Not losing

PAV8888

If you're viewing Fitbit as a motivator to become more active, then it is most certainly a valuable motivator. At least I've found it to be such.

If you're viewing Fitbit as the solution to figuring out the calories puzzle, it may be something that helps you at the margin; but, the careful logging of your caloric intake (food and drink) and of your scale weight trend has a higher chance of helping you solve the puzzle.

It would be very unusual for a person who, overall, does not reach their maintenance number of calories to have gained weight over time.

Now, you did mention that you have been weight stable for a long period of time. It IS possible for a person to slightly under-eat or very lightly over-eat and be at a weight equilibrium because of some adjustment of their subconscious activity level.

I don't know if I've mentioned this to you (and I can't go over the thread right now to confirm), but if you're trying to make a small adjustment towards health, are within the normal weight level, weight stable, and truly sedentary (most people who leave the house for work tend to be closer to lightly active as opposed to within the 1.2 to 1.25 physical activity multiplier definition of the word sedentary) then your most bang for the buck may come from implementing the WHO physical activity and exercise recommendations first.

stuarta99

Yep ok thanks. Sorry been going on a bit now with this thread but just trying to get my head round

A: How I can be struggling to eat the goal calories of 1500 let alone 1940 to maintain and keeping same weight, must be something screwy going on with my body

B:. If my Activity level is set to 'not very active' which includes say the first 3000 steps how do I sync Google Fit or Fitbit to record accurately those days that I go over 3000 or do I just not worry about them. Did notice when I click on the exercise bit and Extra calories earned it reports MFP Android Google calories burned as 2189, Myfitness calories burned as 1932 so therefore difference of 257. Don't know where it gets the 2189 and 1932 from, Google fit only showing 1485 calories burned with 1730 steps

Again sorry just getting completely confused for something which should be simple and I'm thinking it's the step syncing which is confusing it

PAV8888

Google Fit uses your weight/height/other information to come up to a TDEE (total daily energy expenditure) for the day (MFP Android Google calories burned 2189).

MFP based on your settings (not very active, whatever exercise you manually logged) expected you to spend 1932 calories to midnight.

Thus the adjustment is 2189-1932. It is NOT "just" for the steps.

Now, where and how google fit got the info only you and google fit know.

I don't have google fit connected and don't use it because it appears to me to be substantially under-estimating me compared to known facts. This is not necessarily universal; just my n=1 experience.

TBH, if you want to be playing in the realm of correcting your TDEE beyond MFP's basic level (which I definitely think of marginal benefit in your case given the activity level you state), then I would suggest you open a free Fitbit account and download the Fitbit app and connect it.

When I had first done it before buying a device, it didn't use to add steps to and from the phone. However, I believe that in the past few years they've enabled this.

So the app can be used at the same level as google fit even without a band. And I have more trust in MFP's integration with Fitbit than with many of the other apps.

So that takes care of that aspect.

Re: your inability to eat 1500 vs 1900... I would be hesitant to start looking at my body before I were 100% concrete on the other potential sources of error. Though I caution that in the end reasons don't matter, results do. And your weight TREND over sufficient time (as a male probably two to three weeks) are what counts in the end.

Some Sources of error:

--don't log before eating. As in the actual amount you're about to eat. Not a mental note. Not a paper note. Actually logging the amount beforehand.

--not using a scale. trusting packaging

--forgetting condiments, liquid calories, fruits, vegetables, fat used in cooking, sauces, supplements/vitamins/lozenges/gum/mints

--database entries that are egregiously wrong but come up for packages that have been scanned. choosing a user entered recipe where you have no idea what was used to make the food and in what quantities.

I am sure others can come up with more.

Last but not least... we are not all right at the mean. Most statistical estimates are best fit estimates based on the sample they considered. There are always outliers on either side.

By their nature, the estimates ensure that most people are well described by the equations. But, still, some people will be on either side of those estimates. And given how many people exist in the world, the absolute number of the ones who are not well described is substantial. This doesn't mean that there is something WRONG with them!

If you're not very hungry, have not recently changed the way you eat to eliminate a ton of calorically dense stuff temporarily increasing your satiety for fewer calories due to that change, have good energy and health... well, the answer will always be log, observe how closely your actual results match expectations, and adjust your reasonably selected goals to improve your results!

NovusDies

To @PAV8888's list a common source of logging problems is weighing the food prepared instead of as packaged. You mentioned frozen potatoes in one of your earlier posts. To figure the portion there you would weigh them in their frozen state normally. If you weigh them after they are cooked then the weight is altered by how much water escapes. This would not matter as much for low calorie items but potatoes are higher calorie.

PAV8888

Agreed re frozen meals.

Slap on scale uncooked, log while it's cooking by full weight. Eat.

Weight empty packaging and edit logged entry to deduct (if eaten in package such as single serve meals)

stuarta99

Ok thanks. Pretty sure I am weighing everything correctly as packets states. It is says so many calories for so much weight I weigh that amount. I have got the Fitbit app and did start with that so I'll go back with that I think rather than Google fit and if not I'll just put up with how I am.

Thanks for all the help guys

stuarta99

Installed the Pacer Pedometer app yesterday and interestingly yesterday Fit said I had done 2807 steps and burned 1624 calories, Pacer reported 2908 steps and 109 calories. I'm guessing Fit is taking into account my standard calories as well whereas Pacer is just those from steps. I've linked Pacer to MFP but it doesn't seem to bring anything across but still averaging 1500 with no change to what I've always eaten.

I've also had a thought that taking into account the above where my diet doesn't appear to have changed, it's obvious that I've never hit my 1940 goal to maintain although I have maintained for several months if not longer. I am always tired as well and again I guess that's because I've never been eating enough calories for my body to function properly.

Nony_Mouse

Stuart, have you had a medical check up to rule out any health issues?

stuarta99

Nony_Mouse wrote: »

Stuart, have you had a medical check up to rule out any health issues?

Not yet but was down there recently for something and was told all the basics, bloody pressure and so on is correct

Nony_Mouse

stuarta99 wrote: »

Nony_Mouse wrote: »

Stuart, have you had a medical check up to rule out any health issues?

Not yet but was down there recently for something and was told all the basics, bloody pressure and so on is correct

Blood tests?

If your calorie intake is accurate, and you are feeling tired all the time, I'd say it warrants further investigation as to possible medical causes. It's possible you're just an unlucky outlier in terms of calorie needs, but it pays to check.

PAV8888

Or lucky outlier! If he's not hungry but happy and maintaining and saving on extra food money!

Stuart, not getting extra calories from sub 3k steps is expected as usually you start getting extra (above MFP sedentary) somewhere in the 3 to 5000 range, with most people usually starting to show a couple of extra Cal at 3500ish

stuarta99

Something is working, lost another 2lb this week