Does anyone have any weight loss success using Fitbit synced with MFP?

mlapsevertgo1223
mlapsevertgo1223 Posts: 5 Member
edited November 29 in Social Groups
I'm just curious if anyone has had any long term weight loss success using Fitbit with MFP? I am new to Fitbit and MFP, so people using this combo, I'd love to hear your success stories for motivation.

Thanks!
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Replies

  • shrinkingtina
    shrinkingtina Posts: 686 Member
    I've kept off any weight I've lost while using both. I think the fitbit keeps me accountable for meeting my step goals, and MFP makes me accountable for what I eat. When I have taken a break from either, I've noticed that I am not as strict with my diet or exercise. Kind of like when the boss is not at work. So there is definitely a correlation between weight success and using these items to help keep me in check.
  • Montepulciano
    Montepulciano Posts: 845 Member
    Got my Fitbit for Christmas, since then I have lost 7 pounds, so right at a month. I am not sure it helps me lose weight, but I do know it keeps me moving more. MFP for me is about watching my calories, the Fitbit is about moving, or that is how I am currently using them. Hope that helps!
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    I started working on getting healthier and losing weight almost exactly 3 years ago. I signed up with MFP a couple of months after I started and I got my first Fitbit about 9 months after I started. My weight loss hasn't been fast, but it has been pretty consistent (with a few plateaus) - averaging 1/2 pound a week for the 3 years. I still have a ways to go. My Fitbit has been an essential tool. The feedback it gives me keeps me moving and motivated and helps me to understand that I can eat and not be hungry as long as I exercise. All my life I'd been told that exercise would make a negligible contribution to weight loss and that the key was keeping my calories (or, carbs, or whatever) limited to an uncomfortable level. Now I know that I can eat 2000 calories a day, not be hungry and lose weight as long as I exercise. It's turned this long term exercise avoider into a exercise seeker.

    My son got a Fitbit about a year ago and while he hasn't used MFP, he lost considerable weight, too. He's very proud that he is no longer "overweight" according to the BMI scale (he still wants to lose more and especially wants to build some muscle). He changed his diet just by trying to eat healthier (he almost never cooks and gets 2 meals a day at work, so he wanted to avoid having to log his food).
  • airangel59
    airangel59 Posts: 1,887 Member
    Started here June 2012...Got my first tracker (Flex) July 2013....Started walking daily...haven't stopped.
    Calorie deficit (eating less) & walking (moving more).

    qieak5cmzvlw.png
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    It has helped me in the sense that the more i move, the more I can eat. I can eat what I want and how much I want (to a point of obviously) and still remain in a deficit. Before I got my fitbit I was an inactive sloth and struggled to keep myself in a deficit. Now I push myself to see those green numbers in my diary increase through out the day, which is a huge motivation
  • mlapsevertgo1223
    mlapsevertgo1223 Posts: 5 Member
    So excellent. This all helps me so much!! Thanks guys!!
  • ChelleBelle2708
    ChelleBelle2708 Posts: 131 Member
    I've lost 10kg in past 10 months
  • sarahmichelef
    sarahmichelef Posts: 127 Member
    It was the breakthrough for me, too. After creeping up to my highest weight ever, I linked the two about 10 months ago and lost slowly but steadily (15 lbs) between March and September 2015. Am now getting refocused after this fall kind of kicked my *kitten* on a personal level.
  • worstcaster
    worstcaster Posts: 217 Member
    I'm down 63 pounds since last spring. I've been a little less active since the cold weather set in, but still planning to loss more.
  • guinevere96
    guinevere96 Posts: 1,445 Member
    Im down 11 lbs since January 1st using fitbit and MFP :) all I know is my fitbit really really encourages me to keep moving. I feel a lot more reward now after seeing my stats from exercising.
  • wandakc
    wandakc Posts: 85 Member
    WOW you all are so motivating sure can not wait to see some success with me !!
  • wrighty11146
    wrighty11146 Posts: 74 Member
    certainly does help with the loss. I got mine about 9 months ago, started loosing again in January and currently down a stone :) Its nice to know how much extra you can eat with it matched. feel free to add me if you want.
  • jessetfan
    jessetfan Posts: 373 Member
    I've lost about 30 pounds since the beginning of October using my Fitbit and MFP. I've still got a ways to go, but I love being at the top of the leaderboard among my friends and seeing the extra calories I can eat or the extra deficit that I create with the exercise.
  • T0M_K
    T0M_K Posts: 7,526 Member
    edited January 2016
    I posted this in the HR forum but i'll do it here. This I find very interesting...almost like its too good to be true..but I promise i didn't fudge any of this. ALL food tracked through MFP...all Burn tracked through Fitbit HR all synced up in Fitbit for the graph below.
    29hdimfnb95r.png

    To the math for us nerds:
    Average calorie burn per day times 30 days = 80700 calories burned
    Average calorie intake per day times 30 days = 40200 calories consumed.
    Deficit = 40500 calories.
    1lb = 3500 calories.
    40500 divided by 3500 = 11.57.
    According to my scales at home….I started at exactly 200lbs and now way 188.4 a difference of 11.6lbs.

    Now could this just be a total fluke...i spose..but it makes me go "hmmmmm" :| "maybe this all works"
  • ^ I love seeing data like that! I've been unable to get a perfect month or more of perfect logging, but hopefully I will get a solid streak of weeks someday so that I can crunch my numbers.
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    Now, that's accurate! It could be just a lucky fluke that you came that close this month. If you just started working on losing weight then it is less likely to continue to be that accurate because people generally lose extra fast when they first start (water weight, I think). Plus, that's probably a higher rate of weight loss than you want to have over the longer term (it's more than 2 lbs per week). Still, it does show that your Fitbit isn't too far off, no matter what.
  • mlapsevertgo1223
    mlapsevertgo1223 Posts: 5 Member
    This is all great stuff, ladies and gentleman. The internet needs more friendly and motivating people! Thank you all so much. Keep the stories coming!
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    @Tomk652015 that's awesome. Are you a premium member on Fitbit? I can't seem to find a graph like that. It only gives me one called Food Stats.
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    edited January 2016
    @Tomk652015 that's awesome. Are you a premium member on Fitbit? I can't seem to find a graph like that. It only gives me one called Food Stats.

    Nope, not a premium member benefit. Go to your profile page (On the website. I haven't found it on the phone app.) Click on your profile pic in the upper right.
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    Wonderful! Thank you @NancyN795 !
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    That makes it so easy to see how much my calorie counting is off or the Fitbit is off. I was keeping a spreadsheet, which was a great deal more work.

    I burned 61230 and ate 46050, which works out to 4.3 pounds lost. But I've lost 3. That's 150 calories a day. I could definitely be mis-logging a few things - I've slacked off slightly as time goes on.

    I got my Charge HR in November and it was off by 250 cals/day the first month. 150 cals/day the second month is a good improvement. Thanks again for sharing that feature!
  • T0M_K
    T0M_K Posts: 7,526 Member
    @Tomk652015 that's awesome. Are you a premium member on Fitbit? I can't seem to find a graph like that. It only gives me one called Food Stats.

    I am a premium member but frankly, not sure that gives me anything substantially different than non premium.
  • T0M_K
    T0M_K Posts: 7,526 Member
    That makes it so easy to see how much my calorie counting is off or the Fitbit is off. I was keeping a spreadsheet, which was a great deal more work.

    I burned 61230 and ate 46050, which works out to 4.3 pounds lost. But I've lost 3. That's 150 calories a day. I could definitely be mis-logging a few things - I've slacked off slightly as time goes on.

    I got my Charge HR in November and it was off by 250 cals/day the first month. 150 cals/day the second month is a good improvement. Thanks again for sharing that feature!

    I religiously log everything and recently started weighing things like protein and starchy carbs cuz for me they are hard to estimate. I log condiments/dressings and everything cuz those little things can add up and get you in trouble.

    I was expecting results like you experienced and nothing nearly as spot on as mine turned out. I was just really curious if this was all working or not so did the math which Fitbit/MFP makes easy.
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    I log and weigh almost everything, except I have started to relax about it, especially with some items at dinner. My husband usually cooks, and I don't often include the spices or oils or breadcrumbs used in a marinade. He takes it easy for me, knowing I am trying to lose weight, but I am sure this could often be the 150 calories.

    I think the Charge HR took quite a while to get to know me, but I am happy with it now after 2 months. I have lowered my daily goal to compensate for what is likely at least half my logging error and I look forward to checking back next month. Thanks again!
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
    I log and weigh almost everything, except I have started to relax about it, especially with some items at dinner. My husband usually cooks, and I don't often include the spices or oils or breadcrumbs used in a marinade. He takes it easy for me, knowing I am trying to lose weight, but I am sure this could often be the 150 calories.

    I think the Charge HR took quite a while to get to know me, but I am happy with it now after 2 months. I have lowered my daily goal to compensate for what is likely at least half my logging error and I look forward to checking back next month. Thanks again!

    I usually don't log extremely accurately, either. I find it isn't good for my mental health (or my marriage, for that matter). Plus, I did try to log very accurately for a couple of months last year and found that my Fitbit seems to overestimate my calorie burn a bit. So here's what I do. Since I have basically 2 standard breakfasts (which I just copy from previous days most of the time), I just log some "Quick Add calories" every day with my breakfast. That's my "fudge factor", if you will. That way, I can go back to that nifty graph that Fitbit provides and the math works.
  • BJerzy
    BJerzy Posts: 1,844 Member
    Do you guys eat back the fitbit calories ( or exercise calories) or do you try to stick to your original number?
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    Yep. I actually joined MFP first, heard about fitbit here and then got one. Been using it in conjunction with MFP since April 2013. It's been a big help and a great motivator.
    I'll come back in a little bit with some charts. I'm pretty sure I have some for 2013, but I might need to make some for 2014/15.
  • RunRachelleRun
    RunRachelleRun Posts: 1,854 Member
    @NancyN795 a fudge factor is likely a better idea than lowering the daily goal. Yes, after logging for well over a year now, I find it necessary to relax a little. That said, I might try to log more accurately for a month just to see if the Fitbit stacks up better.

    @brynncody09 Yes, I almost always eat back most of my exercise calories. I find I am hungrier on days I work out, and I appreciate them. If I didn't eat them back, I might never work out.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Do you guys eat back the fitbit calories ( or exercise calories) or do you try to stick to your original number?

    I eat back between 50-70%. The only reason I exercise is so I can eat more :wink: I'd find it very, very hard to stick to the calories MFP gives me. I prelog my day every morning, and always start off in the red!!
  • JRenee180
    JRenee180 Posts: 16 Member
    87 lbs lost in almost a year using mfp and fit bit ;)
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