Calories and which to use...

2»

Replies

  • retirehappy
    retirehappy Posts: 3,520 Member
    There is away to set MFP to kg instead of lbs. My Home, Settings, Account settings, Update diet/fitness profile:

    Update Your Diet Profile

    To help us update your personalized fitness goals, please update your profile by making any changes to the values below.
    Change units for weight and height (e.g. kg vs lbs)
    that is highlighted click into it and set MFP to kg instead of lbs.

    You change that on Fitbit.com under settings, personal info, units.

    Might be less confusing that way?

  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    My impression was that she is using kg in both MFP and FitBit, but that the two programs don't allow her to set the same weight loss goal. I think MFP gave her the option of 0.3 kg per week and the closest she could pick in FitBit was 0.25 kg per week. So, her calorie goals are never going to agree between the two.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Well, I'm really glad this came up, because while I knew MFP did weight loss goals, and just calculated a deficit to make that happen, but Fitbit used deficit goals, it never struck me that the different options that MFP uses for metric would cause the deficit amount to be different between the two.

    Which causes all my math examples to be wrong when metric is involved.

    So MFP weekly weight loss options are 0.3 kg, 0.6, 0.9, and 1.2 then?

    Strange, 0.25 increments would have been closer to the 0.5 lb increments, but perhaps they didn't want that level of accuracy involved.
    Or perhaps they do, but round up to 0.3 in that Goals page, which is really confusing then.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    Nancy is correct. I have both set to Kg but both have different weight loss goals. One at 0.3 and the other 0.25. That's as close as I'm going to get, but I'm just going to focus on MFP for numbers

    Hey bales. I believe the increments are 0.3, 0.5, 1... I could have some both at 0.5 but that's a little too much for me at the moment
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    So the Fitbit Food plans for Easier, Medium, Kinda Hard, and Harder are not just calorie deficits for metric system?
    So not 250, 500, 750, 1000?

    Sorry, I hate to mess with some settings, for fear of what will be reset and wiped out and require re-entry, or more trying to remember what I tweaked.
    Otherwise I'd test myself.

    MFP's really annoying on that, merely changing anything in the diet/fitness profile resets the eating goals and macros and others.
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    Yes that's correct. Fitbit had 4 plans each with the weight loss amounts you gave

    MFP offers more of a selection of weight losses, but only asks what level of activity you do in a day sedentary, active, and two others. I've chosen the lowest plan for both.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Ok, So that stays the same on Fitbit no matter metric or US.

    Those are deficit plans of even increments. Obviously you lose weight eating at deficit, but the plans are the same no matter what. Oh, those aren't weight loss amounts I gave, those are deficit amounts.
    When that is converted in to lbs or kg is when it changes.

    MFP has weight loss plans, and different choices between lbs and kgs, and different deficit amounts depending on which system is used.

    Does MFP really offer more selections of weight loss in kgs?
    Because the US is 4 options, 1/2 lb, 1 lb, 1.5 lb, and 2 lb weekly.
    I assumed kg would be close conversion - 1/4 kg, 1/2 kg, 3/4 kg, 1 kg.
    What options do you have available for weekly weight loss?
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    Ah yes sorry, MFP shows a list for loss, gain and maintain.

    There are 4 options for weekly weight loss - 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 and 1kg

    I've chosen 0.2kg per week, along with the lowest on FitBit which is 0.3kg

    On the calories adjustment... MyFitnessPal calories burned... Is this just an estimate?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Ah yes sorry, MFP shows a list for loss, gain and maintain.

    There are 4 options for weekly weight loss - 0.2, 0.5, 0.8 and 1kg

    I've chosen 0.2kg per week, along with the lowest on FitBit which is 0.3kg

    On the calories adjustment... MyFitnessPal calories burned... Is this just an estimate?

    Yes, BMR x activity factor based on your selection of non-exercise activity level.

    They are based on recent research studies, so decent enough if people are honest.

    But if using just MFP, when you do a workout, you add it, so estimate goes up since you just burned more, same deficit taken, you then eat more on big burn days, less on rest days. But it has no way to account for increased activity or big variable days.
    Hence the Fitbit and other type devices being nice.
This discussion has been closed.