Feeling a bit cheated by my new FitBit...

magneticcat

***I have also posted this in the MFP FitBit FAQ tonight, but have had no bites so far and the thread hasn't been active for quite a few months, so thought I'd start a discussion to hopefully get a bit more exposure!***

Hi all - I just bought a FitBit One recently. Have been using MFP for ~5 years. Been maintaining for about 1-2 years now. Any advice on my little predicament would be greatly appreciated!

Until now, I've been using my iPhone's pedometer (synced with MFP). I have only got positive calorie adjustments enabled (not negative). So usually, on lazy days, I get at least ~50 calories extra due to activity measured on the iPhone. On more active days this can be into the 100s etc.

I've just switched my 'steps' on MFP to be counted by the FitBit, instead of the iPhone. I still only have positive calorie adjustments enabled. I've been reading and trying to get my head around the way the FitBit calorie adjustment works... and I think I vaguely understand it. But it seems a bit weird and too changeable/dynamic for my liking...

Why is it that my iPhone would give me say 50 extra calories for walking to the bus-stop, but now my FitBit won't give me any (even though it has logged the same number of steps as the iPhone would have?) I understand the concept that MFP estimates your projected deficits throughout the day, whereas FitBit uses 'real-time' adjustments... but what I don't get is how the iPhone's pedometer is really any different to the FitBit's pedometer... and thus why there is a difference in the number of calories you can 'gain' from activity?

I feel a bit 'cheated' by my FitBit...I thought it would be a good way to gain even more calories to eat each day (as I'm wearing it all the time...) but instead it seems to always say I gain 0!

Have I been naively eating back extra calories given to me by my iPhone pedometer, that I haven't actually earned...?

Any advice/explanation would be excellent! Thanks

LivingtheLeanDream

Firstly it takes the Fitbit a while adjusting to you and your movements, it might show a low burn for the first week or two - I'm on my third and each time it takes it time adjusting so in the beginning it will show your TDEE lower than you would normally expect.

You will gain calories, the more you move your fitbit will tell you that you have earned more calories.

You need to enable negative adjustments on MFP, both apps speak to each other and it'll be more accurate.

Also you need to manually add any other exercise that isn't step related on MFP.

The phones aren't accurate at showing step counts, I got my 10k goal achieved notification on my samsung the other day when I hadn't even got the length of 7k steps at that time! it really isn't as accurate as Fitbit.

Fitbit overall is really accurate, it has been accurate with my TDEE since I got the first one in 2013.

Give it time to adjust to you and enjoy your gadget...I love mine

Owlfan88

I don't have a Fitbit, but have been thinking about one for Christmas. I do use the iPhone steps counter and find that it gives me extra calories almost immediately. As in I have 2 extra calories so far this morning for 299 steps. That seems like it is overestimating things. So I will be following this to see what response you get.

segacs

If you have both apps enabled, Fitbit may not be working because you're already getting your calorie adjustments from your iPhone...? I'm not exactly sure how it works with multiple apps, but my guess is that it may not want to double-count the steps.

The other thing to check is what your setting is for activity level on your MFP account. If you're set to sedentary, then any activity above sedentary level should theoretically lead to a positive calorie adjustment. If you're set to lightly active or active, there could be days when you don't get to that stage on MFP and that's where negative calorie adjustments come in.

Also double check that:

• Height, weight, age, etc. are correctly set on both apps
• Time zone is the same on both apps! (This is a big source of syncing problems)
• Run a test where you walk a pre-arranged number of steps, say, 100, and check how many steps the Fitbit gave you, just to make sure it's counting them properly.

blackdiva48

The fitbit won't start calculating anything if you haven't been active for 10 mins or more ; therefore if it only take you 3 mins to walk to the bus stop nothing will show on the fitbit.

magneticcat

Thanks for all of your responses so far!
My fear with setting up negative calorie adjustments is that MFP will tell me I have to eat less, which I don't want
I've had some trouble maintaining weight in the past (for several reasons, including ill health), so I guess I'm worried that if I enable negative adjustments, I'll have to start eating less, and might start to lose weight again. I've been maintaining quite well on my current regime (eating back my iPhone step calories) - but I guess I thought the FitBit might give me even more calories to eat haha
But perhaps I'll try negative adjustments and see if it fixes the issue. I have only had the FitBit for a couple of days, so perhaps I just need to use it more, too. I read somewhere that if you don't have negative adjustments enabled, and if you don't reach a certain threshold, your FitBit will give you 0 calories, because it means you haven't created a deficit between your intake and your TDEE... which then leads me to wonder why the iPhone-calculated steps (the same number of steps, remember!) would always give me extra calories through MFP...

amusedmonkey

blackdiva48 wrote: »

The fitbit won't start calculating anything if you haven't been active for 10 mins or more ; therefore if it only take you 3 mins to walk to the bus stop nothing will show on the fitbit.

That's incorrect. What's happening with OP is that fitbit gives you a total TDEE, that is, it starts your calories as if you were doing nothing but sleeping all day, and every step you take gives you a few extra calories. In MFP, the base calories take into account your daily activity, so that walk to the bus is already accounted for on MFP and no need to double eat it. The adjustment will start counting up after you have moved enough for your pre-defined activity level. Fro sedentary, that's roughly 3000 steps give or take that won't give you any extra calories.

Apparently iPhone doesn't start you at the basal level and any extra steps assume that you have already moved around enough without your phone to have passed the minimum calories allotted for a sedentary person.

Basically OP, fitbit is actually treating honestly and iphone was cheating you. To get extra calories try to walk more than 3000 steps.

freesiasun5

amusedmonkey wrote: »

blackdiva48 wrote: »

The fitbit won't start calculating anything if you haven't been active for 10 mins or more ; therefore if it only take you 3 mins to walk to the bus stop nothing will show on the fitbit.

That's incorrect. What's happening with OP is that fitbit gives you a total TDEE, that is, it starts your calories as if you were doing nothing but sleeping all day, and every step you take gives you a few extra calories. In MFP, the base calories take into account your daily activity, so that walk to the bus is already accounted for on MFP and no need to double eat it. The adjustment will start counting up after you have moved enough for your pre-defined activity level. Fro sedentary, that's roughly 3000 steps give or take that won't give you any extra calories.

Apparently iPhone doesn't start you at the basal level and any extra steps assume that you have already moved around enough without your phone to have passed the minimum calories allotted for a sedentary person.

Basically OP, fitbit is actually treating honestly and iphone was cheating you. To get extra calories try to walk more than 3000 steps.

^This.

freesiasun5

I've also found that the non-heartrate fitbits were giving me more calories than my Charge HR. They were assuming my heartrate to be higher than it actually is during activity.

BikeTourer

HappyCampr1 wrote: »

Whether you get calories taken away from you or added to your day depends greatly on where you currently have your activity levels set. If you have the correct activity level, you shouldn't have large adjustments in either direction. A lot of people set themselves to sedentary and let the Fitbit add a lot of calories. I think I'd find such large adjustments annoying, but that's personal preference, I think.

magneticcat wrote: »

which then leads me to wonder why the iPhone-calculated steps (the same number of steps, remember!) would always give me extra calories through MFP...

The iPhone is just a steps counter. It's not really an activity tracker like the Fitbit is. I think this is the biggest difference. If you've been eating all of those calories back and haven't been gaining weight, then the Fitbit should eventually tell you to eat the same amount. Maybe it really is just a matter of letting it get to know your routine and averages for a while. Good luck!

Depends on your mindset. My job is sedentary, I try to mix this up so calorie burn due to activity is the not same day after day. On the days that life gets in the way, I don't want a large negative which is way more annoying than a large positive to me. A try to mix things up because exercise plateaus are as darn annoying as are repetitive motion injuries...

MarziPanda95

amusedmonkey wrote: »

blackdiva48 wrote: »

The fitbit won't start calculating anything if you haven't been active for 10 mins or more ; therefore if it only take you 3 mins to walk to the bus stop nothing will show on the fitbit.

Basically OP, fitbit is actually treating honestly and iphone was cheating you. To get extra calories try to walk more than 3000 steps.

^This.

Christine_72

I'd be trusting my fitbit more than an iphone app.

Dnarules

magneticcat wrote: »

Thanks for all of your responses so far!
My fear with setting up negative calorie adjustments is that MFP will tell me I have to eat less, which I don't want
I've had some trouble maintaining weight in the past (for several reasons, including ill health), so I guess I'm worried that if I enable negative adjustments, I'll have to start eating less, and might start to lose weight again. I've been maintaining quite well on my current regime (eating back my iPhone step calories) - but I guess I thought the FitBit might give me even more calories to eat haha
But perhaps I'll try negative adjustments and see if it fixes the issue. I have only had the FitBit for a couple of days, so perhaps I just need to use it more, too. I read somewhere that if you don't have negative adjustments enabled, and if you don't reach a certain threshold, your FitBit will give you 0 calories, because it means you haven't created a deficit between your intake and your TDEE... which then leads me to wonder why the iPhone-calculated steps (the same number of steps, remember!) would always give me extra calories through MFP...

If what you were doing was working, that's the main thing.

magneticcat

amusedmonkey wrote: »

Apparently iPhone doesn't start you at the basal level and any extra steps assume that you have already moved around enough without your phone to have passed the minimum calories allotted for a sedentary person.

Basically OP, fitbit is actually treating honestly and iphone was cheating you. To get extra calories try to walk more than 3000 steps.

Ah okay... I think am starting to get it! Thanks so much for your answers (amusedmonkey's especially made a lot of sense to me)!! So to restate what I think I've understood from this: iPhone/MFP assumes I've already moved enough to constitute my pre-set energy level (which is 'lightly active' at the moment - but obviously varies in reality!) and then counts recorded movements as additional activity, whereas FitBit/MFP doesn't assume anything about my activity because it is (theoretically) registering all of my activity for the day?

SherryTeach

My fitbit One is pretty accurate as far as determining my TDEE. I eat about what my fitbit says I burn in a 24 hour period, and I've maintained for three years. I rarely get any extra calories until I have surpassed 3,000 or more steps. As far as taking calories away, I've never had calories subtracted except when I sync in the morning when all I've done is drink coffee in bed. I know that will correct itself as the day progresses.

segacs

magneticcat wrote: »

Ah okay... I think am starting to get it! Thanks so much for your answers (amusedmonkey's especially made a lot of sense to me)!! So to restate what I think I've understood from this: iPhone/MFP assumes I've already moved enough to constitute my pre-set energy level (which is 'lightly active' at the moment - but obviously varies in reality!) and then counts recorded movements as additional activity, whereas FitBit/MFP doesn't assume anything about my activity because it is (theoretically) registering all of my activity for the day?

Yes. Well, the Fitbit part is accurate, anyway. I'm assuming about the iPhone 'cause I don't have one. But yeah, that's how Fitbit works. Which means the Fitbit burn is probably more accurate.

But before you go getting too depressed about that, double-check both against your real-world results. You say you've been on here for ~5 years and have been in maintenance for the past 1-2 years. So you should have a fairly good idea of what your maintenance calories are. The Fitbit might take a week or two to "learn" your habits, but after a bit of use, it should start to give you daily calorie burn estimates that are pretty close to your known maintenance level. If not, then either the Fitbit is inaccurate or your food estimation is. But don't dramatically change what you eat; if you're 1 or 2 years into maintenance, then keep doing what you're doing.