Established Fitbit charge hr users

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I have a shiny new fitbit charge HR and have been glued to it since xmas day. My question is to those of you that have been using it for a period of time. I have been exercising moderately, cardio and weights, and it gives me back calories throughout the day, so, What do you do with these earned calories? do you ignore them or have you successfully been losing weight by keeping them in you CI<CO totals?
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  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,729 Member
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    Integrate with MFP enabling negative adjustments for those days when you move less than expected. Eat back the "exercise" calories it gives you to achieve the goals you've defined for yourself in MFP. Adjust your MFP goals based on your weight changes as evaluated by a trending weight app. Since you have a Fitbit.com account, connect www.trendweight.com to it and use it as your trending weight app.
  • youdontknowwhatyousaw
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    I have my Fitbit connected to MFP and I eat my exercise calories. Fitbit has been accurate for me.
  • GF4EVER2014
    GF4EVER2014 Posts: 8 Member
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    I don't eat any exercise calories-- I find on days when I run a little over goal, I don't let it get me down. I love my HR!
  • Jake_1980
    Jake_1980 Posts: 1 Member
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    I recommend not eating back the calories. Not really a reason to.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    Jake_1980 wrote: »
    I recommend not eating back the calories. Not really a reason to.

    Wrong answer.

    MFP is already set to have you lose weight. If you don't eat what you earn extra from exercising, you risk serious health problems.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    New Fitbit users should join the Fitbit Users Group on MFP:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

    The FAQ is essential reading, and the group is filled with helpful threads and people.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,729 Member
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    Jake_1980 wrote: »
    I recommend not eating back the calories. Not really a reason to.

    The reason you eat back exercise calories is the same whether we are discussing the Fitbit adjustment or actual exercise calories: you eat them to achieve the deficit you've set for yourself to achieve.

    Not eating back exercise calories achieves a bigger deficit. Sounds good? Well... it isn't. Because yes, there IS such a thing as too big of a deficit for optimized weight loss.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    I don't eat back my calories.
    I have negative adjustments turned off and have my calories at a fixed amount (premium).
    My daily calories are approximately 20% less than my TDEE (30 day avg) TDEE comes from FitBit.
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,627 Member
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    MFP is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. Most of us with long term success, eat back around half of those calories.

    Eating too few calories results in lean muscle loss, fatigue, and a whole host of other issues.

    I would strongly advise new people to listen to those who have been here a long time and have had success.
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    MFP is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. Most of us with long term success, eat back around half of those calories.

    Eating too few calories results in lean muscle loss, fatigue, and a whole host of other issues.

    I would strongly advise new people to listen to those who have been here a long time and have had success.

    If you use MFPs NEAT formula sure. If you use the FitBit TDEE method, eating them back isn't necessary. They are already accounted for.
    Some people use MFP just to track what they are eating. I have much more success using TDEE and eating 1600 calories than the MFP 1200 gave me.

    OP, I would strongly advise joining the FitBit users group linked above.

  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    kuranda10 wrote: »
    MFP is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. Most of us with long term success, eat back around half of those calories.

    Eating too few calories results in lean muscle loss, fatigue, and a whole host of other issues.

    I would strongly advise new people to listen to those who have been here a long time and have had success.

    If you use MFPs NEAT formula sure. If you use the FitBit TDEE method, eating them back isn't necessary. They are already accounted for.
    Some people use MFP just to track what they are eating. I have much more success using TDEE and eating 1600 calories than the MFP 1200 gave me.

    OP, I would strongly advise joining the FitBit users group linked above.

    We need to clarify for the newbies.

    Most new members (and we get a lot at this time of year) haven't a clue what the TDEE method is. I don't even know what the "Fitbit TDEE" method is.

    "I have much more success using TDEE and eating 1600 calories than the MFP 1200 gave me."

    That's exactly the same thing as being on 1200 with MFP and eating back most of the exercise calories you earned.

    I'm on 1200 with MFP but I earn about 1000 with exercise logged automatically in Fitbit, and I eat 75% of that back.

    We don't eat all the exercise calories back to allow for the fact that exercise machines and wristbands tend to exaggerate a bit.

    Can you explain the "Fitbit TDEE method"? @kuranda10
  • kuranda10
    kuranda10 Posts: 593 Member
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    FitBit uses TDEE. It calculates ALL the calories used during the day. when I wake up it shows I've already burned 300 calories. There isn't any of the bouncing calories because you haven't been as active as MFP expected you to be. It's really crappy to think you were doing great all day and then find out at 11 PM you're over for the day.

    Or, go to the FAQs on the Fitbit group linked above, @heybales explains it much better than you attempting to call me out because I don't subscribe to your method,

    I don't bother eating back exercise calories because I have chosen to not log every single activity of every single day. FitBit tells me my avg TDEE is 2030. I eat 20% less than that.
    YMMV.
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
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    kuranda10 wrote: »
    FitBit uses TDEE. It calculates ALL the calories used during the day. when I wake up it shows I've already burned 300 calories. There isn't any of the bouncing calories because you haven't been as active as MFP expected you to be. It's really crappy to think you were doing great all day and then find out at 11 PM you're over for the day.

    Or, go to the FAQs on the Fitbit group linked above, @heybales explains it much better than you attempting to call me out because I don't subscribe to your method,

    I don't bother eating back exercise calories because I have chosen to not log every single activity of every single day. FitBit tells me my avg TDEE is 2030. I eat 20% less than that.
    YMMV.

    I'm sorry you think I'm "attempting to call me out because I don't subscribe to your method". I was just wanting to learn from you.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Some people can plan better if they have a static daily eating goal. Eat some of the same meals daily, no big surprises either direction.

    MFP's static goal (NET) for non-exercise days, eaten all the time even with exercise, is just foolish though.

    The problem is when people don't realize MFP does it differently than almost every other site (though the activity trackers follow MFP method now) and say they don't eat back exercise calories.

    They actually do - planned or historical average exercise calories and daily activity.
    This is where the thinking comes that you better do your exercise to lose weight - in that type of usage - true.
    Because your eating level was based on burning so much on average daily which included exercise.
    Skip the exercise too much and you may lose the deficit and not lose weight.
    Though the fact is you merely need to eat less than you burn daily on average, whether that includes exercise or not.

    Some people can eat around a dynamic goal like MFP and Fitbit use that actually basis it on the amount you did today, and today only, and take the same amount of deficit off.

    So you could always use a site like MFP or Fitbit that is designed for one way, and use the other way.
    And now MFP under premium makes it easier to do so. Fitbit allows setting static goal too.

    Fitbit just provides the weekly TDEE figures to base the MFP eating goal on. For those that do it smart.
    Some people still prefer to guess from 5 rough levels that only talk about exercise, rather than Fitbit providing infinite levels to work with, or allow MFP to correct itself with.

    So exercise calories are actually eaten back to some degree - and there is a deficit taken on the average daily burn that includes them.

    I really don't understand why someone would likely have no clue how MFP works to get their eating goal, then buy a Fitbit that provides better estimates of activity, and somehow trust MFP figures without Fitbit corrections more.

    Charles Babbage, father of programmable computers - "On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."
  • dawniemate
    dawniemate Posts: 395 Member
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    dmac_101 wrote: »
    I have a general question about the Charge HR. What kind of battery life should I expect from this device?
    mines about 3 days. .......then 30 minutes to change fully :wink:

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    Jake_1980 wrote: »
    I recommend not eating back the calories. Not really a reason to.

    I can think of lots of reasons why one might not want to create a larger deficit: preserving muscle mass, fueling heavier exercise, maintaining energy, preparing for maintaining weight loss, avoiding hunger.

    My Fitbit gives me an average of 500-600 extra calories a day. Since I'm maintaining, not eating those would really mess up my health and my energy.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    dmac_101 wrote: »
    I have a general question about the Charge HR. What kind of battery life should I expect from this device?

    In my honest opinino, not a very good one.
    My battery lasts around 2 days and that's with all the 'extras' disabled and with limiting myself to 1 'button press' a day. I have e-mailed fitbit support for this and they are insistent that there is no issue or fault with my device despite re-setting it numerous times. I still love it - but I haven't found it to last anywhere NEAR the 5 days it claims. The fitbit flex (again, my opinion) was better battery-wise. :)
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    dmac_101 wrote: »
    I have a general question about the Charge HR. What kind of battery life should I expect from this device?

    In my honest opinino, not a very good one.
    My battery lasts around 2 days and that's with all the 'extras' disabled and with limiting myself to 1 'button press' a day. I have e-mailed fitbit support for this and they are insistent that there is no issue or fault with my device despite re-setting it numerous times. I still love it - but I haven't found it to last anywhere NEAR the 5 days it claims. The fitbit flex (again, my opinion) was better battery-wise. :)

    I hardly ever push the button, don't use the alarm or any alerting features, and usually get about two days from my battery. I love it otherwise, so I've just come to accept it.
  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    dmac_101 wrote: »
    I have a general question about the Charge HR. What kind of battery life should I expect from this device?

    In my honest opinino, not a very good one.
    My battery lasts around 2 days and that's with all the 'extras' disabled and with limiting myself to 1 'button press' a day. I have e-mailed fitbit support for this and they are insistent that there is no issue or fault with my device despite re-setting it numerous times. I still love it - but I haven't found it to last anywhere NEAR the 5 days it claims. The fitbit flex (again, my opinion) was better battery-wise. :)

    I hardly ever push the button, don't use the alarm or any alerting features, and usually get about two days from my battery. I love it otherwise, so I've just come to accept it.

    Glad I'm not the only one with this then! :) Thanks