Just started using Fitbit...question

kschwab0203
kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I just started using a Fitbit and have figured out how to sync it with MFP. Throughout the day on my MFP I notice that there are "Fitbit adjustments" to my daily calories. It seems like a lot. Yesterday was 488 calories! Am I supposed to eat back some or all of those extra calories Fitbit is giving me? I haven't been. Just been sticking to my usual 1430 that MFP gives me.

Replies

  • brendanwhite84
    brendanwhite84 Posts: 219 Member
    Largely depends on your activity level. If you're sedentary you might want to consider eating those back. Although if I were losing weight instead of bulking, I'd avoid eating back exercise calories if I could avoid it without feeling weak.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
    I have an office job and spend most of the day at my desk. I try to get in some kind of activity at lunch, even if it's walking around the shopping center near work. Most of my physical activity is in the evening when I'm running around my house taking care of 3 kids.
  • dfnewcombe
    dfnewcombe Posts: 94 Member
    edited October 2017
    Make sure you have enabled negative adjustments: Home>settings> scroll down about half way and check the enable negative adjustments. The negative adjustments may take away some of your daily allotment of calories when you first wake-up but will gradually increase over the day as you perform your activities.

    Home>settings>scroll down about half-way and check enable negative adjustments.
  • kschwab0203
    kschwab0203 Posts: 610 Member
    Forgive me I'm still trying to figure this out...negative adjustments on Fitbit or MFP?
  • dfnewcombe
    dfnewcombe Posts: 94 Member
    edited October 2017
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    Forgive me I'm still trying to figure this out...negative adjustments on Fitbit or MFP?

    On MFP- on your computer- click the home tab, then settings, and check the box about half-way down.

    By enabling the negative adjustments, you will have to perform above what you have set your activity level at before you see extra calories added. I have my activity level set at sedentary (and a daily allotment of 1200), so I have to perform at least about 3000 steps before I will see any calories added to my daily allotment. If you allotment is higher than 1200/day then you may actually have some calories taken away and gradually returned until you have achieved the activity level you have set- lightly active may be around 5000 steps.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    dfnewcombe wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    Forgive me I'm still trying to figure this out...negative adjustments on Fitbit or MFP?

    On MFP- on your computer- click the home tab, then settings, and check the box about half-way down.

    By enabling the negative adjustments, you will have to perform above what you have set your activity level at before you see extra calories added. I have my activity level set at sedentary (and a daily allotment of 1200), so I have to perform at least about 3000 steps before I will see any calories added to my daily allotment. If you allotment is higher than 1200/day then you may actually have some calories taken away and gradually returned until you have achieved the activity level you have set- lightly active may be around 5000 steps.

    Not trying to Hijack the thread, but even with negative adjustments enabled any idea why most days I get extra calories added before I do any exercise? some days I wake up with about 100 added calories and I'm also set at 1,200 sedentary.
  • dfnewcombe
    dfnewcombe Posts: 94 Member
    @laurenebargar - I am not sure- I don't have any added until I have about 3000 steps- except when I work (I work night shift 3x/week). So- what time are you going to bed, and is your fitbit set to the right time zone? Are you going to sleep after midnight?

    Otherwise, I do not know....
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    dfnewcombe wrote: »
    @laurenebargar - I am not sure- I don't have any added until I have about 3000 steps- except when I work (I work night shift 3x/week). So- what time are you going to bed, and is your fitbit set to the right time zone? Are you going to sleep after midnight?

    Otherwise, I do not know....

    Nope except on the weekends not going to bed after midnight, everything is set to the right time zone though, those are helpful suggestions! Just wasnt sure, thanks for the info :) Ill try trouble shooting it with fitbit and MFP
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,758 Member
    laurenebargar wrote: »
    dfnewcombe wrote: »
    @laurenebargar - I am not sure- I don't have any added until I have about 3000 steps- except when I work (I work night shift 3x/week). So- what time are you going to bed, and is your fitbit set to the right time zone? Are you going to sleep after midnight?

    Otherwise, I do not know....

    Nope except on the weekends not going to bed after midnight, everything is set to the right time zone though, those are helpful suggestions! Just wasnt sure, thanks for the info :) Ill try trouble shooting it with fitbit and MFP

    Are you set to sedentary on both mfp and fitbit?
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    @glassyo yes everything matches on fitbit and myfitnesspal,

    Today for example, I only have 1,500 steps and my added excerise calories are 172 , yesterday my total added calories for the day was 273 and that was with a walk and ending the day around 6K steps.
  • Tacklewasher
    Tacklewasher Posts: 7,122 Member
    laurenebargar wrote: »
    @glassyo yes everything matches on fitbit and myfitnesspal,

    Today for example, I only have 1,500 steps and my added excerise calories are 172 , yesterday my total added calories for the day was 273 and that was with a walk and ending the day around 6K steps.

    Yesterday sounds close enough. By today, are you talking mid-day? They do try to forecast what your end of day looks like so if you hit 1500 steps by mid-morning it might think you will get 4500 and give you extra based on that, but they will be taken away if you don't hit that target.
  • KWlosingit
    KWlosingit Posts: 122 Member
    laurenebargar wrote: »
    dfnewcombe wrote: »
    kschwab0203 wrote: »
    Forgive me I'm still trying to figure this out...negative adjustments on Fitbit or MFP?

    On MFP- on your computer- click the home tab, then settings, and check the box about half-way down.

    By enabling the negative adjustments, you will have to perform above what you have set your activity level at before you see extra calories added. I have my activity level set at sedentary (and a daily allotment of 1200), so I have to perform at least about 3000 steps before I will see any calories added to my daily allotment. If you allotment is higher than 1200/day then you may actually have some calories taken away and gradually returned until you have achieved the activity level you have set- lightly active may be around 5000 steps.

    Not trying to Hijack the thread, but even with negative adjustments enabled any idea why most days I get extra calories added before I do any exercise? some days I wake up with about 100 added calories and I'm also set at 1,200 sedentary.

    Did you use the calories MFP says or did you make your own calories amount? For the fitbit/MFP to work correctly together you must use the calories amount MFP calculates. You must also have fitbit and MFP set to the same settings, weight, height, amount to lose weekly. If they are not both set the same the adjustments will be wonky.
  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    @Tacklewasher yeah its about 11:30 so you're right that makes sense I didnt realize it forecasted ahead of time though I guess I should have

    @KWlosingit I'm using MFP calories I just adjusted them as well after losing another 5 lbs.
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