Understanding Fitbit

stephaniechukwu31

OH! My TDEE is what my Fitbit calculates for 24 hours?!

janejellyroll

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

OH! My TDEE is what my Fitbit calculates for 24 hours?!

Yes, the Fitbit is calculating your total daily energy expenditure. That's why it will show calories burnt even when you aren't doing very much -- your body uses energy all the time.

stephaniechukwu31

janejellyroll wrote: »

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

OH! My TDEE is what my Fitbit calculates for 24 hours?!

Yes, the Fitbit is calculating your total daily energy expenditure. That's why it will show calories burnt even when you aren't doing very much -- your body uses energy all the time.

Ooooooh! Okay see now I'm starting to understand. So my TDEE is my BMR + activity level. But I'm more active on some days more than others. Would I have to not exercise for an entire day to calculate my TDEE?

janejellyroll

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

janejellyroll wrote: »

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

OH! My TDEE is what my Fitbit calculates for 24 hours?!

Yes, the Fitbit is calculating your total daily energy expenditure. That's why it will show calories burnt even when you aren't doing very much -- your body uses energy all the time.

Ooooooh! Okay see now I'm starting to understand. So my TDEE is my BMR + activity level. But I'm more active on some days more than others. Would I have to not exercise for an entire day to calculate my TDEE?

Your TDEE includes exercise. It's simply the total energy you expend in a day.

ColinsMommaOC

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

I should be subtracting my calorie deficit from my TDEE.

So BMR 1753-1000 =753
TDEE: 753+1000 = -1753 net?

No

BMR:1753
TDEE: 3833

If these are your numbers then your equation should be:

3833 - 1000 = 2833

You should have consumed 2833 to have a 1000 deficit. If you truly only ate 1000 cals that day, then your deficit was 2833 and you are severely under-eating.

ColinsMommaOC

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

Ooooooh! Okay see now I'm starting to understand. So my TDEE is my BMR + activity level. But I'm more active on some days more than others. Would I have to not exercise for an entire day to calculate my TDEE?

This is why you should take the total numbers for a few weeks and get a daily average.

segacs

Yes, you need to think of TDEE as a range, not as an exact number. You move a different amount each day. Hence your daily TDEE changes each day.

But after a few weeks or months of data, you'll start to see your average and your range.

kuroshii

Let fitbit do that math for you. fitbit is excellent at figuring out your TDEE range based on your activity. Then it will start feeding that math (TDEE adjusted by day's actuals) to MFP for MFP to use in it's calculations of what calories you should eat. So on days you're more active vs others, fitbit has you covered!

Bshmerlie

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

Also on Saturday during my 12 hour shift. I burned over 3000 calories. And yes I wore it and reset from the start of my shift till the end. I also ate about 1800 calories. What was my net burn?

So on Saturday your TDEE was 3000 ...now subtract what you ate 1800 so your net burn was 1200 calories.
3000 burned
-1800 eaten

---

1200 deficit

So at this current pace you will lose 2.4 pounds per week if you continued to have a 1200 deficit everyday.

Wear your Fitbit 24 hours in a day. It will get more accurate the longer you wear it. Just look at your total calories burned and then Subtract what you've eaten....that will be your deficit. You need to add up those deficits and each time you get to 3500 you will lose a pound.

But you have to wear it for the entire 24 hours not just your 12 hour shift otherwise your data will be inaccurate.

NobodyPutsAmyInTheCorner

Just to give you a rough idea. With my Fitbit. On my laziest hardly move days my TDEE is around 1800. On my normal days I fluctuate between 2000 - 2300 on a busy day. But it's usually an average of 2100. So over time you see a pattern developing.

WEAR IT ALL THE TIME. It's worth it I promise.

Merkavar

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

ColinsMommaOC wrote: »

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

Thank you.

What about car rides? Does any one else find it annoying that you have to account for the time you're driving just seems tedious.

You burn calories sitting in the car. You burn calories sitting on the couch. You burn calories eating. You burn calories taking a shower, sleeping, brushing your teeth... So no, I dont account for when I am just driving because my heartrate is what is telling fitbit how many cals I am burning. Nothing is going to be 100% accurate. But I think the margin of error for fitbit is considerably less than personal guesstimates and online calculators that only ask for a few stats and base their answers on the average person.

If you are worried it is logging extra steps then take it off and put it in your purse or pocket. It will assume you are just burning BMR cals for the time it is not on and should not log any extra for you.

I do take it off. I only wear it when I know I'm doing heavy activity. In the car it still adds steps, miles, and calorie burn.

I have a Fitbit surge not a charge.

I have never noticed a large number of steps, miles added after driving.

Also you are burning calories driving so it should be adding calories. If the charge is like the surge it will add calories if your wearing it or not. Since your always burning calories.

Attach your fitbit to mfp. Turn on negative adjustments in mfp. Wear your fit bit as much as possible to be as accurate as possible. When doing actual exercise turn your fit bit to exercise mode etc. don't log exercises.

PeachyCarol

Merkavar wrote: »

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

ColinsMommaOC wrote: »

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

Thank you.

What about car rides? Does any one else find it annoying that you have to account for the time you're driving just seems tedious.

You burn calories sitting in the car. You burn calories sitting on the couch. You burn calories eating. You burn calories taking a shower, sleeping, brushing your teeth... So no, I dont account for when I am just driving because my heartrate is what is telling fitbit how many cals I am burning. Nothing is going to be 100% accurate. But I think the margin of error for fitbit is considerably less than personal guesstimates and online calculators that only ask for a few stats and base their answers on the average person.

If you are worried it is logging extra steps then take it off and put it in your purse or pocket. It will assume you are just burning BMR cals for the time it is not on and should not log any extra for you.

I do take it off. I only wear it when I know I'm doing heavy activity. In the car it still adds steps, miles, and calorie burn.

I have a Fitbit surge not a charge.

I have never noticed a large number of steps, miles added after driving.

Also you are burning calories driving so it should be adding calories. If the charge is like the surge it will add calories if your wearing it or not. Since your always burning calories.

Attach your fitbit to mfp. Turn on negative adjustments in mfp. Wear your fit bit as much as possible to be as accurate as possible. When doing actual exercise turn your fit bit to exercise mode etc. don't log exercises.

Small caveat: Don't log exercises in MFP. Not all Fitbits have an exercise mode to switch on, so that advice only pertains to certain models.

Let your Fitbit record all your step-based exercise. You can enter any other type of activity into the Fitbit website. Note your start time and the duration of the activity. I find the Fitbit site logs more accurate burns than MFP does. The calorie adjustment will still be sent to MFP.

For the easiest and least confusing method, set your activity level on MFP to sedentary even if you aren't. You'll be less likely to ever have to deal with negative calorie adjustments then.

Now... here's what I do. I have my setting set to sedentary and get my adjustment, but I use my Fitbit TDEE to figure out how much to eat. I eat within a range for my deficit. My average TDEE is about 2200. I eat anywhere from 1500-1700 depending on whether or not I've had a more or less active day. On less active days, I eat at the lower end of my range. On more active days, I eat higher.

You can decide to do something like this too. Let Fitbit find your average TDEE, then select a range of calorie levels with the deficit you'd like, and eat less on less active days, more on more active days. Pretty much ignore what MFP says. You should lose weight just fine.

stephaniechukwu31

Thanks guys. I'm like in a super good mood I lost weight eating nothing but junk food. That's awesome! -1.4 pounds down no exercise and I ate cookies pizza, 2 bags of chips. I can't complain!!!

Merkavar

stephaniechukwu31 wrote: »

Thanks guys. I'm like in a super good mood I lost weight eating nothing but junk food. That's awesome! -1.4 pounds down no exercise and I ate cookies pizza, 2 bags of chips. I can't complain!!!

1.4 pounds since yesterday? just sounds like normal weight fluctuations. got to look at your weight loss over longer time frames, at the trend. from what I have seen your focused to closely on day to day gains and losses, your weight fluctuates on a hourly, daily, monthly basis.

But either way good luck.

jeepinshawn

It will take at least a month to get a good TDEE average, until then just link your fitbit to MFP and follow MFP's calorie recommendation and eat back a portion of the calories it gives you from the fitbit, 25-30% is a good number to start with.