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Wide range of difference between adjustments for my wife and I

cragmor
cragmor Posts: 24 Member
edited November 21 in Social Groups
I seems to get a reasonable adjustment from fitbit to MFP, but my wife will have more steps than me in the morning, for instance, yes while I have a good adjustment to my calories, hers might actually be negative. So, if I ate 500 calories for breakfast, I might have that adjusted to 100. My wife also eats 500 for breakfast might have it adjusted to 550, yet have walked more than me. We are the same age, only a couple months apart. Settings in MFP are identical. Our jobs keep us at a desk all day, so we set ourselves to sedentary, yet we are consistently working out, and walking.
So, is it just the difference between man and woman that is calling for the adjustments, or potentially a problem. My example is very close to an actual day.

Replies

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Your Fitbit burn is TDEE. Adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn & your MFP activity level.

    Click the adjustment in your diary to see the math MFP used to calculate it.
  • cragmor
    cragmor Posts: 24 Member
    I still do not understand how the differences can be so varied. How she can be more far more active according to her Fitbit, yet MFP gives me more than twice the adjustment. For instance, today she has about 5000 more steps than me, and some of that was while working out, so her activity level was high for about an hour, yet her adjustment is only about 100 calories different. She is basically breaking even while I am negative just over 100, which makes sense since I have not done much of anything today.
  • cyronius
    cyronius Posts: 157 Member
    You're a male. It means you presumably weigh more than her, are taller than her and have a higher lean mass percentage than her. Each one of those things means that you burn more energy than her just for being alive.
  • supersocks117
    supersocks117 Posts: 169 Member
    cyronius wrote: »
    You're a male. It means you presumably weigh more than her, are taller than her and have a higher lean mass percentage than her. Each one of those things means that you burn more energy than her just for being alive.

    This. I chase a toddler all day and my DH works retail (but moving on the floor a lot). To lose 1 lb/ week he needs 2860 calories to my 1850! He gets 1000 more just for being a tall (6'1" to my 5'6") male who weighs 100 lbs more than me. It also translates into moving. If we both said sedentary but went for a walk together he burns double the calories in the same walk! Just think about every little thing you both (possibly) do over your calories just for existing - each one would make the gap larger, since she would likely get fewer calories doing the same activities.
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    cragmor wrote: »
    I still do not understand how the differences can be so varied. How she can be more far more active according to her Fitbit, yet MFP gives me more than twice the adjustment. For instance, today she has about 5000 more steps than me, and some of that was while working out, so her activity level was high for about an hour, yet her adjustment is only about 100 calories different. She is basically breaking even while I am negative just over 100, which makes sense since I have not done much of anything today.

    Bottom line - life ain't fair and sometimes being female sucks. We just don't burn as many calories. There is a reason men find it so much easier to lose weight than women.

    Contributing to this could be the things mentioned above. Is she really the exact same height and weight as you are? Unlikely, but even if she is, her gait is probably different - less intense. That makes a big difference to the calorie burn that Fitbit calculates.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    cragmor wrote: »
    I still do not understand how the differences can be so varied.

    How she can be more far more active according to her Fitbit, yet MFP gives me more than twice the adjustment.

    Click on the adjustments in your diaries to see the math MFP used to calculate them.

    Your Fitbit burn is TDEE, the calories necessary to maintain your current weight. It's based on a number of factors, including sex, age, height, weight, steps, intensity & logged exercise. Your TDEE is much higher than your wife's.

    Your default MFP calorie goal is activity level minus deficit. Set your deficit to .5 lb. for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided You can sustain a much larger deficit than your wife.

    Adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn and your MFP activity level. No two people will ever have identical adjustments—even if they happen to live in the same house.

    Please don't compare your weight loss to your wife's. She'll lose much more slowly than you—no matter how hard she works. This is not a competition!
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