Established Fitbit charge hr users

2

Replies

  • HutchA12
    HutchA12 Posts: 279 Member
    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.

    This isn't about maintaining it's losing. Also I don't get why everyone thinks your body just eats muscles for fun. If you eat protein your body won't just attack your muscles to breakdown extra for no reason. Your heart is a muscle you body isn't going to digest it for fun. You need to be really starving to do this.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    HutchA12 wrote: »
    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.

    This isn't about maintaining it's losing. Also I don't get why everyone thinks your body just eats muscles for fun. If you eat protein your body won't just attack your muscles to breakdown extra for no reason. Your heart is a muscle you body isn't going to digest it for fun. You need to be really starving to do this.

    Nobody said that your body will breakdown your muscles "for no reason." A large deficit is actually a reason why you might experience muscle loss. That's not "no reason." Nobody claimed that your body will "eat muscles just for fun," so I'm not sure why you feel the need to rebut that. If you have a very large deficit, even if you eat protein, you will experience some muscle loss. Minimizing your deficit is a way to help avoid unnecessary muscle loss.

    This board is for people at all stages of weight loss -- including maintaining weight loss. I brought up maintaining as a reason why someone might want to eat back calories burned through exercise because the blanket statement was made that there was "no reason" to eat them.
  • MrsGreco
    MrsGreco Posts: 134 Member
    Twincle45 wrote: »
    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?

    Sometimes I eat back the calories, sometimes I bank them for a future treat, and sometimes I put them toward my deficit and don't eat any of them back. A lot of it depends on how active I was the day I earned them, and how active I plan to be the next day. I found if I just go for the deficit I run out of energy on day 3.

    I have also found that MFP over estimates the added calories from FitBit, so I usually try not to go over 75% of those calories earned, though lately I have been using FitBit's calories left to determine how much more I will eat as I feel it's more accurate. I still log everything in MFP though. Enjoy your FitBit!

    Same here!
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    Orphia wrote: »
    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.

    Agreed 100%. I eat some of the exercise calories back, and leave a little (room for error).
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I have also found that MFP over estimates the added calories from FitBit, so I usually try not to go over 75% of those calories earned, though lately I have been using FitBit's calories left to determine how much more I will eat as I feel it's more accurate. I still log everything in MFP though. Enjoy your FitBit!

    How could MFP over estimate the added calories from Fitbit?

    Actually, they aren't added calories from Fitbit - Fitbit merely reports to MFP here's what it thinks you burned today, based on actual activity levels.

    Compared to MFP basing a guess on what you'll burn based on your guess of non-exercise activity level.

    MFP is merely correcting it's rough estimate with a better one - end of the day they both should end up the same.

    You might want to read the FAQ in the Fitbit group, because I sense a misunderstanding as to what's going on - and it's hard to think you are correcting something if you don't actually understand how it works in the first place.
  • Twincle1970
    Twincle1970 Posts: 45 Member
    maybe, but yesterday fitbit reported I had a 1000+ excess calorie deficit so not entirely confident its working as I expect :smiley:
  • pineygirl
    pineygirl Posts: 322 Member
    I eat a portion of them back. Probably 50 to 75% depending on how hungry I am.

    I used to think fitbit was horribly inaccurate. I'm 5'1 and wasn't technically overweight at 128lbs when I got it back in late October. And I was getting huge calorie burns. Like 2300 to 2850.

    I have MFP set to lightly active. But most days I'm not lightly active. I take 15000 to 25000 steps a day....just from work and and chasing my toddler around.

    So I estimated my TDEE to be about 200 to 300 calories less than what fitbit says.

    I'm now 113lbs.

    I recently tracked the trend over the past 8 weeks. I was losing 1.45lbs per week. Not 1lb per week like I intended to.

    Guess what...fitbit was right. And that 200 to 300 buffer I added was just a bigger deficit. My deficit was around 700 to 800. Not 500.

    And I'm still breasfeeding my toddler...so my deficit is actually a little bigger than that.

    Now that I'm smaller and fitbit knows me better it says I burn from 2000 to 2500 depending on my activity. On lazy days I burn about 2000 and on crazy busy days I burn closer to 2500. Most of that comes from running around a lot at work or when I'm doing errands or housework. Exercise is maybe like 300 calories.

    I know I should probably eat them all back now. But I like the extra buffer to account for inaccuracies in the data base..
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    edited January 2016
    I've had my Charge HR since July. I'm 5'3.5", I was 139 pounds and now I'm 115 pounds. I used to be afraid to eat all of my exercise calories back assuming Fitbit was overestimating and I'd gain weight; I'd eat back 25% maximum. What happened after that? I started to lose around 3 pounds per week instead of 2 pounds, which even 2 pounds was an aggressive goal for my size. People want quick results, so they think the greater the rate of loss, the better it is. Not for me. I was very active over the summer and there was just one day where I didn't want to get out of bed. I tried, but my body was like "nope, you're going to stay in bed and only get out to eat a bunch". My normal day was a morning run for 5 miles, then I'd come home and eat, then I'd take a quick shower, then I'd go run errands, then I'd lift or do more cardio in the evening, then sleep. I'd get 20000+ steps per day but only eat 1200 to 1400 calories. There were even days I had a negative net at the end of the day. "There's no way I can eat THAT many calories in a day!" I didn't know better and it caught up with me. Luckily I quickly learned that I CAN eat as many calories as Fitbit says I can per day.

    At 115, I still lose weight at 1800 to 2200 calories per day. When I look back and think about how much I could have been eating over the summer, I get sad. I didn't suffer any detrimental effects besides fatigue, but that's because I figured out and fixed the calorie issue pretty quickly. Please eat your calories back. It doesn't have to be 100% of them, but start from 50% and work your way up if your rate of loss is greater than two pounds per week unless you have 100+ pounds to lose. I know it can be hard because eating a lot of food and/or lack of activity is what got us here, but food is also fuel for your body. No matter whether you do yoga, aerobics, running, walking, lifting, powerlifting, or no exercise at all, food is a huge part of what keeps your body moving and your brain functioning. You need an adequate amount of it to be at your best.
  • Kvm11628
    Kvm11628 Posts: 7,386 Member
    My Charge is supposed to arrive today. Excited to get started with it - but realizing I have a lot to learn.

    I eat back my activity calories sometimes - usually about half. If I know I have been very accurate in tracking food, I eat back more. If I had to estimate a lot of my daily calories (I travel for work a lot, so restaurant meals are tough), I tend to eat back a portion, based on my confidence in tracking. That way I have a buffer for underestimating my calories.

    Historically, I have found (for me) that NOT eating back a chunk of those calories is counterproductive. The challenge can be to eat those calories in smart ways - and not just grabbing a handful of chips!
  • meredithgir199
    meredithgir199 Posts: 243 Member
    Twincle45 wrote: »
    maybe, but yesterday fitbit reported I had a 1000+ excess calorie deficit so not entirely confident its working as I expect :smiley:

    I'm trying to figure out what to do with those cals as well. I just got my Fitbit for Christmas and it produces much higher calorie burns than my polar HRM did when I wore it. This morning my gym session consisted of a mix of cardio and weights and for 92 minutes, and it's giving me 1100 exercise calories. At 6ft tall and about 90 lbs overweight, MFP is set to lose 1.5 lbs at 1870 cals per day. I always thought that I should just focus on eating within my calorie goal MFP established and disregard the exercise calories.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    Twincle45 wrote: »
    maybe, but yesterday fitbit reported I had a 1000+ excess calorie deficit so not entirely confident its working as I expect :smiley:

    I'm trying to figure out what to do with those cals as well. I just got my Fitbit for Christmas and it produces much higher calorie burns than my polar HRM did when I wore it. This morning my gym session consisted of a mix of cardio and weights and for 92 minutes, and it's giving me 1100 exercise calories. At 6ft tall and about 90 lbs overweight, MFP is set to lose 1.5 lbs at 1870 cals per day. I always thought that I should just focus on eating within my calorie goal MFP established and disregard the exercise calories.

    What is your activity level on MFP? If you have it on sedentary, MFP is assuming you won't get exercise at all and your calories are based on your assumed BMR. That's where the 1870 comes from. Even if your activity level is not on sedentary, fitbit only adjusts your MFP calories after you hit the specified activity level you've set for yourself. At 6 feet and 90 pounds overweight, you absolutely can eat more and lose. I'm 5'3.5" and 115 and I lose on more than 1870. I get around 12,000 to 16,000 steps per day and my workout sessions are only 40 to 60 minutes. If you ignore your exercise calories, it could be extremely detrimental in the long run.
  • meredithgir199
    meredithgir199 Posts: 243 Member
    synacious wrote: »
    Twincle45 wrote: »
    maybe, but yesterday fitbit reported I had a 1000+ excess calorie deficit so not entirely confident its working as I expect :smiley:

    I'm trying to figure out what to do with those cals as well. I just got my Fitbit for Christmas and it produces much higher calorie burns than my polar HRM did when I wore it. This morning my gym session consisted of a mix of cardio and weights and for 92 minutes, and it's giving me 1100 exercise calories. At 6ft tall and about 90 lbs overweight, MFP is set to lose 1.5 lbs at 1870 cals per day. I always thought that I should just focus on eating within my calorie goal MFP established and disregard the exercise calories.

    What is your activity level on MFP? If you have it on sedentary, MFP is assuming you won't get exercise at all and your calories are based on your assumed BMR. That's where the 1870 comes from. Even if your activity level is not on sedentary, fitbit only adjusts your MFP calories after you hit the specified activity level you've set for yourself. At 6 feet and 90 pounds overweight, you absolutely can eat more and lose. I'm 5'3.5" and 115 and I lose on more than 1870. I get around 12,000 to 16,000 steps per day and my workout sessions are only 40 to 60 minutes. If you ignore your exercise calories, it could be extremely detrimental in the long run.

    Thank you for the information, @synacious. I have MFP set to sedentary because I have a desk job. On the days that I can't get to the gym, I only get about 5000-6000 steps in. My goal is to get to the gym about 3-4 times per week for at least an hour.

    I will say there were a few times this week that I only ate about 1600 cals and felt satisfied. There are obviously other days that I'm hungrier or are eating out. I suppose on those days I can eat more and it will all equal out?
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    synacious wrote: »
    Twincle45 wrote: »
    maybe, but yesterday fitbit reported I had a 1000+ excess calorie deficit so not entirely confident its working as I expect :smiley:

    I'm trying to figure out what to do with those cals as well. I just got my Fitbit for Christmas and it produces much higher calorie burns than my polar HRM did when I wore it. This morning my gym session consisted of a mix of cardio and weights and for 92 minutes, and it's giving me 1100 exercise calories. At 6ft tall and about 90 lbs overweight, MFP is set to lose 1.5 lbs at 1870 cals per day. I always thought that I should just focus on eating within my calorie goal MFP established and disregard the exercise calories.

    What is your activity level on MFP? If you have it on sedentary, MFP is assuming you won't get exercise at all and your calories are based on your assumed BMR. That's where the 1870 comes from. Even if your activity level is not on sedentary, fitbit only adjusts your MFP calories after you hit the specified activity level you've set for yourself. At 6 feet and 90 pounds overweight, you absolutely can eat more and lose. I'm 5'3.5" and 115 and I lose on more than 1870. I get around 12,000 to 16,000 steps per day and my workout sessions are only 40 to 60 minutes. If you ignore your exercise calories, it could be extremely detrimental in the long run.

    Thank you for the information, @synacious. I have MFP set to sedentary because I have a desk job. On the days that I can't get to the gym, I only get about 5000-6000 steps in. My goal is to get to the gym about 3-4 times per week for at least an hour.

    I will say there were a few times this week that I only ate about 1600 cals and felt satisfied. There are obviously other days that I'm hungrier or are eating out. I suppose on those days I can eat more and it will all equal out?

    Actually, its a little quirk of the MFP math that your activity level is NOT included in the calorie calculation, even though it asks you to input that. I think that's a little odd, but that's the way it works. It uses a TDEE calculation based on a sedentary lifestyle, and the number of pounds a week that you want to lose, to figure out what deficit will get you there. That's why people are often advised to add back some of those exercise calories into their diet. But it would be different if you're relying on the fitbit to calculate your daily calorie burn.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    synacious wrote: »
    Twincle45 wrote: »
    maybe, but yesterday fitbit reported I had a 1000+ excess calorie deficit so not entirely confident its working as I expect :smiley:

    I'm trying to figure out what to do with those cals as well. I just got my Fitbit for Christmas and it produces much higher calorie burns than my polar HRM did when I wore it. This morning my gym session consisted of a mix of cardio and weights and for 92 minutes, and it's giving me 1100 exercise calories. At 6ft tall and about 90 lbs overweight, MFP is set to lose 1.5 lbs at 1870 cals per day. I always thought that I should just focus on eating within my calorie goal MFP established and disregard the exercise calories.

    What is your activity level on MFP? If you have it on sedentary, MFP is assuming you won't get exercise at all and your calories are based on your assumed BMR. That's where the 1870 comes from. Even if your activity level is not on sedentary, fitbit only adjusts your MFP calories after you hit the specified activity level you've set for yourself. At 6 feet and 90 pounds overweight, you absolutely can eat more and lose. I'm 5'3.5" and 115 and I lose on more than 1870. I get around 12,000 to 16,000 steps per day and my workout sessions are only 40 to 60 minutes. If you ignore your exercise calories, it could be extremely detrimental in the long run.

    Thank you for the information, @synacious. I have MFP set to sedentary because I have a desk job. On the days that I can't get to the gym, I only get about 5000-6000 steps in. My goal is to get to the gym about 3-4 times per week for at least an hour.

    I will say there were a few times this week that I only ate about 1600 cals and felt satisfied. There are obviously other days that I'm hungrier or are eating out. I suppose on those days I can eat more and it will all equal out?

    Actually, its a little quirk of the MFP math that your activity level is NOT included in the calorie calculation, even though it asks you to input that. I think that's a little odd, but that's the way it works. It uses a TDEE calculation based on a sedentary lifestyle, and the number of pounds a week that you want to lose, to figure out what deficit will get you there. That's why people are often advised to add back some of those exercise calories into their diet. But it would be different if you're relying on the fitbit to calculate your daily calorie burn.

    Unless I'm misreading something in your post, MFP DOES adjust the calorie allowance you're allowed based on the activity level you choose in the guided setup. When I choose sedentary I get an allowance of 1520 per day but when I choose very active it changes to 2190 per day.
  • sheermomentum
    sheermomentum Posts: 827 Member
    synacious wrote: »
    synacious wrote: »
    Twincle45 wrote: »
    maybe, but yesterday fitbit reported I had a 1000+ excess calorie deficit so not entirely confident its working as I expect :smiley:

    I'm trying to figure out what to do with those cals as well. I just got my Fitbit for Christmas and it produces much higher calorie burns than my polar HRM did when I wore it. This morning my gym session consisted of a mix of cardio and weights and for 92 minutes, and it's giving me 1100 exercise calories. At 6ft tall and about 90 lbs overweight, MFP is set to lose 1.5 lbs at 1870 cals per day. I always thought that I should just focus on eating within my calorie goal MFP established and disregard the exercise calories.

    What is your activity level on MFP? If you have it on sedentary, MFP is assuming you won't get exercise at all and your calories are based on your assumed BMR. That's where the 1870 comes from. Even if your activity level is not on sedentary, fitbit only adjusts your MFP calories after you hit the specified activity level you've set for yourself. At 6 feet and 90 pounds overweight, you absolutely can eat more and lose. I'm 5'3.5" and 115 and I lose on more than 1870. I get around 12,000 to 16,000 steps per day and my workout sessions are only 40 to 60 minutes. If you ignore your exercise calories, it could be extremely detrimental in the long run.

    Thank you for the information, @synacious. I have MFP set to sedentary because I have a desk job. On the days that I can't get to the gym, I only get about 5000-6000 steps in. My goal is to get to the gym about 3-4 times per week for at least an hour.

    I will say there were a few times this week that I only ate about 1600 cals and felt satisfied. There are obviously other days that I'm hungrier or are eating out. I suppose on those days I can eat more and it will all equal out?

    Actually, its a little quirk of the MFP math that your activity level is NOT included in the calorie calculation, even though it asks you to input that. I think that's a little odd, but that's the way it works. It uses a TDEE calculation based on a sedentary lifestyle, and the number of pounds a week that you want to lose, to figure out what deficit will get you there. That's why people are often advised to add back some of those exercise calories into their diet. But it would be different if you're relying on the fitbit to calculate your daily calorie burn.

    Unless I'm misreading something in your post, MFP DOES adjust the calorie allowance you're allowed based on the activity level you choose in the guided setup. When I choose sedentary I get an allowance of 1520 per day but when I choose very active it changes to 2190 per day.

    Interesting. I had done this before, and it didn't cause a change. But I just tried it again, and it did. So I guess you're right :)
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    synacious wrote: »
    synacious wrote: »
    Twincle45 wrote: »
    maybe, but yesterday fitbit reported I had a 1000+ excess calorie deficit so not entirely confident its working as I expect :smiley:

    I'm trying to figure out what to do with those cals as well. I just got my Fitbit for Christmas and it produces much higher calorie burns than my polar HRM did when I wore it. This morning my gym session consisted of a mix of cardio and weights and for 92 minutes, and it's giving me 1100 exercise calories. At 6ft tall and about 90 lbs overweight, MFP is set to lose 1.5 lbs at 1870 cals per day. I always thought that I should just focus on eating within my calorie goal MFP established and disregard the exercise calories.

    What is your activity level on MFP? If you have it on sedentary, MFP is assuming you won't get exercise at all and your calories are based on your assumed BMR. That's where the 1870 comes from. Even if your activity level is not on sedentary, fitbit only adjusts your MFP calories after you hit the specified activity level you've set for yourself. At 6 feet and 90 pounds overweight, you absolutely can eat more and lose. I'm 5'3.5" and 115 and I lose on more than 1870. I get around 12,000 to 16,000 steps per day and my workout sessions are only 40 to 60 minutes. If you ignore your exercise calories, it could be extremely detrimental in the long run.

    Thank you for the information, @synacious. I have MFP set to sedentary because I have a desk job. On the days that I can't get to the gym, I only get about 5000-6000 steps in. My goal is to get to the gym about 3-4 times per week for at least an hour.

    I will say there were a few times this week that I only ate about 1600 cals and felt satisfied. There are obviously other days that I'm hungrier or are eating out. I suppose on those days I can eat more and it will all equal out?

    Actually, its a little quirk of the MFP math that your activity level is NOT included in the calorie calculation, even though it asks you to input that. I think that's a little odd, but that's the way it works. It uses a TDEE calculation based on a sedentary lifestyle, and the number of pounds a week that you want to lose, to figure out what deficit will get you there. That's why people are often advised to add back some of those exercise calories into their diet. But it would be different if you're relying on the fitbit to calculate your daily calorie burn.

    Unless I'm misreading something in your post, MFP DOES adjust the calorie allowance you're allowed based on the activity level you choose in the guided setup. When I choose sedentary I get an allowance of 1520 per day but when I choose very active it changes to 2190 per day.

    Interesting. I had done this before, and it didn't cause a change. But I just tried it again, and it did. So I guess you're right :)

    Maybe it depends on how close to 1200 your allowance is based on your rate of loss. So if you actually get less than 1200 at sedentary, MFP rounds it up to 1200, but choosing something like lightly active would only bump you up to exactly 1200, so it looks like it stays the same. Maybe that's what happened the first time around?
  • williams969
    williams969 Posts: 2,528 Member
    I got a Fitbit specifically to get a better activity/calorie burn estimator than MFP uses (which is limited to 4 activity levels and for some, overly "ambitious" exercise calories). The whole point for me was that I could and would get a closer, more accurate number.

    So, I eat them all (averaged over the week). I like to bank calories for dining out and social occasions...mmm fried chicken and cake yesterday, lol. In my mind, not eating what Fitbit says just makes my device an expensive bracelet.

    Oh, and I've always eaten back all exercise calories for the 18 months I've had a Fitbit. It worked for my weight loss period, through maintenance /recomp, during my bulk, and now it will work for my cut.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    I saw several comments above that sound like there is a belief that the Fitbit calorie adjustment that happens to be included on the Exercise diary is the amount of calories from exercise.

    It is NOT. It is merely the difference between what Fitbit reports to MPF that you burned so far that day, and what MFP estimated you'd burn based on the activity level you selected.

    You could have big workout and especially lazy and have negative adjustment.
    You could have no workout and especially active and have big positive adjustment.

    The amount of the adjustments will be bigger when you pick sedentary compared to Lightly Active or Active - but at the end of the day the math works out the same for your eating goal.

    Actually, read the 2nd half of the FAQ - because depending on your end of day routine - sedentary is usually better because of the fact most are indeed sedentary, if not sleeping, several hours at end.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,295 Member
    As Heybales said the "exercise" calories that MFP comes up with to account for Fitbit's input is mislabelled.

    It SHOULD be called: "caloric adjustment to account for what Fitbit measured".

    it is usually pretty darn accurate. Like in the 95% range.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    As Heybales said the "exercise" calories that MFP comes up with to account for Fitbit's input is mislabelled.

    It SHOULD be called: "caloric adjustment to account for what Fitbit measured".

    it is usually pretty darn accurate. Like in the 95% range.

    Exactly. People refer to it as "exercise" calories since that's what MFP labels it as on the site, but an adjustment of +600 doesn't mean you burned 600 calories doing exercise. It's simply that whatever your activity level was for that day, any movement + actual exercise(if any), exceeded the activity level that you'd be assumed to have for that day. It's also important to have negative adjustments enabled; without that, it's pointless.
  • meredithgir199
    meredithgir199 Posts: 243 Member
    synacious wrote: »
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    As Heybales said the "exercise" calories that MFP comes up with to account for Fitbit's input is mislabelled.

    It SHOULD be called: "caloric adjustment to account for what Fitbit measured".

    it is usually pretty darn accurate. Like in the 95% range.

    Exactly. People refer to it as "exercise" calories since that's what MFP labels it as on the site, but an adjustment of +600 doesn't mean you burned 600 calories doing exercise. It's simply that whatever your activity level was for that day, any movement + actual exercise(if any), exceeded the activity level that you'd be assumed to have for that day. It's also important to have negative adjustments enabled; without that, it's pointless.

    This may be a stupid question but you all have been so helpful, I thought I'd ask :smile:

    If I turn on my negative adjustments and the value represented is truly a negative number at the end of the day after my adjustment has been made, should I in theory be eating that amount less? For example, if my total cals is 1870 but the negative adjustment represents -105, should I aim to eat 1765 cals that day?
  • d_thomas02
    d_thomas02 Posts: 9,055 Member
    edited January 2016
    If I turn on my negative adjustments and the value represented is truly a negative number at the end of the day after my adjustment has been made, should I in theory be eating that amount less? For example, if my total cals is 1870 but the negative adjustment represents -105, should I aim to eat 1765 cals that day?

    Yes.

    MFP calories are an estimated based on what you told MFP what your activity level was. The FitBit correction is based on what FitBit actually measured you doing.

    That's why I bought my FitBit and why I bought a food scale. More accurate estimates of calories in and calories out.
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    d_thomas02 wrote: »
    If I turn on my negative adjustments and the value represented is truly a negative number at the end of the day after my adjustment has been made, should I in theory be eating that amount less? For example, if my total cals is 1870 but the negative adjustment represents -105, should I aim to eat 1765 cals that day?

    Yes.

    MFP calories are an estimated based on what you told MFP what your activity level was. The FitBit correction is based on what FitBit actually measured you doing.

    That's why I bought my FitBit and why I bought a food scale. More accurate estimates of calories in and calories out.

    Agreed. This is why, in my opinion, it is best to keep your MFP activity level at sedentary and the Fitbit food plan at sedentary instead of personalized. Activity level varies, so I feel it's best to just start myself off with the minimum.
  • synacious wrote: »
    d_thomas02 wrote: »
    If I turn on my negative adjustments and the value represented is truly a negative number at the end of the day after my adjustment has been made, should I in theory be eating that amount less? For example, if my total cals is 1870 but the negative adjustment represents -105, should I aim to eat 1765 cals that day?

    Yes.

    MFP calories are an estimated based on what you told MFP what your activity level was. The FitBit correction is based on what FitBit actually measured you doing.

    That's why I bought my FitBit and why I bought a food scale. More accurate estimates of calories in and calories out.

    Agreed. This is why, in my opinion, it is best to keep your MFP activity level at sedentary and the Fitbit food plan at sedentary instead of personalized. Activity level varies, so I feel it's best to just start myself off with the minimum.

    I keep Fitbit at sedentary, but I keep MFP set to lightly active. On days when I do less, Fitbit and MFP match much more closely that way vs. always having a huge number of calories added onto my MFP goal from Fitbit. Negative adjustments will take care of me potentially going down in activity level for the day, but that almost never happens. Actually, I should probably even bump MFP up another level. That way, there's a good, basic goal in place, and Fitbit still works as intended.

  • Twincle1970
    Twincle1970 Posts: 45 Member
    I keep Fitbit at sedentary,

    I'm getting a bit old, but I cant find a sedentary setting in fitbit, whereabouts would I find it?
  • If you go into your log and mouse over the gear icon that is next to Food Plan, it will show the option for personalized vs. sedentary.
  • Oh, and to see your MFP goal vs Fitbit goal (this has probably already been covered in this thread but just in case), go to your exercise log in MFP and mouse over the i symbol to see the info.
  • Twincle1970
    Twincle1970 Posts: 45 Member
    edited January 2016
    aaahh ty :smiley:
    Not that I now have any idea which is best, so I'll leave it alone on the 'if it aint broke' basis
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    My charge HR was incredibly inaccurate in the first few days, but it is close to spot on now. Is the Fitbit burn estimate throughout the day the TDEE?
  • Twincle1970
    Twincle1970 Posts: 45 Member
    "synacious wrote: »
    Agreed. This is why, in my opinion, it is best to keep your MFP activity level at sedentary and the Fitbit food plan at sedentary instead of personalized. Activity level varies, so I feel it's best to just start myself off with the minimum.
    Done, seems the best option

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