Fitbit not syncing or am I not eating enough?

Confused with Fitbit syncing and calories in?

jbertelson630jbertelson630 Member
January 24, 2019 6:01AM in Food and Nutrition
Hi! I just started using MyFitness pal after trying weight watchers because I feel as much exercise that I get that I wasn’t seeing the scale go down. I’ve synched my Fitbit and wear it all the time but I’m confused when I look at the exercise diary and see no calorie expenditure? I enabled the negative adjustment and am curious if I’m doing this right? Yesterday my Fitbit said I burned over 3000 calories. Does this include my running or do I need to add the actual running? Also, I’m not sure I’m eating enough? I weigh 159 and have set my goal to 145. I get 10,000 steps or more which also include my workouts, I think? Also the calories in on the Fitbit are different than fitness pal. I’m assuming I should rely on what I’m actually logging into fitness pal. Should I be enabling the negative or not? I hope I’m making sense lol. My main point is that after tracking my weight had only changed a little. Am I over exercising or not eating enough? Yesterday Fitbit says I burned 3076 calories and my fitness pal says I took in 1354. Am I syncing wrong or am I not eating enough? Thanks for any advice.

Replies

nikkit321

Does your MFP not show any exercise or calorie adjustment at all? If not, then your FitBit isn't synching properly to MFP. Unattach it, then attach it again. The negative adjustment is if you get much less exercise than MFP assumed, then your calorie allotment for the day is reduced. If you wear your FitBit for all exercise, then don't add it to MFP separately. Remember that the FitBit only picks up arm movements. I'd use MFP for calories and not worry about the calories your FitBit calculates. If your FitBit is new it takes time for it to 'learn' you and be accurate.

jbertelson630

Hi thanks so much. I’m not adding the extra. Here are two screen shots from yesterday from each app. What does negative mean on MFP?

jbertelson630

What does this mean? I appreciate the help!

shadow2soul

What it means is that MyFitnessPal expected you to burn 299 calories more than what your Fitbit reported. To keep your selected rate of loss, 299 calories was subtracted from your day.

jbertelson630

But I know that I burned more than that ? I ran 30 minutes and walked 45? Dang it! Thank you so much! 😀

Chef_Barbell

jbertelson630 wrote: »

But I know that I burned more than that ? I ran 30 minutes and walked 45? Dang it! Thank you so much! 😀

When you set your activity, MFP draws it's information from there. I put lightly active so I can get the step calories.

jbertelson630

I think it’s set at active but I’ll check’ thanks again. Maybe my metabolism is just slow.

shadow2soul

jbertelson630 wrote: »

I think it’s set at active but I’ll check’ thanks again. Maybe my metabolism is just slow.

And how active where you outside of that run and walk? It’s not necessarily that you have a slow metabolism, but that what you are doing the rest of the day that isn’t really all that active. Your NEAT makes up a larger part of your calorie burn than exercise. If your NEAT is closer to Lightly Active or Sedentary that would be why you aren’t meeting MFPS estimation.

RAinWA

Also double check your fitbit settings to make sure they are set up properly. A while back my settings suddenly changed to male in fitbit (or I accidentally did it!).

unknown

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jbertelson630

Thanks ! Unfortunately I work at a desk most of time during week, so I HAVE to get most of my steps and calories burned in a workout. What do you mean NEAT? Also, I did go into my Fitbit and it did break down the calories from the extra working out so I think I’m synced correctly from all sides now. I really appreciate the input from everybody! 😀

jbertelson630

Oh but wait- so since I’m only really active say and hour or hour and half a day, should I not have my activity level at active?

shadow2soul

jbertelson630 wrote: »

Oh but wait- so since I’m only really active say and hour or hour and half a day, should I not have my activity level at active?

Nope.

NEAT = Non Exercise Activity Thermogenesis or calories you burn outside of exercise

MFPS activity level setting is supposed to be decided by your NEAT. So a desk job would be either Sedentary or Lightly Active (depending on how many steps you get during work).

DamieAnne

jbertelson630 wrote: »

Oh but wait- so since I’m only really active say and hour or hour and half a day, should I not have my activity level at active?

Active would be someone who works on their feet all day i.e. A nurse. If you have a desk job, best to put your level as sedentary. Anything extra you burn above that will be added to MFP via your fitbit.

jbertelson630

Thanks you guys! I did