Really confused - negative calorie adjustments? Can someone explain in layman's terms?
WatershedKaren
Posts: 9 Member
"A negative adjustment means that your projected calorie burn for the day from the partner is below MyFitnessPal's initial estimate. If you are unable to sync your tracking device until late in the day, or if you don't consistently use your tracking device, you may prefer not to enable negative adjustments"
Okay, I'm lost (or a bit dense...maybe both, lol). Can I have someone walk me through what this means and whether I should be leaving it checked or unchecked?
I just got my Fitbit today for Mother's Day and I'm gearing up to start counting cals on MFP from tomorrow, so I'm tweaking settings etc on the diary tonight. I'm also a bit lost re my calorie budget. If MFP says 1490 at sedentary, but Fitbit (connected with MFP) is sending over extra cals, should I ignore anything above MFP's initial sedentary cal level? I know when I was using MFP on it's own before you could eat back your exercise cals but I often didn't if I felt satisfied enough or wanted to boost the weight loss a bit that week. As Fitbit is continuously adjusting the cal budget throughout the day (I have it set to avoid all day syncing but may manually sync it as I think to do so, which figure do I use?
Go gently, I'm still working this stuff out!
Okay, I'm lost (or a bit dense...maybe both, lol). Can I have someone walk me through what this means and whether I should be leaving it checked or unchecked?
I just got my Fitbit today for Mother's Day and I'm gearing up to start counting cals on MFP from tomorrow, so I'm tweaking settings etc on the diary tonight. I'm also a bit lost re my calorie budget. If MFP says 1490 at sedentary, but Fitbit (connected with MFP) is sending over extra cals, should I ignore anything above MFP's initial sedentary cal level? I know when I was using MFP on it's own before you could eat back your exercise cals but I often didn't if I felt satisfied enough or wanted to boost the weight loss a bit that week. As Fitbit is continuously adjusting the cal budget throughout the day (I have it set to avoid all day syncing but may manually sync it as I think to do so, which figure do I use?
Go gently, I'm still working this stuff out!
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Your default MFP calorie goal is activity level minus deficit. Your Fitbit burn is your TDEE (aka your maintenance calories). Adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn & your MFP activity level.
Click on any Fitbit adjustment to see the math MFP used to calculate it. Here's mine:
Fitbit calories: 1,320
MFP calories: 1,404
Adjustment: -84
If I had disabled negative adjustments, my adjustment would be 0—and I would not eat at a true deficit today.0 -
Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
Set your goal to .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided
No need to log any step-based activity—Fitbit will track it for you. Log non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit (that's what I do) or in MFP—never both.
Ignore Fitbit's calorie goal, and follow MFP's—eating back your adjustments.0 -
Cheers for that. I've spent the last few hours reading through the FAQs and other threads and I *think* I'm starting to get it...basically it's boiling down to, 'trust the system and reassess in a few weeks'
Sometimes I think I overcomplicate things. 0 -
The negative adjustment bit can be very helpful as MFP's calorie goal assumes you have SOME activity even at Sedentary. I have a -60 calorie adjustment first thing in the morning since I haven't moved around much. Once I've walked enough (something like 2k steps, I think), I start getting the positive adjustments.
@editorgrrl did a GREAT job of detailing how to use your Fitbit with MFP. I, too, only log exercise in Fitbit - I was finding that the calories I was getting from MFP were quite a bit higher and my weight loss slowed down. Fitbit does a better job of estimating my burns and then just forwards the info to MFP. This means I can eat back pretty much 100% of my exercise calories, rather than just a portion.
Pick a portion of your adjustment to eat back - 50%, 75%, 100% - and still with it for at LEAST 4 weeks. Evaluate your weight loss at that point and see if you're on track. If your loss is slower, eat back less; if faster, eat back more.
Best of luck!
~Lyssa
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WatershedKaren wrote: »I *think* I'm starting to get it...basically it's boiling down to, 'trust the system and reassess in a few weeks' Sometimes I think I overcomplicate things.
You've got it!
Everybody's different, so it'll take some trial & error to find what works for you. And what works for each of us changes over time.
MFP helps me eat mindfully, and Fitbit motivates me to keep moving.0 -
WatershedKaren wrote: »Cheers for that. I've spent the last few hours reading through the FAQs and other threads and I *think* I'm starting to get it...basically it's boiling down to, 'trust the system and reassess in a few weeks' Sometimes I think I overcomplicate things.
Yes, you've got it. I would sync as often as possible, though, so you have up to the minute information on where you stand. The only reason I can think of to set it to not sync throughout the day is to save battery life on your phone.0 -
macgurlnet wrote: »Pick a portion of your adjustment to eat back - 50%, 75%, 100% - and still with it for at LEAST 4 weeks. Evaluate your weight loss at that point and see if you're on track. If your loss is slower, eat back less; if faster, eat back more.
Best of luck!
~Lyssa
Excellent. That's the plan. I must admit just having this awareness of tracking again today (it had been a long time, and I went very anti-cal counting for a while there; officially started back at it today) has seen me eat SO much better.
My sleep is still abysmal though. You don't even want to know.0 -
Yes, you've got it. I would sync as often as possible, though, so you have up to the minute information on where you stand. The only reason I can think of to set it to not sync throughout the day is to save battery life on your phone.
I was just wondering about this today. I was getting annoyed with having to turn on bluetooth all the time to sync...I'm still in two minds about it. I think if I was out of the house all day, where phone battery might be an issue, I'd switch bluetooth/syncing off...at home today though (after faux-playing with it yesterday) I've left it on and I like that everything is accurate on the spot.0 -
editorgrrl wrote: »Set your goal to .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight
So if I've got about 65 lbs to lose, I should be aiming for a pound a week loss (as directed in MFP settings), yes?
I'm in Australia so the general equivalent would be half a kilo a week.
I imagine when I get within 12kg/25lb of goal I should adjust my settings to reflect a ½ lb/¼ kg projected loss and which therefore reduces my available cals?0 -
You could handle 1.5 lbs weekly until 50 lbs left, if you could adhere to that eating level.
Or know that on current settings, you could leave up to 250 in the green and still be fine not reaching goal right now.
At 50 lbs, 1 lb weekly is very reasonable.
25 lbs, 1/2 lb weekly very reasonable.
Depending on what exercise is and how high TDEE is, reasonable could be even higher.0 -
WatershedKaren wrote: »editorgrrl wrote: »Set your goal to .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight
So if I've got about 65 lbs to lose, I should be aiming for a pound a week loss (as directed in MFP settings), yes?
I'm in Australia so the general equivalent would be half a kilo a week.
I imagine when I get within 12kg/25lb of goal I should adjust my settings to reflect a ½ lb/¼ kg projected loss and which therefore reduces my available cals?
Hands down, the best weight-loss advice I ever received was to read the Sexypants post: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1080242/a-guide-to-get-you-started-on-your-path-to-sexypants/p10 -
Excellent link, have bookmarked.
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I didn't see you mention what phone you have. I have an iPhone 5S and have the bluetooth enabled and Fitbit set for continuous updates. Even after 10 or 12 hours if I'm gone all day, my phone is still above 75% battery charge.
Give it a try, and just change it back if you need to. I like to use it to set little goals throughout the day, like getting a 1,000 step walk in between classes.0 -
I have a Galaxy S4; I do need to clear out a ton of apps and close everything in the background more regularly though. I'll try that.
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I've got a galaxy 4 aswell. My blue tooth is on permanently. I haven't noticed a difference in my battery usage.0
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So I've read the boards on how the fitbit in connection with MFP works and I am still sooo confused. My daily goal is usually 1530, but on my home page it says goal 1530.. Food eaten 545 - 411 (exercise) = 134 Net and then says I have 1396 calories remaining.... UMM WHAT?!?! CONFUSED!0
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2kidsandatrip wrote: »So I've read the boards on how the fitbit in connection with MFP works and I am still sooo confused. My daily goal is usually 1530, but on my home page it says goal 1530.. Food eaten 545 - 411 (exercise) = 134 Net and then says I have 1396 calories remaining.... UMM WHAT?!?! CONFUSED!
Net is the calories after you eat back your exercise cals. You ate 545 cals. so far that day, it then subtracted the exercise cals burn, 411 so your net is 134, so you can still eat up to 1396 more cals. Your needed deficit is already calculated into the daily goal of 1530 cals. so you will still lose weight if you are tracking everything correctly.
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retirehappy wrote: »2kidsandatrip wrote: »So I've read the boards on how the fitbit in connection with MFP works and I am still sooo confused. My daily goal is usually 1530, but on my home page it says goal 1530.. Food eaten 545 - 411 (exercise) = 134 Net and then says I have 1396 calories remaining.... UMM WHAT?!?! CONFUSED!
Net is the calories after you eat back your exercise cals. You ate 545 cals. so far that day, it then subtracted the exercise cals burn, 411 so your net is 134, so you can still eat up to 1396 more cals. Your needed deficit is already calculated into the daily goal of 1530 cals. so you will still lose weight if you are tracking everything correctly.
Retirehappy, so if I'm understanding you correctly, I'm supposed to eat the extra calories I get for exercising?... The exercise will continue to go up through the day and there for my remaining calories will go up through the day. I worry that I will then be eating way to much. I am not moving any more than what I would have on a normal day before I added the fitbit to my MFP account. Or is it just deciding how much of those calories I'm going to eat back each day?0 -
2kidsandatrip wrote: »retirehappy wrote: »2kidsandatrip wrote: »So I've read the boards on how the fitbit in connection with MFP works and I am still sooo confused. My daily goal is usually 1530, but on my home page it says goal 1530.. Food eaten 545 - 411 (exercise) = 134 Net and then says I have 1396 calories remaining.... UMM WHAT?!?! CONFUSED!
Net is the calories after you eat back your exercise cals. You ate 545 cals. so far that day, it then subtracted the exercise cals burn, 411 so your net is 134, so you can still eat up to 1396 more cals. Your needed deficit is already calculated into the daily goal of 1530 cals. so you will still lose weight if you are tracking everything correctly.
Retirehappy, so if I'm understanding you correctly, I'm supposed to eat the extra calories I get for exercising?... The exercise will continue to go up through the day and there for my remaining calories will go up through the day. I worry that I will then be eating way to much. I am not moving any more than what I would have on a normal day before I added the fitbit to my MFP account. Or is it just deciding how much of those calories I'm going to eat back each day?
Yes, you're supposed to eat your exercise calories. The general advice around here is to trust your Fitbit for about a month, log your food carefully during that time, and then assess whether you've lost the expected amount of weight. At that point, you can decide whether your Fitbit is awarding you too many calories (resulting in less weight loss than expected) or too few calories (resulting in more weight loss than expected) or is about right. You really can't get a good feel for it in a shorter amount of time because weight fluctuates too much day-to-day.
However, you don't necessarily need to eat all the extra calories. Personally, I aim for a range that should keep me from losing too fast, but keeps me going in the correct direction. For me, since I want to lose at least another 35 pounds (to get me to merely "overweight"), and according to the BMI scale (which I don't trust), I should lose at least another 63 pounds (I guarantee that ain't gonna happen) I figure I can safely lose up to 1.5 pounds per week. However, I find trying to attain that rate of loss that too aggressive for my temperament. So, I have MFP set for 0.5 pounds per week but I try to leave some of my exercise calories uneaten each day - up to 500, since that would be the 1.5 pound per week rate.0 -
2kidsandatrip wrote: »retirehappy wrote: »2kidsandatrip wrote: »So I've read the boards on how the fitbit in connection with MFP works and I am still sooo confused. My daily goal is usually 1530, but on my home page it says goal 1530.. Food eaten 545 - 411 (exercise) = 134 Net and then says I have 1396 calories remaining.... UMM WHAT?!?! CONFUSED!
Net is the calories after you eat back your exercise cals. You ate 545 cals. so far that day, it then subtracted the exercise cals burn, 411 so your net is 134, so you can still eat up to 1396 more cals. Your needed deficit is already calculated into the daily goal of 1530 cals. so you will still lose weight if you are tracking everything correctly.
Retirehappy, so if I'm understanding you correctly, I'm supposed to eat the extra calories I get for exercising?... The exercise will continue to go up through the day and there for my remaining calories will go up through the day. I worry that I will then be eating way to much. I am not moving any more than what I would have on a normal day before I added the fitbit to my MFP account. Or is it just deciding how much of those calories I'm going to eat back each day?
Yes, you're supposed to eat your exercise calories. The general advice around here is to trust your Fitbit for about a month, log your food carefully during that time, and then assess whether you've lost the expected amount of weight. At that point, you can decide whether your Fitbit is awarding you too many calories (resulting in less weight loss than expected) or too few calories (resulting in more weight loss than expected) or is about right. You really can't get a good feel for it in a shorter amount of time because weight fluctuates too much day-to-day.
However, you don't necessarily need to eat all the extra calories. Personally, I aim for a range that should keep me from losing too fast, but keeps me going in the correct direction. For me, since I want to lose at least another 35 pounds (to get me to merely "overweight"), and according to the BMI scale (which I don't trust), I should lose at least another 63 pounds (I guarantee that ain't gonna happen) I figure I can safely lose up to 1.5 pounds per week. However, I find trying to attain that rate of loss that too aggressive for my temperament. So, I have MFP set for 0.5 pounds per week but I try to leave some of my exercise calories uneaten each day - up to 500, since that would be the 1.5 pound per week rate.
Nancy is correct. You can decide to eat all, some or none on a given day. If I do a hard, long workout, I will probably eat them all, if I was on a rest day, might not eat any of the add back. I am losing at the rate I wanted to since getting the fitbit. Key to this is good food logging. Digital scale and measuring cups and spoons that you know are correct, some elcheapos can be off by several grams/oz. resulting in incorrect logging. Use the USDA calorie count of most foods if you can't just scan in info from the package of the food you are eating.
Fitbit will send you a weekly report, you can compare your calories burned to calories eaten and see if you are on target. The rule of thumb is for every 25 lbs. you should try to lose at .5 lb rate, so 50 lbs, 1 lb a week, 25 or under, .5 is where you want to be. The dashboard also has the info that you can download into a cvs or xls file if you want to keep track of it. Go to the gear icon in the upper right hand corner of the dashboard, go to Settings, Data Export and tell it what you want to download, body and activity is what I download, you can see your progress before the report comes out.
Since you are not on the vlcd, 1200 that MFP starts most people on, you must be fairly active, you need to feed your body so it can support your muscle retention while losing weight. Check out this group to learn more about doing just that:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/3817-eat-more-2-weigh-less0 -
2kidsandatrip wrote: »I'm supposed to eat the extra calories I get for exercising?... The exercise will continue to go up through the day and there for my remaining calories will go up through the day.
As I said above, your default MFP calorie goal is activity level minus deficit. Your Fitbit burn is your TDEE (aka your maintenance calories). Adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn & your MFP activity level.
If (and only if) you enable negative calorie adjustments, eating back your adjustments means you're eating TDEE minus deficit: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings0 -
editorgrrl wrote: »2kidsandatrip wrote: »I'm supposed to eat the extra calories I get for exercising?... The exercise will continue to go up through the day and there for my remaining calories will go up through the day.
As I said above, your default MFP calorie goal is activity level minus deficit. Your Fitbit burn is your TDEE (aka your maintenance calories). Adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn & your MFP activity level.
If (and only if) you enable negative calorie adjustments, eating back your adjustments means you're eating TDEE minus deficit: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings
Surely your MFP calorie goal is only at a deficit if you set it that way. If you set it at maintenance then it would be at the level required to maintain your weight.0 -
If you set your MFP goal to maintenance, your deficit is zero. So eating back your Fitbit adjustments means you're eating TDEE minus zero.
I've maintained for ten months using Fitbit + MFP. So my Fitbit burn is 100% accurate.
The other side of the equation is all about logging everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly.0 -
2kidsandatrip wrote: »retirehappy wrote: »2kidsandatrip wrote: »So I've read the boards on how the fitbit in connection with MFP works and I am still sooo confused. My daily goal is usually 1530, but on my home page it says goal 1530.. Food eaten 545 - 411 (exercise) = 134 Net and then says I have 1396 calories remaining.... UMM WHAT?!?! CONFUSED!
Net is the calories after you eat back your exercise cals. You ate 545 cals. so far that day, it then subtracted the exercise cals burn, 411 so your net is 134, so you can still eat up to 1396 more cals. Your needed deficit is already calculated into the daily goal of 1530 cals. so you will still lose weight if you are tracking everything correctly.
Retirehappy, so if I'm understanding you correctly, I'm supposed to eat the extra calories I get for exercising?... The exercise will continue to go up through the day and there for my remaining calories will go up through the day. I worry that I will then be eating way to much. I am not moving any more than what I would have on a normal day before I added the fitbit to my MFP account. Or is it just deciding how much of those calories I'm going to eat back each day?
Does your handle indeed indicate you have 2 kids?
And did you select Sedentary on MFP activity level?
If those 2 are true - then it is no wonder Fitbit is telling you you are burning more before exercise starts - you aren't really sedentary.
So really, the question is - why did you trust MFP before when it didn't really know about your activity and you were really more active than either you thought or answered?
You are questioning the wrong thing. It should be, why was I eating so low before the Fitbit when I didn't have to?0 -
If big adjustments bother you and if you've enabled negative calorie adjustments, then you can increase your MFP activity level.
At the end of the day you'll still be eating the same number of calories—TDEE minus deficit. You'll just start with more calories in the morning and get smaller adjustments throughout the day. It's entirely a matter of personal preference.0 -
LOL. Heybales... that is very true... I do indeed have 2 children and my activity is set at sedentary because I work a desk job (by day) but I suppose by night I am in fact the crazy mother who runs back and forth barely sitting down for even a moment gaining myself a little extra unintended exercise. Thank you to everyone who has helped clarify the topic for me. This weight loss stuff can be some crazy confusing stuff.
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