Fitbit Activity adjustments

becknomad

Hi everyone, I just got a Fitbit and I'm a little surprised by the activity calories I'm being given. I work in a medical office so I spend the day 1/3 sitting, 1/3 standing and 1/3 walking. I get about 4,000 steps with just work. At lunch I try to take a 30 minute walk and some days I take another walk when I get home. I end up with 7-10K steps a day. I have a herniated disk in my back so I can't walk too fast. Heart rate only gets up to 110 (65 is my resting average). I have my MFP set to Lightly Active. My Fitbit adjustment has been giving me 700-1000 calories. Does that seem right? Seems awfully high to me since I'm not working out that hard.... I am 37, 207 lbs, 1500 cal/day with 1.5 loss a week goal.

WhatLouAte

I would just choose sedentary and have negative calorie adjustments enabled, this is under settings.

smiles4jo

That does seem high...

I'm 5'6" and 190 lbs. I have my profile set to Sedentary and a 2 lb loss/week. Even on the days I walk 15,000 steps, it still only gives me an extra 500-600 calories.

LivingtheLeanDream

No, not inflated at all for your weight/height, the heavier you are the more calories you burn with any activity. Fitbit is pretty accurate imo.

I average 20k steps a day/run half of those and I get around 1000 cals, but I'm at maintenance/ 5ft 2 and 130lbs. TDEE in other words is 2300.

ashleyjongepier

I'm about your weight and when I do 10k steps most of it comes from working out and I get 400-600 cals

fvtfan

It is easy enough to check it for accuracy - go to Fitbit and see what yesterday's total burn was, subtract the deficit you chose in MFP (500, 750 or 1000 depending on how many # a week you want to lose) and see if that matches your total goal at the bottom of your diary. I have found it to be within 30 calories the past couple of weeks. Now whether that burn from Fitbit is accurate is another question - you will only know that if you compare CICO over several weeks to your actual loss.

mrsloganlife

How long exactly have you had your Fitbit? For the first couple of weeks calories burned, steps, etc., will all seem really wonky as the device is getting used to you (average resting heart rate, etc.).

no_day_but_2day

207lbs but how tall are you? If you're 5'4" then it may be possible because the heavier you weigh, the more calories you burn. 207 at 6'3" though, then yes, it's a little high. I always think about 100 calories per mile whether you're running or walking. PS, @mrsloganlife makes a good point. The fitbit always overestimates for the first few weeks. After having mine for almost a year now, it has gotten much better on my TDEE.

jeepinshawn

You need to choose sedentary not lightly active. For some reason MFP doesn't adjust the fitbit activity calories to include the higher intial count...For instance if I choose sedentary on MFP I gte 2120 for my daily intake from MFP and then I walked 10K steps I get another 450-500 calories usually from fitbit. If I set MFP to lightly active then I get something like 2350 base calories and if I walk 10K steps I still get the same fitbit adjustment of 450-500 calories when in reality it should be about half that amount if the setting is lightly active.

LivingtheLeanDream

jeepinshawn wrote: »

You need to choose sedentary not lightly active. For some reason MFP doesn't adjust the fitbit activity calories to include the higher intial count...For instance if I choose sedentary on MFP I gte 2120 for my daily intake from MFP and then I walked 10K steps I get another 450-500 calories usually from fitbit. If I set MFP to lightly active then I get something like 2350 base calories and if I walk 10K steps I still get the same fitbit adjustment of 450-500 calories when in reality it should be about half that amount if the setting is lightly active.

Not if you've set mfp to enable negative adjustments. ..doesn't matter if you put sedentary or active - I have mine to active and have done it both ways in the past. It's all the same total cals burned in the end, in other words the same TDEE with both apps. I just don't like seeing mfp telling me I have high burns.

jeepinshawn

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

jeepinshawn wrote: »

You need to choose sedentary not lightly active. For some reason MFP doesn't adjust the fitbit activity calories to include the higher intial count...For instance if I choose sedentary on MFP I gte 2120 for my daily intake from MFP and then I walked 10K steps I get another 450-500 calories usually from fitbit. If I set MFP to lightly active then I get something like 2350 base calories and if I walk 10K steps I still get the same fitbit adjustment of 450-500 calories when in reality it should be about half that amount if the setting is lightly active.

Not if you've set mfp to enable negative adjustments. ..doesn't matter if you put sedentary or active - I have mine to active and have done it both ways in the past. It's all the same total cals burned in the end, in other words the same TDEE with both apps. I just don't like seeing mfp telling me I have high burns.

Negative calorie adjustments have nothing to do with what I said. Negative Calorie adjustments only occur when you don't meet the minimum activity level for whatever you have selected as your level. I'm very active, and tried to select higher activity levels for MFP so that I don't end up with the 1200cal adjustments from fitbit activity, but it doesn't work. MFP still gives me the same amount of activity calories from fitbit whether I have selected my base level as sedentary or active. If it is set to sedentary I get 2120 base calories then I walk 10K steps and I get another 450-500 for that.....If I set to active, my base calorie allowance is something like 2500 calories, and I walk the same 10K steps I get the same 450-500 calorie adjustment from fitbit. So if I ate all those the TDEE from MFP would be 2570 if I selected sedentary or 2950 if I selected active and I did the same amount of exercise....

LivingtheLeanDream

@jeepinshawn not sure what's different in your case then. ..all I know is what applies to me and the fact that I'm set to maintain my weight but I don't think that should affect it...

I don't log any exercise on mfp only fitbit and when I logged my food I only logged food in mfp.

Today I have 22k steps and counting - mfp tells me right now I can eat 2300 cals, fitbit will tell me a similar number when it's near end of day.

I guess it's all about finding what works best for you.

DonaldBlinks

Could be accurate. I've been eating the adjusted calories that fitbit gives me and the math has worked out almost perfectly. If I look back on my calorie deficit that fitbit gives me for the week, it usually adds up almost exactly to my weight loss.

It usually gives me 800-1000 calories. I'm 6'4',' currently 240 and walk between 12-15k steps a day.

shadow2soul

jeepinshawn wrote: »

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

jeepinshawn wrote: »

You need to choose sedentary not lightly active. For some reason MFP doesn't adjust the fitbit activity calories to include the higher intial count...For instance if I choose sedentary on MFP I gte 2120 for my daily intake from MFP and then I walked 10K steps I get another 450-500 calories usually from fitbit. If I set MFP to lightly active then I get something like 2350 base calories and if I walk 10K steps I still get the same fitbit adjustment of 450-500 calories when in reality it should be about half that amount if the setting is lightly active.

Not if you've set mfp to enable negative adjustments. ..doesn't matter if you put sedentary or active - I have mine to active and have done it both ways in the past. It's all the same total cals burned in the end, in other words the same TDEE with both apps. I just don't like seeing mfp telling me I have high burns.

Negative calorie adjustments have nothing to do with what I said. Negative Calorie adjustments only occur when you don't meet the minimum activity level for whatever you have selected as your level. I'm very active, and tried to select higher activity levels for MFP so that I don't end up with the 1200cal adjustments from fitbit activity, but it doesn't work. MFP still gives me the same amount of activity calories from fitbit whether I have selected my base level as sedentary or active. If it is set to sedentary I get 2120 base calories then I walk 10K steps and I get another 450-500 for that.....If I set to active, my base calorie allowance is something like 2500 calories, and I walk the same 10K steps I get the same 450-500 calorie adjustment from fitbit. So if I ate all those the TDEE from MFP would be 2570 if I selected sedentary or 2950 if I selected active and I did the same amount of exercise....

@jeepinshawn - How long are you waiting to check the adjustment math after updating your activity level? For me it takes at least 10 mins (sometimes up to 4 hours) before the adjustment math is corrected for the new activity level.

Also keep in mind that at higher activity levels, the adjustment may be really high earlier in the day and then taper off.

Example:
At 1:52 pm, Fitbit sent over a calorie burn of 1431. MFP is going to estimate the rest of the days calorie burn will be based on my activity level setting and the approximate amount MFP thinks I will burn per min/hour.

Sedentary: 1600 calories to maintain weight

66.66 calories per hour
1.1 calories per min

Lightly Active: 1790 calories to maintain weight

74.58 calories per hour
1.24 calories per min

Active: 2040 calories to maintain weight

85 calories per hour
1.41 calories per min

Very Active: 2300 calories to maintain weight

95.83 caloires per hour
1.59 calories per min

If my math is correct there is 10 hrs 8 mins left in my day, so MFP does this:

Sedentary:

66.66*10= 666.6
1.1*8 = 8.8

1431+666.6+8.8= 2106

2106 (MFP's estimate of what Fitbit will say I burned at 11:59 pm tonight)
-1600
506 (adjustment at current point in time)

Lightly Active:

74.58 * 10 = 745.8
1.24* 8 = 9.92

1431+745.8+9.92=2186

2186 (MFP's estimate of what Fitbit will say I burned at 11:59 pm tonight)
-1790
396 (adjustment at current point in time)

Active:

85*10=850
1.41*8=11.28

1431+850+11.28=2292

2292 (MFP's estimate of what Fitbit will say I burned at 11:59 pm tonight)
-2040
252 (adjustment at current point in time)


Very Active:

95.83*10 = 958.3
1.59*8=12.72

1431+958.3+12.72=2402

2402 (MFP's estimate of what Fitbit will say I burned at 11:59 pm tonight)
-2300
102 (adjustment at current point in time)

The math for the adjustment is re-run each time Fitbit sends an updated calorie burn to MFP (typically after syncing your Fitbit). So while these would be my adjustments now at the corresponding activity levels, they could decrease or increase with my next Fitbit sync.

Now if I change my activity level from Sedentary to Very Active, for a few minutes to a few hours after I first do it the adjustment math will still be using the calculations from when my profile was set at Sedentary. It takes a little while to update.

jeepinshawn

shadow2soul wrote: »

jeepinshawn wrote: »

RunRutheeRun wrote: »

jeepinshawn wrote: »

You need to choose sedentary not lightly active. For some reason MFP doesn't adjust the fitbit activity calories to include the higher intial count...For instance if I choose sedentary on MFP I gte 2120 for my daily intake from MFP and then I walked 10K steps I get another 450-500 calories usually from fitbit. If I set MFP to lightly active then I get something like 2350 base calories and if I walk 10K steps I still get the same fitbit adjustment of 450-500 calories when in reality it should be about half that amount if the setting is lightly active.

Not if you've set mfp to enable negative adjustments. ..doesn't matter if you put sedentary or active - I have mine to active and have done it both ways in the past. It's all the same total cals burned in the end, in other words the same TDEE with both apps. I just don't like seeing mfp telling me I have high burns.

Negative calorie adjustments have nothing to do with what I said. Negative Calorie adjustments only occur when you don't meet the minimum activity level for whatever you have selected as your level. I'm very active, and tried to select higher activity levels for MFP so that I don't end up with the 1200cal adjustments from fitbit activity, but it doesn't work. MFP still gives me the same amount of activity calories from fitbit whether I have selected my base level as sedentary or active. If it is set to sedentary I get 2120 base calories then I walk 10K steps and I get another 450-500 for that.....If I set to active, my base calorie allowance is something like 2500 calories, and I walk the same 10K steps I get the same 450-500 calorie adjustment from fitbit. So if I ate all those the TDEE from MFP would be 2570 if I selected sedentary or 2950 if I selected active and I did the same amount of exercise....

@jeepinshawn - How long are you waiting to check the adjustment math after updating your activity level? For me it takes at least 10 mins (sometimes up to 4 hours) before the adjustment math is corrected for the new activity level.

Also keep in mind that at higher activity levels, the adjustment may be really high earlier in the day and then taper off.

Example:
At 1:52 pm, Fitbit sent over a calorie burn of 1431. MFP is going to estimate the rest of the days calorie burn will be based on my activity level setting and the approximate amount MFP thinks I will burn per min/hour.

Sedentary: 1600 calories to maintain weight

66.66 calories per hour
1.1 calories per min

Lightly Active: 1790 calories to maintain weight

74.58 calories per hour
1.24 calories per min

Active: 2040 calories to maintain weight

85 calories per hour
1.41 calories per min

Very Active: 2300 calories to maintain weight

95.83 caloires per hour
1.59 calories per min

If my math is correct there is 10 hrs 8 mins left in my day, so MFP does this:

Sedentary:

66.66*10= 666.6
1.1*8 = 8.8

1431+666.6+8.8= 2106

2106 (MFP's estimate of what Fitbit will say I burned at 11:59 pm tonight)
-1600
506 (adjustment at current point in time)

Lightly Active:

74.58 * 10 = 745.8
1.24* 8 = 9.92

1431+745.8+9.92=2186

2186 (MFP's estimate of what Fitbit will say I burned at 11:59 pm tonight)
-1790
396 (adjustment at current point in time)

Active:

85*10=850
1.41*8=11.28

1431+850+11.28=2292

2292 (MFP's estimate of what Fitbit will say I burned at 11:59 pm tonight)
-2040
252 (adjustment at current point in time)


Very Active:

95.83*10 = 958.3
1.59*8=12.72

1431+958.3+12.72=2402

2402 (MFP's estimate of what Fitbit will say I burned at 11:59 pm tonight)
-2300
102 (adjustment at current point in time)

The math for the adjustment is re-run each time Fitbit sends an updated calorie burn to MFP (typically after syncing your Fitbit). So while these would be my adjustments now at the corresponding activity levels, they could decrease or increase with my next Fitbit sync.

Now if I change my activity level from Sedentary to Very Active, for a few minutes to a few hours after I first do it the adjustment math will still be using the calculations from when my profile was set at Sedentary. It takes a little while to update.

Interesting maybe I will give it another shot. I have had a lot of issues with mfp and fitbit the last few months, so I'm leery of changing anything for fear it will mess up the adjustments again. If I remember the last time I tried it, I waited for it to change for a day or so, but that may have been when there was a bug in the system.

Colorscheme

I'm 5'7" 156 lbs, I burn about 500 cals for 10k steps. I set MFP to sedentary because other than the steps, I'm not active otherwise. The general rule is 100 cals burned for every mile you walk. You're also a lot bigger than I am, so that may account for it.

SezxyStef

I use an activity tracker and per the setup instructions I chose sedentary and enabled negative adjustments.

What I found prior to do that was this.

It took more steps to get an adjustment from my activity tracker.

Negative adjustments always show for me in the morning but as the day goes and I am active (steps and/or workouts) that goes away and I get a positive adjustment.

Like others I do not log exercise here.