about an hour, or more.
  • HotKanye
    HotKanye Posts: 103 Member
    edited March 2015
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    You'll get better adjustments if you set your activity level to "sedentary" so all of your activity counts as bonus exercise. If you have it set to active it's already calculated some of that activity as built in to your original calorie goal. And adding 425 calories through exercise is actually a fair bit!
  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 4,757 Member
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    It might help you understand better if you read the sticky for the group:

    FAQ - Syncing, logging food & exercise, calorie adjustments, activity levels, accuracy
  • kelfran1
    kelfran1 Posts: 1,213 Member
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    MrsNonsense wrote: »
    Edit: it used to say -42 and now it's down to 109 (2 minutes after it showed 111.
    Oh well, calories left are going down slowly, both on Fitbit app and this one. No clue.
    Coooonfused.

    Sorry if this is repeat, but MFP and Fitbit give you your daily calorie goal in 2 different ways. MFP allots all of your calories for the day at 12:00am each night, whereas Fitbit allots calories as the day goes on. Since you burn calories not just by being active, but just by being alive, you will continue to use calories until midnight tonight according to Fitbit. While Fitbit's technique is more realistic, I think it is harder to plan/eat for.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    kelfran1 wrote: »
    MrsNonsense wrote: »
    Edit: it used to say -42 and now it's down to 109 (2 minutes after it showed 111.
    Oh well, calories left are going down slowly, both on Fitbit app and this one. No clue.
    Coooonfused.

    Sorry if this is repeat, but MFP and Fitbit give you your daily calorie goal in 2 different ways. MFP allots all of your calories for the day at 12:00am each night, whereas Fitbit allots calories as the day goes on. Since you burn calories not just by being active, but just by being alive, you will continue to use calories until midnight tonight according to Fitbit. While Fitbit's technique is more realistic, I think it is harder to plan/eat for.

    Actually, Fitbit has 2 options for how daily calories are figured before a sync gives current stats.
    Sedentary and Personalized - under your Food Plan.

    Sedentary is as you describe, eating level based on you not getting out of bed basically. Really easy to start increasing the eating calories, and yeah, tad hard to plan on.
    And since planning is needed for success, well, just gotta work with it.

    Personalized is daily historical average is used, weekday and weekend different. The eating level is based on you reaching what you have normally done - until a sync proves otherwise.

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