Fitbit adding to MFP for exercise calories...

slieber

I put my fitbit and MFP to sync together. Now, I HAD only been using MFP and a heart rate monitor that hadn't been synced with it. I find that FITBIT adds all sorts of exercise cals in addition to any workout I do (which is strenuous, daily ballet class for the time being). I am aware of eating back exercise calories for my workouts but should I also eat those that Fitbit puts in that are 'ancillary' calories (e.g. calories related to steps)?

What has been your experience with this?

Boxn_n_Bellydancn

I have both synced as well. I use mfp for my calorie intake and my fitbit for calories out, and pay no attention to the rest, but do the subtraction on my own. Not sure if this helps.

CyberTone

Yes, eat back at least a percentage; start with about 50% and after a few weeks adjust based on your results.

I always eat back 100% of my earned Calories in maintenance. I ate back 90% of them when I was losing a few pounds and had no problem netting about 1600 Cals per day to lose those pounds when I had MFP set to lose 0.5 pounds per week. For comparison, I am 55, 5'8", 150 lbs. and my maintenance net Calories are about 1820 at MFP Sedentary. I normally gross 2300 Calories logged for food and earn on average about a 500 Fitbit Calorie adjustment above MFP Sedentary activity level setting.

I do use a food scale to weigh all solids, measuring cups and spoons to measure liquids, and verify all food items I log through outside web sources and Nutrition Facts labels. I trust that my Calorie Intake is pretty accurate using MFP, and I trust my Calorie Output is pretty accurate using the Fitbit Charge 2.

I would recommend reading through the first three posts in this thread on the MFP Fitbit Users group...

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

heybales

MFP calculated your activity level calorie burn based on your selection of non-exercise activity level.

Did you select correctly - could you be between the 4 rough levels?

So MFP wants to correct itself based a device that actually sees how much you move daily - hence the adjustment.
You are willing to trust MFP, but not when it wants to correct itself?

That may be put that on the Exercise diary page - but it's not just or even exercise.

You could have active day and no workout and huge adjustment.
You could have hard workout and really lazy rest the day and have no adjustment.

Unless you know the calculated calorie burn is wrong for what you are doing, trust it.

Like HRM-based calorie burn for lifting or intervals or anything non steady-state aerobic, should be manually logged - unless it's so brief it doesn't matter, like 15 min.

Or step-based calorie burn for lifting is obviously wrong. BMR level calorie burn while doing squats because no steps are taken - that's obviously wrong, as is bogus steps on biking, yet too short distance and under-estimated.

For daily life calories - if you see it slipping into HR-exercise mode just because HR went up a tad - that's inflated (and after couple weeks should be sorted out as Fitbit learns your resting HR and workout frequency/duration).
Or if you note the distance for average daily pace walking is way off and you do a lot of steps.

SCoil123

I have mine synced but I do not add workouts into MFP. I only get my activity calories from what FitBit adds.