Fitbit - subtracting calories from daily allowance

PrincessVamp666

This might sound like a stupid question. In fact - I am most certain it will have been asked 1000+ times but I just cant get my head around it.

My fitbit logs my activity, and then subtracts the calories I have burned from my daily allowance instead of adding them. So If I earn 200cals by hitting my daily movement goals, it actually removes 200cals from my daily allowance, making it 1600cal instead of 1800cal.

If I enable "Negative Calorie Adjustment" in my profile it actually links my fitbit up, if I disable "Negative Calorie Adjustment" it actually doesn't link in properly.

The worst part is, I have had it two years, and only just figured this out, all of those lost calories

mkculs

MFP zeroes out any other source of extra burn when I use my Fitbit and only counts my Fitbit burn so that I'm not "double dipping" on exercise cals burned. Not sure if that is what you are seeing, but maybe it helps you figure it out.

malibu927

It subtracts the calories because you haven’t burned enough to meet MFP’s maintenance estimate.

Say you’re set to a pound a week loss. MFP has estimated that on average you burn 2300 calories through your non-exercise activity. Thus, your 1800 calories goal. But if it’s subtracting 200 calories, that means you’re only burning 2100 calories a day. If you’re set to a higher activity level, drop down one and it should be more even.

cwolfman13

PrincessVamp666 wrote: »

This might sound like a stupid question. In fact - I am most certain it will have been asked 1000+ times but I just cant get my head around it.

My fitbit logs my activity, and then subtracts the calories I have burned from my daily allowance instead of adding them. So If I earn 200cals by hitting my daily movement goals, it actually removes 200cals from my daily allowance, making it 1600cal instead of 1800cal.

If I enable "Negative Calorie Adjustment" in my profile it actually links my fitbit up, if I disable "Negative Calorie Adjustment" it actually doesn't link in properly.

The worst part is, I have had it two years, and only just figured this out, all of those lost calories

What is your activity level in MFP set to?

You're getting negative calorie adjustments because your actual activity is less than what you have it set to in MFP. If your activity level is set higher, those "extra" calories are already included in your calorie target so getting more would be double dipping.

PrincessVamp666

I have just checked and my Activity Level is set as Sedentary (I work in an office).

So no clues. My TDEE is around 2600 and I usually burn around 3600 a day I think according to my fitbit.

Clobern80

Can you post a screenshot of what it is showing perhaps?

heybales

If you are logging workouts on MFP - then MFP must subtract that amount from what the Fitbit is reporting (which is assumed to already have that calorie burn contained in it).
Fitbit isn't doing any math, BTW, that's all MFP.
Fitbit is merely reporting daily total calories burned, and timestamp of that info. (and steps, but MFP doesn't use that in any math).

After that is done, you may not be more active than sedentary, outside of exercise. Many of us aren't.

Because when MFP does the math for your adjusted eating goal, it's:

Base eating goal + MFP logged exercise + Fitbit adjustment = adjusted eating goal.

Say 2300 MFP assumed daily burn, no workouts. 500 deficit means 1800 eating goal base.
You log 200 workout in MFP, that syncs to Fitbit and replaces or matches whatever it had already.
Fitbit reports back to MFP 2400 daily burn (by end of day).

Fitbit 2400 - 2300 MFP - 200 exercise = neg 100 adjustment

Base eating 1800 + 200 exercise - 100 adjustment = 1900 adjusted eating goal.

Burned 2400, eat 1900 = 500 cal deficit.

Provide some actual numbers, and I'll bet you find it works out exactly right.

PrincessVamp666

Thanks for explaining, I was just worried that I was going to end up holding excess weight due to the fact I was eating too few calories again.

malibu927

PrincessVamp666 wrote: »

Thanks for explaining, I was just worried that I was going to end up holding excess weight due to the fact I was eating too few calories again.

That would defy science altogether, so it won’t happen

heybales

That could be stress related water weight gained - but you'd find inches still going down. Hence fat loss.

Obviously if body is retaining water like that from stress - it's not a great state for body to be in.
If undereating is reason for stress, by major amount body will likely start adapting - usually first by you moving less and burning less. So slower fat loss, so easier for stress added water to mask that.