TDEE and Fitbit

honeylissabee

Technically,I wasn't even logging. I've been trying to eat cleaner, and I WAS just logging my food in the note's section, but I've kinda gotten away from that in the past couple days. The "bad day" was just me playing around with the tracker features.

WinoGelato

I am working on figuring out what works best for me, and I am torn between a traditional 500-1,000 deficit method and the TDEE- 20 method.

I have a FitBit that I wear, and I like having the FitBit adjustment- especially since my activity is somewhat sporadic.

I am wondering if I calculate my sedentary TDEE and take 20% from that, if I can just use my FitBit adjustment to determine how much I can eat from day to day, or if the math won't work out.

What if I use a formula to calculate my sedentary TDEE that uses my body fat percentage?

If you are using a FitBit, you don't need the calculators. The Calories Burned through FitBit are your TDEE, especially since most of what you are describing you do for exercise fits pretty well with what FitBit is designed to track. So I would not use the "calculators" and instead go to your FitBit site, look at your average calories burned over a week, two weeks, or a month and that is your TDEE. You can then set your -20% calorie goal from that.

Alternatively, put the rate you want to lose weight into your FitBit goals (0.5 lbs/week, 1 lb/week, etc). It will automatically deduct 250 cal or 500 cal from the estimate of how many calories you will burn at the end of the day. Put the food you eat in MFP so that it synchs with FitBit but just go with the FitBit estimate of how many calories you have left for the day since it is dynamic, the goal you would put into MFP for TDEE-20% is static.

Good luck.

jonnythan

Here's what I find makes the most sense and works best:

Go to My Home -> Goals. Click Change Goals, then Custom. Make sure "Sedentary" is selected and hit Update Profile. Now go back to Goals and do Custom. Look under My Diet Profile and find "calories burned from normal daily activity." Take 500 off that number and enter that into Net Calories Consumed. Set your carbs to 40%, protein 30%, fat 30%. Hit Change Goals.

Now let Fitbit adjust that calorie goal up as you burn calories from activity.

Enjoy.

NRSPAM

Or just trade your fitbit in for a bodymedia. No guesswork. Tells you every calorie you burn all day, and it subtracts 500 from that, and automatically updates your calorie goal when you plug it up. :happy: Or, just set to sedentary and add exercise as you go, if you usually lay in bed all day and night, with the exception of exercise.

jonnythan

The Bodymedia gives the same style of data as the Fitbit. The Fitbit is less obtrusive and seems to be more accurate over time, judging by people who have calculated TDEE based on intake and weight change.

honeylissabee

I am working on figuring out what works best for me, and I am torn between a traditional 500-1,000 deficit method and the TDEE- 20 method.

I have a FitBit that I wear, and I like having the FitBit adjustment- especially since my activity is somewhat sporadic.

I am wondering if I calculate my sedentary TDEE and take 20% from that, if I can just use my FitBit adjustment to determine how much I can eat from day to day, or if the math won't work out.

What if I use a formula to calculate my sedentary TDEE that uses my body fat percentage?

If you are using a FitBit, you don't need the calculators. The Calories Burned through FitBit are your TDEE, especially since most of what you are describing you do for exercise fits pretty well with what FitBit is designed to track. So I would not use the "calculators" and instead go to your FitBit site, look at your average calories burned over a week, two weeks, or a month and that is your TDEE. You can then set your -20% calorie goal from that.

Alternatively, put the rate you want to lose weight into your FitBit goals (0.5 lbs/week, 1 lb/week, etc). It will automatically deduct 250 cal or 500 cal from the estimate of how many calories you will burn at the end of the day. Put the food you eat in MFP so that it synchs with FitBit but just go with the FitBit estimate of how many calories you have left for the day since it is dynamic, the goal you would put into MFP for TDEE-20% is static.

Good luck.

In all honesty, I have a love-hate relationship with the Fitbit adjustment. I don't particularly care for the instability of my daily goals. Suppose I have a really active morning, but a not-so active afternoon. The extra 300 calories I earned in the AM could disappear by the end of the day. That always stressed me out, but so does the fear of under/overeating. I've been re-thinking things, and I think in a lot of ways, just logging my workouts separately (using my HRM) would be easier since that 200 calories would be a stable 200 calories.

In all honesty, I haven't worn my Fitbit in several weeks. It broke and I just got the replacement.

I've considered using my Fitbit to keep track of my steps/normal daily activities in order to help me determine how active i really am, but i also have times when i doubt those numbers/calculations. It's not so much that I think the Fitbit estimates are wrong. It's the way they translate. A few months ago, I was taking a minimum of 11,000 steps a day. I didn't do any strength training. I just went on several short (30 minute) or a couple longer walks- mostly to, from, and around local grocery stores. If I broke a sweat, it was because I did this in August. It was all very leisurely walking. Sure, I was getting 11,000 or more steps a day, but when you look at definitions that describe "hard labor" and "body building/construction", I didn't meet the "active" criteria.

Yet, my average calorie burn according to Fitbit WAS comparable to the moderately active and very active TDEE numbers on Fat2Fit Radio when I put in all of my into the calculator.

I think all the different data and information scares me. "Eating below your BMR is bad, but you should still go with what MyFitnessPal says to do even though they give you a 1,200 calorie diet."

And on top of all of this, I'm torn between using MFP and Sparkpeople. I'll admit, it's easier to log prepackaged and prepared (restaurant) foods on here. If I make a recipe that uses 2 cans of canned, diced tomatoes, I can put in "one can" on the nutrition label." Even on Sparkpeople, I still use MFP to look up restaurant foods, etc. The data here for that is just more accurate.

But generic food is better here than on Sparkpeople. I was looking for sugar today. Just plain, granulated, white sugar (I was seeing how many calories were in a recipe). If my diet is supposed to be primarily based on real, whole foods, then perhaps Sparkpeople would work better for me. I also am tempted by their calorie range compared to a single, set number.

I've used both sites with success, and there are certain things I like and dislike about both.

Mojofilter

Seriously, don't get stressed out about it and even more seriously - you're really over thinking this.

The FitBit adjustment is increased accuracy - you might not like it but it's just a reflection of reality. If you're worried about over eating just don't eat them on the day and save up anything you earn on FitBit for drinks with freinds / a meal out / other treat etc... at the weekend .
Your daily totals don't really matter as long as you roughly hit your weekly calorie goal.

The effect of slightly inaccurate information on a tin of tomatoes is going to make virtually zero difference to anything.

Seriously though, I've been a weight loss coach for 3 years so I know what I'm talking about - STOP stressing, STOP over thinking. Pick something and stick to it.

p4ulmiller

I am wondering if I calculate my sedentary TDEE and take 20% from that, if I can just use my FitBit adjustment to determine how much I can eat from day to day, or if the math won't work out.

Exactly this. Simply set your MFP profile to sedentary, link up your fitbit, and will give you a running total of your daily calorie limit.

Don't over-complicate it. You've got it sussed.