Fitbit?

okgal247

I just recently started using Fitbit to track my daily activity, and now I am very, VERY confused. I don't understand how this Fitbit adjustment works.

I wasn't planning on this today but, sometimes I work out extra hard to get a cushion to account for some drinks with friends, etc. Now, this morning, I did 30 minutes of cardio and burned 236 calories. MFP is now telling me that my allotted caloric intake for the day is 11 calories LESS than what it was prior to MFP.

I'm even looking further back and, overnight, my MFP calories for yesterday changed- I'm now 99 calories over what I should have been/thought I was- I was at work all day, and was "lightly active" (I'm a PA), like my MFP profile says that I am. Sunday, a day where I literally did nothing because I was very ill, says that I was 26 calories under.

Can someone please explain to me what is going on? I actually feel really discouraged right now :frown:

EvgeniZyntx

Focus on the forest. If you are discouraged by 11 calories or 99 calories or 26 calories put the fitbit away.
Use it to track your non-exercise activity level, if it is plus or minus 100 or so calories in MFP - cool your MFP estimate is close to your fitbit tracking. If you always want to have extra cals from the fitbit - move more, or set your profile to sedentary.

It is just agreeing with the lightly active setting.

okgal247

Thanks.

I guess discouraged might have been the wrong word. It just wasn't what I was expecting (now it jumped from that -11 to +100). I guess I just need a few days to get used to it?

So, if I look at the Fitbit adjustment and the MFP and Fitbit are relatively close to each other- 100 calories or so in one direction or another- I'm okay? I've been doing well, and I don't want that to suddenly change because I no longer understand what my actual goal for the day is.

Sorry if I'm sounding a little simple but, like I said, I just started using it and it has me a bit confused.

Thanks

Swiftdogs

That sounds like your activity level on MFP is set almost exactly right compared to what your Fitbit measures. It's bouncing around a little bit based on the estimate for the rest of the day.

Mokey41

If you have MFP and your Fitbit synched then you need to have your MFP account set at sedentary. You're double dipping if you have it on lightly active and are taking the adjustment from the Fitbit.

The Fitbit has a basic TDEE number in it for you for the day. It slowly adds those basic calories for you as the day wears on even if you do nothing. If you do more than what it expects of you then it gives you a few more calories. If you sit on your butt all day it will take some away.

The Fitbit doesn't know if you do anything that isn't a walking movement type activity. It won't know if you did an aerobic activity that got your HR up, it just knows you moved some extra so if you want accuracy on those types of things you need to log them separately with the calorie burn and it will use those calories instead of it's deductions for that time period.

EvgeniZyntx

Thanks.

I guess discouraged might have been the wrong word. It just wasn't what I was expecting (now it jumped from that -11 to +100). I guess I just need a few days to get used to it?

So, if I look at the Fitbit adjustment and the MFP and Fitbit are relatively close to each other- 100 calories or so in one direction or another- I'm okay? I've been doing well, and I don't want that to suddenly change because I no longer understand what my actual goal for the day is.

Sorry if I'm sounding a little simple but, like I said, I just started using it and it has me a bit confused.

Thanks

Here, if you want more detail go to the exercise area. There is a fitbit adjustment with a little "I" for information.

Click on that

You'll see a message:


Fitbit Calorie Adjustment
You're using Fitbit to measure your actual activity level throughout the day.

To accurately reflect any extra calories you're burning, we use this data to adjust your daily MyFitnessPal calorie goal.

This is how we calculate your calorie adjustment:

Fitbit Calories Burned
Full Day Projection
(Based on 2002 calories burned as of 5:51 pm) 2620
MyFitnessPal Calories Burned
(Includes 224 calories from exercise) 2637
Fitbit Calorie Adjustment
0 *
* Negative adjustments are disabled for you. To change this setting, go here.

To learn more visit our Faq

Then click on FAQ to get more info....

okgal247

If you have MFP and your Fitbit synched then you need to have your MFP account set at sedentary. You're double dipping if you have it on lightly active and are taking the adjustment from the Fitbit.

The Fitbit has a basic TDEE number in it for you for the day. It slowly adds those basic calories for you as the day wears on even if you do nothing. If you do more than what it expects of you then it gives you a few more calories. If you sit on your butt all day it will take some away.

The Fitbit doesn't know if you do anything that isn't a walking movement type activity. It won't know if you did an aerobic activity that got your HR up, it just knows you moved some extra so if you want accuracy on those types of things you need to log them separately with the calorie burn and it will use those calories instead of it's deductions for that time period.

What do you mean "double dipping"? At the end of today, the calories available are pretty much right on target with how much I would expect them to be, after my workout, prior to syncing the Fitbit. I logged the exercise, per usual, and just added the start time as requested.

Why would I need to change my lifestyle choice to sedentary if that's not the case? If I'm lightly active and I sit on my butt all day, I wouldn't expect Fitbit to add calories. If I'm lightly active and I go at it hard for an hour, I would expect Fitbit to add calories.

Am I missing something?

Who knew that something that's supposed to make reaching your goals easier would be so hard?! :laugh:

okgal247

Thanks.

I guess discouraged might have been the wrong word. It just wasn't what I was expecting (now it jumped from that -11 to +100). I guess I just need a few days to get used to it?

So, if I look at the Fitbit adjustment and the MFP and Fitbit are relatively close to each other- 100 calories or so in one direction or another- I'm okay? I've been doing well, and I don't want that to suddenly change because I no longer understand what my actual goal for the day is.

Sorry if I'm sounding a little simple but, like I said, I just started using it and it has me a bit confused.

Thanks

Here, if you want more detail go to the exercise area. There is a fitbit adjustment with a little "I" for information.

Click on that

You'll see a message:


Fitbit Calorie Adjustment
You're using Fitbit to measure your actual activity level throughout the day.

To accurately reflect any extra calories you're burning, we use this data to adjust your daily MyFitnessPal calorie goal.

This is how we calculate your calorie adjustment:

Fitbit Calories Burned
Full Day Projection
(Based on 2002 calories burned as of 5:51 pm) 2620
MyFitnessPal Calories Burned
(Includes 224 calories from exercise) 2637
Fitbit Calorie Adjustment
0 *
* Negative adjustments are disabled for you. To change this setting, go here.

To learn more visit our Faq

Then click on FAQ to get more info....

Indeed- checked that out. Thanks!

EvgeniZyntx

If you have MFP and your Fitbit synched then you need to have your MFP account set at sedentary. You're double dipping if you have it on lightly active and are taking the adjustment from the Fitbit.

The Fitbit has a basic TDEE number in it for you for the day. It slowly adds those basic calories for you as the day wears on even if you do nothing. If you do more than what it expects of you then it gives you a few more calories. If you sit on your butt all day it will take some away.

The Fitbit doesn't know if you do anything that isn't a walking movement type activity. It won't know if you did an aerobic activity that got your HR up, it just knows you moved some extra so if you want accuracy on those types of things you need to log them separately with the calorie burn and it will use those calories instead of it's deductions for that time period.

What do you mean "double dipping"? At the end of today, the calories available are pretty much right on target with how much I would expect them to be, after my workout, prior to syncing the Fitbit. I logged the exercise, per usual, and just added the start time as requested.

Why would I need to change my lifestyle choice to sedentary if that's not the case? If I'm lightly active and I sit on my butt all day, I wouldn't expect Fitbit to add calories. If I'm lightly active and I go at it hard for an hour, I would expect Fitbit to add calories.

Am I missing something?

Who knew that something that's supposed to make reaching your goals easier would be so hard?! :laugh:

You don't need to do that. If you log the time and duration of your exercise that activity gets removed from the calculation. There is no double dipping anymore.