trackers and mfp

rosswillsimpson

Recently bought a fitbit flex (today actually haha), I've considered actually changing the tracking from counting steps to using it to allowing to show me my calorie out %-age. Do you think this would be worth it or is it best to not be too focused on the calorie side of a tracker and just go for the steps?

Just want opinions really!

scrapjen

The Flex should count both your steps and give you a calorie estimate burn for your activity (it will take into consideration your age/weight/gender as you've input those stats on the website).

I do really use Fitbit and MFP together. I log my food here, and it transfers to Fitbit. I don't pay too much attention to the food plan there (as it is hard to get it to line up the same as MFP) but I watch the graph on the main profile page, showing my total calorie burn and my total intake. I try to keep the two lines from touching or crossing!

Your Fitbit burn should transfer over from Fitbit to here - allowing you a few more calories to eat as you workout (depending on your settings, if you have MFP set to active, no credit from Fitbit will transfer over until you exceed the activity expected at that setting). I personally set MFP at sedentary, and then get full credit for all my activity ... but if I'm not active, then I don't get any additional calorie credit.

I have the Fitbit One, but we just added a Flex to the family last Saturday (for my 17-year old son) so I'm learning a little more about it vicariously ...

jamielynas

The Flex should count both your steps and give you a calorie estimate burn for your activity (it will take into consideration your age/weight/gender as you've input those stats on the website).

I do really use Fitbit and MFP together. I log my food here, and it transfers to Fitbit. I don't pay too much attention to the food plan there (as it is hard to get it to line up the same as MFP) but I watch the graph on the main profile page, showing my total calorie burn and my total intake. I try to keep the two lines from touching or crossing!

Your Fitbit burn should transfer over from Fitbit to here - allowing you a few more calories to eat as you workout (depending on your settings, if you have MFP set to active, no credit from Fitbit will transfer over until you exceed the activity expected at that setting). I personally set MFP at sedentary, and then get full credit for all my activity ... but if I'm not active, then I don't get any additional calorie credit.

I have the Fitbit One, but we just added a Flex to the family last Saturday (for my 17-year old son) so I'm learning a little more about it vicariously ...

holy sh%t a sensible reply, are you new?

michellechawner

The Flex should count both your steps and give you a calorie estimate burn for your activity (it will take into consideration your age/weight/gender as you've input those stats on the website).

I do really use Fitbit and MFP together. I log my food here, and it transfers to Fitbit. I don't pay too much attention to the food plan there (as it is hard to get it to line up the same as MFP) but I watch the graph on the main profile page, showing my total calorie burn and my total intake. I try to keep the two lines from touching or crossing!

Your Fitbit burn should transfer over from Fitbit to here - allowing you a few more calories to eat as you workout (depending on your settings, if you have MFP set to active, no credit from Fitbit will transfer over until you exceed the activity expected at that setting). I personally set MFP at sedentary, and then get full credit for all my activity ... but if I'm not active, then I don't get any additional calorie credit.

I have the Fitbit One, but we just added a Flex to the family last Saturday (for my 17-year old son) so I'm learning a little more about it vicariously ...

This - I have a fitbit One and she is spot on. log food in MFP, fitbit tracks all exercises except weightlifting.

donnaleighh

What Jen says .... great advice .... I use the same set up that she recommends and I only log extra activity if I do say some work in the gym or something that fitbit doesn't track so well like cycling, a gym class etc - the important thing then is to make sure that the time logged is correct so it overwrites your FB estimates. Enjoy - and if you need another FB friend close at hand - feel free to add me. Donna

DonnaRe2012

The Flex should count both your steps and give you a calorie estimate burn for your activity (it will take into consideration your age/weight/gender as you've input those stats on the website).

I do really use Fitbit and MFP together. I log my food here, and it transfers to Fitbit. I don't pay too much attention to the food plan there (as it is hard to get it to line up the same as MFP) but I watch the graph on the main profile page, showing my total calorie burn and my total intake. I try to keep the two lines from touching or crossing!

Your Fitbit burn should transfer over from Fitbit to here - allowing you a few more calories to eat as you workout (depending on your settings, if you have MFP set to active, no credit from Fitbit will transfer over until you exceed the activity expected at that setting). I personally set MFP at sedentary, and then get full credit for all my activity ... but if I'm not active, then I don't get any additional calorie credit.

I have the Fitbit One, but we just added a Flex to the family last Saturday (for my 17-year old son) so I'm learning a little more about it vicariously ...

holy sh%t a sensible reply, are you new?

^^^^^^^^ This. Very nice answer.

rosswillsimpson

The Flex should count both your steps and give you a calorie estimate burn for your activity (it will take into consideration your age/weight/gender as you've input those stats on the website).

I do really use Fitbit and MFP together. I log my food here, and it transfers to Fitbit. I don't pay too much attention to the food plan there (as it is hard to get it to line up the same as MFP) but I watch the graph on the main profile page, showing my total calorie burn and my total intake. I try to keep the two lines from touching or crossing!

Your Fitbit burn should transfer over from Fitbit to here - allowing you a few more calories to eat as you workout (depending on your settings, if you have MFP set to active, no credit from Fitbit will transfer over until you exceed the activity expected at that setting). I personally set MFP at sedentary, and then get full credit for all my activity ... but if I'm not active, then I don't get any additional calorie credit.

I have the Fitbit One, but we just added a Flex to the family last Saturday (for my 17-year old son) so I'm learning a little more about it vicariously ...

Fantastic reply! I totally understand what you mean and I'm currently working out that exact set up as we speak, but when tapping the flex, it flashes for the 20% stages of my step goal. there is an option to change this to show a 20% goal stage of your calories, distance traveled and v. active minutes goals for that day, I was just wondering if it would be more beneficial to see the calories goal I have set on FB dashboard (from the workings out on MFP and my fitness profile) rather than seeing my steps walked?

What Jen says .... great advice .... I use the same set up that she recommends and I only log extra activity if I do say some work in the gym or something that fitbit doesn't track so well like cycling, a gym class etc - the important thing then is to make sure that the time logged is correct so it overwrites your FB estimates. Enjoy - and if you need another FB friend close at hand - feel free to add me. Donna

I'd love to be your friend on FB! Add me here! http://www.fitbit.com/user/26K3HD

scrapjen

ah ... not totally familiar with the 20% flashing on the Flex yet The One doesn't really have a feature like that. I would imagine it's fairly easy to switch between the different options? Maybe try it for steps for one week, then switch it to calories burned, then to very active minutes then settle on whichever you felt most inspired you to move.

Be sure to switch your goals if the preset ones are too easy to achieve. I had to jump on my son's account and up his, as he was hitting them all mid-day. I set his goals to 3000 calorie burn, 22000 steps and 100 very active minutes ... those are my goals too! It seems much harder for ME to hit that 3000 calorie burn even though I outweigh both my teen boys by a bit! It's been really fun to have several Fitbit's in the family!