calorie deficit CONFUSION!

paradise444

I am using fitbit. Are the "calories earned" at end of the day considered your calorie deficit for that day if Ichoose not to eat them?? I need to monitor my daily deficit, and want to ensure this is correct. Thank you!

wilsoncl6

The calories earned are the amount of extra calories you're allowed to burn because of exercise or activities outside your normal daily allowance. Those calories are subtracted from your total caloric intake for the day. You're total caloric deficit for the day, week, month and year can be seen in the reports section of myfitnesspal.

rileysowner

No. Your calorie deficit is already built into your calorie goal excluding those fitbit calories. You are supposed to eat them to keep your deficit at a reasonable level. Not eating them in the long run will lead to excess loss of lean mass due to an excessive deficit. In other words, if it says you have calories left to eat, you are supposed to eat them. One more note, I have heard that for the first several days of fitbit use and syncing the numbers can be a bit weird due to the device learning your movement patterns. I don't use a fitbit, but there is a group here for fitbit users where your questions on fitbit specifics could be answered much better.