Fitbit logging lots of exercise calories just for regular life

MeredithDeVoe1

I have my new Fitbit Charge 2 linked to MyFitnessPal and MapMyFitness. It's giving me "credit" for lots of calories burned through normal activities. For example, I did Yoga this morning and went to church, where I sang on the worship team. I was on my feet most of the time. So I go to log lunch and Bingo! I've got 378 calories of exercise logged (as "MAPMYFITNESS Calorie Adjustment" for 3,752 steps)! Wuuut?

I was wondering if others have this discrepancy? I could wind up waaaayyyy overeating if I pay attention to the "Remaining" calories given, meanwhile MFP tells me I'll lose 10 lbs in 5 weeks (lol!!).

I'm guessing I'm not the only one who is thrown off by the steps logging function... how do you work with this?

heybales

So you trusted MFP's estimate of daily burn based on YOU selecting from just 4 different activity levels that have no day to day possible variation even though you know full well that is variable.

But you don't trust MFP trying to correct itself to a device that did see your daily variation for basically infinite levels and consider it a discrepancy?

You work with it by realizing 4 levels of guess can be fine-tuned to better accuracy - by a device that saw what you did.

That being said - the HR-based devices will take about 2 weeks to learn "you" - resting HR, amount of workouts for fitness level exercise burn, ect.

You can improve daily calorie burn also by correcting stride length since that is what calories is based on - distance, not steps.

Walk a known distance at average daily pace (not grocery store shuffle, not exercise pace) and see if distance is correct.
I can help with correction for what you find out.

Now, if MMF is also synced and uploading workouts, that should shrink a Fitbit adjustment.

Just be aware that while that adjustment is put under Exercise, it's not, it's merely the best place for it to be dealt with in math correctly.

You could have no workout and be way more active than you have MFP set for and get big adjustment.
You could have hard workout and then be more lazy and get no adjustment.
Or a mix of both corrections.

MeredithDeVoe1

I guess I do need to give the device more time to learn my habits-- just fired it up day before yesterday. I do have a measured walk/run and can check what distance it's giving me credit for. Thanks for your help, heybales!

heybales

So if it's a known distance, Fitbit has 2 stride lengths - running and walking.

And while I do run/walk intervals for training - and Fitbit has been known to get the distance surprisingly correct considering it's 2 different lengths - it's not a great way to calculate stride length.

I got the running figure by actually doing my comfortable pace of about 7:45-8/mile.

The walking figure though should be based on what you spend the vast amount of your day at - and exercise level pace isn't it. Neither is grocery store shuffle at the other end of the range.

You'll want to walk that known distance at average daily pace, probably a purposeful pace, not meandering, but not too fast either. it'll probably be hard to go what feels so slow.

If you can start a workout record to include just that distance, it'll give you the steps needed to calculate better stride length - or tell you the default value based on gender/height is correct for you.

lbt8403

I too have had issues over the past few days with MFP giving me too many calories credit. for example for walking 10000 steps yesterday I earned 782 calories. This seems like way too many calories. I have made sure that my height and weight is correct. I have my activity level set to light (I have read some places that is should be set to sedentary). I just now selected for my calories to be "netted negatively." Not sure if this will make a difference. Any insight? I am not a big person, 5' 4" 145lbs.

malibu927

lbt8403 wrote: »

I too have had issues over the past few days with MFP giving me too many calories credit. for example for walking 10000 steps yesterday I earned 782 calories. This seems like way too many calories. I have made sure that my height and weight is correct. I have my activity level set to light (I have read some places that is should be set to sedentary). I just now selected for my calories to be "netted negatively." Not sure if this will make a difference. Any insight? I am not a big person, 5' 4" 145lbs.

It does sound off. I’m on lightly active and usually get about 200 calories for 10,000 steps. Have you checked to make sure your stats in Fitbit and MFP are correct?

heybales

lbt8403 wrote: »

I too have had issues over the past few days with MFP giving me too many calories credit. for example for walking 10000 steps yesterday I earned 782 calories. This seems like way too many calories. I have made sure that my height and weight is correct. I have my activity level set to light (I have read some places that is should be set to sedentary). I just now selected for my calories to be "netted negatively." Not sure if this will make a difference. Any insight? I am not a big person, 5' 4" 145lbs.

Did you read the responses in this topic - specifically the one right above yours?

And no, enabling negative won't make a difference to positive adjustments.

MeredithDeVoe1

heybales wrote: »

So if it's a known distance, Fitbit has 2 stride lengths - running and walking.

And while I do run/walk intervals for training - and Fitbit has been known to get the distance surprisingly correct considering it's 2 different lengths - it's not a great way to calculate stride length.

I got the running figure by actually doing my comfortable pace of about 7:45-8/mile.

Sheesh. I'm still trying to break a 10 minute mile here. Lol

The walking figure though should be based on what you spend the vast amount of your day at - and exercise level pace isn't it. Neither is grocery store shuffle at the other end of the range.

You'll want to walk that known distance at average daily pace, probably a purposeful pace, not meandering, but not too fast either. it'll probably be hard to go what feels so slow.

If you can start a workout record to include just that distance, it'll give you the steps needed to calculate better stride length - or tell you the default value based on gender/height is correct for you.

Can you explain how to do this like I'm Grandma on the phone? I'm still figuring out how to start a workout record (I did get the "run" app to work today!)

heybales

Doesn't require starting an Activity Record (Workout Records is when you log a workout for your own distance and calorie burn, or take whatever the database gives for calories).
As long as you look at the time on the device, or better start at an easy to remember time, and note the ending time.
You can go into your app and create the Activity Record after the fact with start / stop times.
It will then take a snapshot of the stats for that block of time - steps, calories, distance it thought you went, HR, ect.

So if you know you went say 800 meters which is 2 times around a newer high school track (or 1/2 mile if older and confirm that), or perhaps some other known distance, you do the following. (remember avg daily pace, not normal exercise pace, it should feel slow)

2625 (for 800 m) or 2640 (for 1/2 mile) feet / steps (say 1010) = stride length decimal feet.inches (so 2625/1010=2.6)

Feet is of course the feet measurement. (would be the 2)
0.inches x 12 = decimal inches for the inches measurement. (would be 0.6 x 12 = 7.2)

The Stride Length setting is under your personal stats along with height & weight.
0 means default, so unknown what it is - that Activity Record would have shown how close it was. Maybe it was right on.... but likely not.
Replace with your own figures from the math above.


Regarding my comments on Activity Records being a snapshot, and Workout Records being a replacement.
Attached was my workout today.
Did Activity Record first with start / stop times to see what Fitbit came up with as stats. Just curious.
Then did Workout Record with start / duration / distance / calories from more accurate source.
Note the replacement Workout record did not change the snapshot in the Activity Record. No double recording, Fitbit only replaces, it can't add to.

MeredithDeVoe1

Two weeks on, it's now the opposite. 20 minutes of interval exercises yields only 68 calories burned. I do not get it. I would probably send it back, but it is very valuable for heart rate and sleep information, as well as steps.

heybales

So is that actually on the device or Fitbit account for that block of time listed as workout?

Or on MFP as the calorie adjustment.