Calories and which to use...

ChelleBelle2708
ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
edited November 15 in Social Groups
I've been using MFP for past month. I completed the profile

79kg, goal weight 70kg. Lose 0.2kg per week, sedentary level. Total 1640 calories.

I completed the plan guide for FitBit and I got 2050 calories!

I log my food with MFP and activities via FitBit. I have the Charge HR but I'm majorly confused with calories and to work out how much I'm using and eating etc.

I'm sorry if this sounds simple. An illness I have made things like this a little hard to process. A dumbies guide would be great!
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Replies

  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    Go by the calories that MFP says you can eat. Go ahead and eat the exercise calories that FitBit reports. (Leave a few if you tend to be more sedentary in the evening, as I am.)

    So, if MFP says your daily calorie goal is 1650 and FitBit reports 400 calories of exercise* - then you can eat 2050 calories that day.

    * in this case the exercise that FitBit reports includes not only deliberate exercise but also normal daily activity over and above what MFP expects you to burn.

    Which "tile" on the FitBit dashboard is "giving" you 2050 calories? If it is the one with the little flame in it, then that is your "daily calorie goal" - what you'd like to burn, not what you can eat. If it has a fork and knife, then that is the amount you can eat - but use MFP's instead.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    edited March 2015
    Thank you

    It's the box with knife and fork. It says 1046/2087 eaten.

    Where do I find the exercise tile? - ignore. Just figured out what you meant by Eat your exercise. That's the number on MFP. Allowance - food + exercise = what's left
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    Also FitBit is saying I have 1079 left, where as MFP says 940

    Have I sone something wrong?
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited March 2015
    Also FitBit is saying I have 1079 left, where as MFP says 940

    Have I sone something wrong?

    Fitbit just thinks you might be a little more active till the end of the day than MFP does. Either Fitbit will decrease or MFP will increase before the night is over based on how active you are for the rest of the day.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    ok but my starting calories for the day is also different?
    Also, the calories burnt on FitBit says 1900!! and yet its only 430 in MPF (I've only been walking today, no additional exercise)
  • Robbnva
    Robbnva Posts: 590 Member
    ok but my starting calories for the day is also different?
    Also, the calories burnt on FitBit says 1900!! and yet its only 430 in MPF (I've only been walking today, no additional exercise)

    Those include the calories your body burns during the day, even asleep your body burns calories
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    ok but my starting calories for the day is also different?
    Also, the calories burnt on FitBit says 1900!! and yet its only 430 in MPF (I've only been walking today, no additional exercise)

    FitBit and MFP use different methods for determining how many calories you have left for the day. Plus, there are two different settings in FitBit for how it determines that. They will never agree until the end of the day (midnight), at which point they should be very close to the same if your settings - weight, height, goal rate of weight loss - are the same. That's why most people recommend that you just look at the MFP number for how many calories you can eat.

    (It sounds like, in FitBit, you have your food plan set to use "personalized" as an estimate of how many calories you have left for the day. That's fine, especially if you use MFP to determine how much you can eat, but if you change it to "sedentary" then it will probably show a lower number than MFP, rather than higher. Changing this won't affect anything else.)

    As for the FitBit 1900 vs. 430 MFP - you're comparing apples to oranges. FitBit estimates that you've burned 1900 calories so far today. That's for everything - being alive, walking, exercising, misc. movement. MFP took that number from FitBit and compared it to what it expected you to have burned so far today and concluded that you'd burned 430 more calories than expected, so you get 430 "exercise" calories.

    You should read the FAQ in the stickies for the group. Heybales did a comprehensive job of explaining all this.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    That is fab!!! I finally get it... haha... takes me a while I'm afraid, but thank you for taking the time to explain it. Now that I have logged my dinner etc, they seem pretty close in available calories now.

    Thank you again
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    You're welcome. It certainly can be confusing.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    Ok so looking at yesterday finished stats.

    Fitbit said 1972 calories eaten with 212 left.
    MFP said same eaten and 158 calories left.

    Are they running about right or am I missing something again?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    On the MFP exercise tab, the Fitbit calorie adjustment - click on the "i" for more info.

    What time was last sync?
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    23.59

    It says there is fit calorie adjustment of 520 calories
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Ya, yesterday's should have updated to no time stamp, just stating what the Fitbit calorie burn was.

    And does what it report as Fitbit calorie burn on MFP really match what Fitbit reports on their site for the day?
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    These are the stats from yesterday...

    Fitbit... 2,434 calories burned, 1972 calories eaten, 212 calories left
    MFP... 1610 goal, 1972 calories eaten, 520 exercise. 158 calories remaining.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    Actually I think it does match... On MFP it says, totally calories burnt with Fitabit 2432, less calories consumed 1972, 520 calorie deficit. Does this sound right?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Yes, that "i" place is only place to see what the reported Fitbit calorie burn is, to confirm if it matches what Fitbit is saying.
    The rest is just math, but that location is still the easiest to do it.

    MFP
    1610 goal + 500 deficit = 2110 estimated daily burn
    2110 + 520 Fitbit correction = 2630 daily burn

    Fitbit
    2434 daily burn

    So off by 200.

    Did you manually set an eating goal on MFP, or manually change the macros?

    You can see what the real MFP estimated daily burn is on that "i" pop-up too.
    MFP Calories burned = ? (I calculated 2110 above, but is that what it says?)
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    I'll go check when I'm home on PC. I haven't manually entered anything or changed anything as far as I'm aware

    Thank you for your help. I'll check as soon as I'm home
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    It says 1914 (MFP calories burned)

    Also on FitBit under goals diet section it says 250 calories deficit
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    So the eating goals should never match between them, as the deficit goals don't match.
    That should cause Fitbit to be 250 higher.


    So MFP based on your BMR and selection of activity level has estimated a non-exercise daily burn of 1914.
    500 cal deficit off means eating goal should be 1414.

    Your eating goal in same state is 1610 though, 196 cal difference.

    You must have manually set it at some point.
    Or you messed with the macros a way back when the eating goal was 1610, and while MFP has auto-adjusted your daily burn down as you weigh less, the manually set goal stops that from happening on your eating goal. You normally would have received a pop-up asking to adjust that goal based on new weight when it was 10 lbs less.
    Or you missed that pop-up, or said no, or it was buggy right at moment it was needed.

    Either way, your profile is no longer automatic - hence the differences in eating goals.

    Merely going in to diet/fitness profile, and probably just hitting Save, should reset it.
    You'll know it worked when the eating goal drops to 1414.

    So that almost 200 calorie issue on MFP with 500 cal deficit combined with Fitbit using 250 cal makes it a close match, but not exact.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    ok. I've been on MFP and gone into Goals, and then under Your Fitness Goals I've changed them... so its now saying...

    r8fpxdl844wi.png
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    sorry, I'm probably driving everyone mad....
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Ahhhhh - kg's. The math is slightly different than what I've been doing.

    So for KG, you selected .3 kg/week loss, which they use as 300 cal deficit.

    Fitbit though still goes by deficit amounts, not weight loss goal.

    So 250 compared to 300 will still be off for eating goal by end of day.

    So my math above changes with new setting.
    MFP
    1610 goal + 300 deficit = 1910 estimated daily burn
    1910 + 520 Fitbit correction = 2430 daily burn

    Fitbit
    2434 daily burn

    MFP 2430 - 300 = 2130 eating goal
    Fitbit 2434 - 250 = 2184 eating goal

    Close as you'll get.

    But again - don't try to follow 2 roads to same destination. This example of confusion is exactly why.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    haha!! ok, that's a little bit easier to understand.

    Is there a way of changing the deficit amounts so they match

    Also today is showing a 285 calorie deficit

    I'm hoping one day I will get this!!!
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    Looks like the calories under the knige and fork tile on FitBit dashboard keeps changing as it now says 2222 Calories!

    This is way too confusing for my liking. Really sorry I don't get it... kinda thinking of ditching it now. All I wanted to do was set up a goal on MFP, log my food and have FitBit feed it my activity information and yet it seems impossible to get the numbers right

    Grrrrr!!!
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    ok hubs has just sat with me to work it all out, and I think I get it now

    MFP is saying I should eat 1610 calories. With the exercise I have done today it has given me 623 calories back - so 1610 + 623 = 2233
    Fit Bit is saying I should eat up to 2222 calories now

    So I guess that as MFP is set as a 0.3kg loss per week, and FB is set at 0.25kg per week, this is as close as I'll get

    Sound right?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Again - your confusion is coming because you are trying to follow 2 roads. Stop it. ;-)

    Forget the Fitbit eating goal - meaningless - because you aren't going to use it.

    Reread the FAQ upper part.

    No you can't change the deficit amounts to match, because you are using kg, and MFP is based on weight to lose weekly, translating that to deficit.
    Fitbit is straight deficit, increments of 250. Whatever that work outs to in weight.

    Again - those eating numbers on Fitbit have NO bearing on your eating goals on MFP, so it really doesn't matter anyway.

    What you have just stated as your desire as to what you want - can easily be done.

    You are setup now - merely stop looking at Fitbit eating goals, and what you desire is accomplished.

    It is that simple, you merely think you don't got it. You may not understand why they don't match up, in which case don't even get started on why they won't match during the day.
    But if you want to know, the math is in the FAQ.



  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    ok hubs has just sat with me to work it all out, and I think I get it now

    MFP is saying I should eat 1610 calories. With the exercise I have done today it has given me 623 calories back - so 1610 + 623 = 2233
    Fit Bit is saying I should eat up to 2222 calories now

    So I guess that as MFP is set as a 0.3kg loss per week, and FB is set at 0.25kg per week, this is as close as I'll get

    Sound right?

    Yes, sounds right to me. It really is as simple as setting up a goal on MFP, logging your food and having FitBit feed it your activity information. That is it in a nutshell. You can ignore what FitBit says about how much you can eat.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    LOL... thank you for being kind of patient with me. I'm not the brightest bulb in the box when it comes to technology, although if hubs asks me where something is I can tell you straight away!!! haha

    Right, I may just delete that tile from FitBit dashboard to make it easier on my brain lol

    Thank you all again
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    Well, if us darn Yanks would get in step with sensible parts of the world and switch to the metric system, you wouldn't be stuck with trying to get two separate systems that default to using pounds to use kilograms instead. That has got to add to the confusion factor!
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    hahaha!! don't get started on the metric system. Anyway I love you Yanks :-)
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