Fitbit Taking Calories instead of Adding Them

SJinSpace
SJinSpace Posts: 5 Member
edited January 2021 in Getting Started
I have hooked up MyFitnessPal to Fitbit and instead of showing calories burned as more calories, it shows that I have consumed calories. For example, I have 860 calories per day and I have 982 calories burned. However, I have -126 calories instead of 1,842. It is counting my exercise as food, not subtracting it.

Replies

  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    edited January 2021
    Wait... You have 860 calories per day? How is that even possible?

    Can you take a screenshot and share it?
  • SJinSpace
    SJinSpace Posts: 5 Member
    Special diet.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    Not sure if you saw... Can you take a screenshot of what you see? Also... At the bottom of your food diary, what does the adjustment say?
  • SJinSpace
    SJinSpace Posts: 5 Member
    This is a screenshot from my daughter’s phone but you can see it’s doing the same thing. pn1u01namisb.png
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    edited January 2021
    Ok... But the day is just started and only 279 steps have been taken... So fitbit is saying that if the rest of the day is like that, then you'll need to eat less than you originally budgeted.

    As you move more, and the Fitbit syncs, that will change to net zero, and then possibly a surplus. By end of day, it should be a reflection of the actual calories you burned.

    This is me right now... I've been on my butt all day...
    xuexrd21ewpo.jpg

    This was me by the end of yesterday (rest day)
    pl01muq24k1n.jpg
  • SJinSpace
    SJinSpace Posts: 5 Member
    edited January 2021
    My mistake @KickassAmazon76 She hasn’t taken 279 steps. She’s only taken 45. The 297 should be the number of calories burned and instead of burning them, it’s adding them.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    Any time.

    I would feel remiss if I didn't say this.. I hope you have a medical professional helping you with that diet. I hope it goes well and you stay healthy.

    I know there are reasons why it may be recommended, but unless medically supervised, it could be incredibly dangerous.

    (this is just me caring, not judging).
    Take care!
  • SJinSpace
    SJinSpace Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks again. It’s appreciated.
  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    SJinSpace wrote: »
    My mistake @KickassAmazon76 She hasn’t taken 279 steps. She’s only taken 45. The 297 should be the number of calories burned and instead of burning them, it’s adding them.

    I misstated. I see she's only taken 45 steps. Which works out to a net burn of 297. The removal of calories is still a projection based on the current rate of burn. As she moves more, the rate of burn should start lining up with the estimated calories burned. So far, fitbit is saying that at this point, she is less active than she says she typically is... Therefore she should earn less calories.

    I set my activity level to sedentary... Aka sloth mode. Then I let fitbit adjust up as I move more. I almost always have extra calories added by fitbit to account for the fact that I'm (usually) pretty active.

    If I set my activity level to very active, then it's going to assume I'm burning a lot of cals. If I then proceed to lay in bed all day, it will say... Hey lazy bones, get up and get moving, or you are going to have to eat less.

    Again.. By end of day, it should be an accurate reflection of how many calories you burned. If that is greater than your plan for the day, you should get bonus cals. If its less than, you should get some taken away.
  • memickee
    memickee Posts: 250 Member
    What is the activity level you choose when setting up your goal? You have negative adjustments on by the way. The reason that it is negative is because your activity or steps have not reached the calories necessary to be at the level of activity first selected.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Just be clear - Fitbit isn't taking or giving anything.

    Fitbit sends to MFP what it estimates you have burned with timestamp for the day so far if you have linked accounts.

    MFP calculates from then on to end of day at the rate you have selected as your Activity level.

    If you have linked accounts - which is the way to go.

    You cannot discern from your screen shot if you have it it setup the preferred way, or if you have merely told MFP to get only a step count from the device reporting to the phone.
    In which case MFP does some super rough math on merely a step count - not nearly as desired.

    Tap and hold on that line about Fitbit adjustment to view more details - get screen shot of that one.

  • KickassAmazon76
    KickassAmazon76 Posts: 4,511 Member
    Just curious how the OPs calcs look now, at the end of the day? Any better?