Fitbit calories vs MFP

melm413
melm413 Posts: 31 Member
edited November 19 in Social Groups
I am getting confused between Fitbit and MFP. Fitbit tells me I burn ~2200 calories a day and MFP says my target caloric intake should be 1600. If I am trying to have a 500 calorie deficit per day (in order to lose 1lb per week), should I be ensuring my deficit is 2200-(calories eaten) = ~500 calories?

Replies

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    If you use as designed, 2200 - 500 is exactly what is happening.

    If you burn 2200 according to Fitbit and it is set to sync to MFP.

    If you have MFP profile set to a 1 lb weekly weight loss goal which is 500 deficit.


    And don't try to follow 2 roads to the same destination, just confusion and trouble - which you may be experiencing.
    MFP for food and diet guidance - Fitbit for exercise logging and goals.

    Might read the FAQ in the stickies for this group, it'll answer those questions and more you should have.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    melm413 wrote: »
    I am getting confused between Fitbit and MFP. Fitbit tells me I burn ~2200 calories a day and MFP says my target caloric intake should be 1600. If I am trying to have a 500 calorie deficit per day (in order to lose 1lb per week), should I be ensuring my deficit is 2200-(calories eaten) = ~500 calories?

    Ignore your Fitbit goal and follow MFP's, eating back your adjustments.

    Set your goal to .5 lb. per week for every 25 lbs. you're overweight.

    Enable negative calorie adjustments.
  • MeiannaLee
    MeiannaLee Posts: 338 Member
    Yea fitbit is not accurate when it comes to creating a calorie deficit.
    i tried to follow it and I ended up gaining 2 pounds.

    Just use fitbit for tracking steps and exercise and mfp for food intake.
  • cyronius
    cyronius Posts: 157 Member
    MeiannaLee wrote: »
    Yea fitbit is not accurate when it comes to creating a calorie deficit.
    i tried to follow it and I ended up gaining 2 pounds.

    Just use fitbit for tracking steps and exercise and mfp for food intake.

    If you're linking the two accounts, it doesn't really make much difference which one you use. As long as you log your food in MFP and your exercise in Fitbit, then assuming you've set the same weightloss per week goal, they'll give you the same calorie intake limits...

    Ultimately, MFP is using your Fitbit calorie burn calculation, and then subtracting your deficit to determine your limit. Fitbit starts with the same burn data (that's where MFP gets it) and then subtracts the same deficit, so your limit will be the same...
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    edited June 2015
    MeiannaLee wrote: »
    Yea fitbit is not accurate when it comes to creating a calorie deficit.
    i tried to follow it and I ended up gaining 2 pounds.

    Just use fitbit for tracking steps and exercise and mfp for food intake.

    How fast did you gain 2 lbs?

    Fat is not fast, loss or gain.

    And there are several known expected reasons why certain Fitbit models would be elevating calorie burn above reality - which of course means eating less than that still isn't low enough.

    But those reasons usually stand out in big huge amounts of steps or distance where there were none. Or manually logging workouts based on a calorie burn that was no where near accurate.

    Because if your proclaimed statement of fact were actually true - all the success story threads that have occurred in this group have been lies.

    Because ultimately it is the Fitbit calorie burn that MFP is doing the math with - and all those folks have proved it works.

    So it might be better to say that Fitbit didn't work for you for some reason that you didn't investigate so you don't know why.
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