Explain MFP and Fitbit syncing to me please?!

Leesespieces412

Okay, so I've been off the wagon for a while and finally got up the drive to start again. I revved up my Fitbit Flex and wore it all week and logged my calories and all that.

So let's say MFP tells me with a semi-active lifestyle and wanting to lose one pound a week, MFP says I can eat 2000 calories a day.

Then Fitbit says that once I've hit my goal of 10,000 steps in a day, I've burned almost 2800 (roughly) calories.

So MFP says due to the "exercise" from Fitbit, I have an extra 1000 (again, roughly) "exercise" calories added to my total.

Isn't MFP assuming I burn 2000 + 500 calories in a normal day when they give me my calorie goal? Or is it actually way more than that? It seems crazy that Fitbit would add that many calories and I don't even feel like I did any extra work. These numbers are on a normal day with maybe a quick run to meet the 10,000 steps at the end of the day. I just want to make sure I'm going by the right number. And numbers confuse me anyway. I tried searching for this explanation but I didn't find this specific question. Thank you for your patience!!

Ready2Rock206

Whoa! An extra 1,000 calories for only 10,000 steps? Something doesn't seem right here especially if you're already eating 2000 a day! That alone seems high - unless you're a lot larger than you look in your profile photo.

What is FitBIt calculating your total daily calorie burn at?

daniip_la

It depends on your weight/height on if those numbers are right. I weigh 307lbs and am 6'0" tall, and for 10,000 steps, Fitbit would cause MFP to probably give me around 700kcal.

So the number MFP gives you is just to lose 1lb a week with the activity level you chose. I chose sedentary, so MFP gives me ~1700ish kcal a day to lose 2lb a week, and once I hit around 1000 steps with my Fitbit, it starts giving me exercise calories back because I'm above a sedentary level.

Christine_72

I'm 5'8 and 148lbs, and i have to get around 25,000 steps to get an extra 1000 calories on mfp.

capaul42

Really it has nothing to do with steps. I can burn only 1925 total calories on a slow day and still make 10,000 steps. Your steps are just a basic indicator of your activity level. Fitbit sends the steps over but your calorie adjustment is based on your total calorie burn, not the steps.

In my example earlier, I'd only have about 110 calories added to my day since MFP would deduct my "maintenance calories" as determined by MFP (1834).

But today I'm at about 10,300 after my workout and MFP is giving me about 620 calories because my total daily burn is around 2465.

Bxqtie116

I think if you're hitting 10,000 steps a day, you should change your status to active. MFP is probably giving you more calories burned because you set your status as semi-active. It's showing that your more active than you originally stated.

SCoil123

I'm set to lightle active and get an extra 200-300 cals when I hit my step goal. I'm 5'7" and 173lb

Leesespieces412

Haha, apparently I am larger than I appear in my profile picture!! LOL. But Fitbit assumes I'll burn about the same amount of calories as MFP does, and yet it still says I burned more than that when I hit my 10,000 steps.

I think you guys are right, I put it on semi active when I didn't have a Fitbit because I didn't want to over assume how active I was. I teach toddlers all day now and maybe that falls into the active category! I'll change it and see what happens! Thanks guys!

minniestar55

Check out the FitBit group here, some very helpful information in the sticky topics there.