Fitbit zip and calories burned/activity level

Chicharone
Chicharone Posts: 13
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I also posted this in the fitbit users group but I thought I would try my luck here too. :)

I started using a zip last week and it's been so eye-opening! I have a job where I am on my feet all day so I have my MFP set to active. I've been maintaining on 1750 calories + eating back exercise calories but lately I've been so hungry after work. I think that I've figured out why: according to my fitbit I burn about 2200-2300 calories a day (and I'm 4'11" and 110lbs) I've logged 20,000 steps every day this week.

Here are my questions: do you find the fitbit calorie estimation fairly accurate? It's been giving me 500+ extra calories per day. I've been eating back some and leaving about 200 calories or 10% of my daily total on the table.

Should I switch my setting to very active? I think this would give me 1970 calories and bring down the discrepancy between fitbit and MFP.

Replies

  • Fitmom4boys
    Fitmom4boys Posts: 36 Member
    I have a zip and LOVE it! It is very fun to see how many step in a day...and to 'race' witth friends.,,20k is a ton! I chase my own kids and teach preschool 3 days a week and i only habe gotten to 15 K on the days I have run 5 miles!
    I think the calorie burn is right..9or at least close...i have been eating to TDEE and not gaining for 2 weeks now so pretty accurate
  • whitebalance
    whitebalance Posts: 1,654 Member
    My FB One's estimates seem pretty spot on, based on my results. I've been maintaining for about eight months, pretty much gaining the expected amount when I ate a surplus over time and losing the expected amount when I ate a deficit over time. My activity level varies greatly - some days well over 20,000 steps, other days only a couple thousand - so I set my level to Sedentary and let Fitbit adjustments handle the details. This works very well for me.

    For some non-step-based activity, such as rowing and Pilates, I use an HRM for my estimate. For some other activity, such as weight training and Krav Maga, I use established estimates. Although I log carefully and weigh my foods at home, I also eat a lot of restaurant foods and play "dinner roulette" at my mom's house once a week. So there are a whole lot of fuzzy numbers in my calculus, but it all seems to work out very well - much more precisely than I would have thought.

    YMMV, of course, but I do trust the Fitbit after a year of experience. :smile:
  • lisab64mfp
    lisab64mfp Posts: 89 Member
    I've used the Fitbit (zip) in the past and found it reasonably accurate (was slightly low but that isn't a bad thing) for me during the summer when my activity is more step based. However it was very inaccurate (30% or more lower) during the winter when my activity isn't as step based but more physically demanding, so I decided to stick w/the BodyMedia Fit.

    I set my MFP settings to very active and enabled negative adjustments for those few days that I'm not quite as busy. I've found that I maintain best w/an average deficit of 150-250 but I attribute that to my less diligent food tracking (don't track small bites, alot of veggies, or condiments).
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Everybody's different, and it will take trial & error to find what works for you.

    What worked for me was increasing my activity level, enabling negative calorie adjustments, enabling Fitbit calorie estimation http://www.fitbit.com/user/profile/edit and eating back all of my calorie adjustment.

    Do not log step based activity. Log non-step workouts either in Fitbit or in MFP. I find the Fitbit burns more accurate. If you log in MFP you're asked for start & end times and MFP overrides your step data during your workout.
  • knra_grl
    knra_grl Posts: 1,566 Member
    Just remember that the calories burned are resting calories also I have a loop which is similar to the fitbit and my day starts with 495 calories burned during sleep. 20,000 steps is high though a 3 mile walk for me is about 6500 steps so I always aim to get at least 16000 when I walk but am usually around 18000. I log my walks to increase my calorie goal so that I have the extra there if I need them, that being said I also know the fitbit syncs with MFP and my loop doesn't so I am not really sure how that works.
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    I also posted this in the fitbit users group but I thought I would try my luck here too. :)

    I started using a zip last week and it's been so eye-opening! I have a job where I am on my feet all day so I have my MFP set to active. I've been maintaining on 1750 calories + eating back exercise calories but lately I've been so hungry after work. I think that I've figured out why: according to my fitbit I burn about 2200-2300 calories a day (and I'm 4'11" and 110lbs) I've logged 20,000 steps every day this week.

    Here are my questions: do you find the fitbit calorie estimation fairly accurate? It's been giving me 500+ extra calories per day. I've been eating back some and leaving about 200 calories or 10% of my daily total on the table.

    Should I switch my setting to very active? I think this would give me 1970 calories and bring down the discrepancy between fitbit and MFP.

    What exactly do you do to get to 20k steps? Are you sure that's accurate???
  • Chicharone
    Chicharone Posts: 13
    Monday-Friday I am on my feet from 6:00am-6:00pm. I sit down to eat lunch and that's typically it. I do have to be mindful of my steps to hit 20k. If I'm just standing I make a point to walk around, etc and I'm a pacer by nature. 20k steps for me is about 8 miles. One day this week I took an long afternoon walk with my family and hit 10 miles (24000 steps!). I'm loving the fitbit. :)
  • RetiredAndLovingIt
    RetiredAndLovingIt Posts: 1,395 Member
    I trust the number of steps on my Fitbit One also. If I do a walk on the treadmill, I can get decent numbers, but without it, they are pretty low. I do have a problem that it doesn't record all my stairs correctly, and sometimes question my low calorie burn. (guess that goes with being older & not really as active, lol)
  • EvelynBfly78
    EvelynBfly78 Posts: 240 Member
    I have a fitbit zip & boy oh boy am I jealous! I've never hit 20k steps a day. The most I've done is about 13k. I have mine set to sedentary because I'm not really that active. I almost always eat back my calories & more & still maintaining. So the zip must be accurate. At least for me.
    If you think it's inaccurate play around with the settings some & see how it works out. Everyone's different. But, all in all, I think the fitbit is more accurate than the MFP calculations on calories burned.
  • Willbenchforcupcakes
    Willbenchforcupcakes Posts: 4,955 Member
    I have a zip and love it! I can easily clock 20k steps on a workday, by not sitting, just moving. Easy enough to do when you don't have a desk job. All time record was 35k steps - almost 16 miles! Only time will tell if your numbers are accurate, but since I've had mine, my weight has done exactly what I would expect based on my intake versus stated output.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    I eat back my fitbit calories and have not gained any weight for 9 months. It is accurate for me.

    If you're hungry, I suspect you need food. It is cold in lots of the country, which uses a lot of calories too. Trust your body and also your fitibit.
  • lunglady
    lunglady Posts: 526 Member
    I've had the Zip and now have a Flex. The Fitbit devices seem to be quite accurate. After you sync leave it connected to your phone and you can actually watch the counter as it counts your steps.

    During runs, I've compared the number of steps with the cadence data from my Garmin. Once again, seems quite reliable.

    The calorie burn estimate is not 100% exact, but close enough to work with. Quite reasonable in my opinion.
  • Lesa_Sass
    Lesa_Sass Posts: 2,213 Member
    To answer your question, YES, if you are logging 20k steps a day I would switch from active to very active.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    To answer your question, YES, if you are logging 20k steps a day I would switch from active to very active.

    OR do what MFP says, set yourself to sedentary and synch fitbit with MFP. It adds in all the fitbit calories and you don't have to estimate.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    To answer your question, YES, if you are logging 20k steps a day I would switch from active to very active.

    OR do what MFP says, set yourself to sedentary and synch fitbit with MFP. It adds in all the fitbit calories and you don't have to estimate.
    OP is already getting calorie adjustments and eating back a percentage of them.

    And I've never seen MFP say one must set one's activity level to sedentary when using an activity tracker. I wasn't losing much weight at all until I got an activity tracker. My activity level was set to sedentary b/c I have a desk job. Once I learned I get 8,000 steps per day, I changed my activity level to lightly active & started losing.

    OP, YMMV. But weight loss takes a whole lot of trial & error. Raise your activity level, give it a few weeks, then reevaluate.
  • redwoodkestrel
    redwoodkestrel Posts: 339 Member
    I find the Fitbit's estimation of my calorie burn during a workout (walking or running) is far more accurate than MFP's - since when you log your activity on MFP, it assumes a constant rate during the entire time - while the Fitbit knows if you had faster or slower time periods during your workout.

    So Fitbit always tells me fewer calories burned, but it seems right - I always felt like MFP was giving me too high an estimate.
  • Chicharone
    Chicharone Posts: 13
    Thanks so much for all of these responses. You guys are helpful as always. :)
  • jaclynrae78
    jaclynrae78 Posts: 14
    I love my fitbit flex :). I have had a zip and all of them had this product for 2 years now. I love it and its accurate. With the minor set back in December and having surgery. I have maintained my weight loss for almost a year now. My band just broke their replacing it for free. It is accurate and keeps me on track.
  • ICRicho
    ICRicho Posts: 6
    G'day Guys, I was just wondering can you link your MFP to Fitbit desktop? I live in Aus and I have noticed that a lot of our foods are not on the database because it is a US database... Help please!
  • wilsoje74
    wilsoje74 Posts: 1,720 Member
    Monday-Friday I am on my feet from 6:00am-6:00pm. I sit down to eat lunch and that's typically it. I do have to be mindful of my steps to hit 20k. If I'm just standing I make a point to walk around, etc and I'm a pacer by nature. 20k steps for me is about 8 miles. One day this week I took an long afternoon walk with my family and hit 10 miles (24000 steps!). I'm loving the fitbit. :)
    What is your job??
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    G'day Guys, I was just wondering can you link your MFP to Fitbit desktop? I live in Aus and I have noticed that a lot of our foods are not on the database because it is a US database... Help please!
    MFP sends water & aggregate meal data to MFP. Connect your accounts at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/apps/show/30 (Fitbit won't send food or water to MFP.)
  • ICRicho
    ICRicho Posts: 6
    G'day Guys, I was just wondering can you link your MFP to Fitbit desktop? I live in Aus and I have noticed that a lot of our foods are not on the database because it is a US database... Help please!
    MFP sends water & aggregate meal data to MFP. Connect your accounts at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/apps/show/30 (Fitbit won't send food or water to MFP.)

    AWESOME THANKS FOR THAT
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    So I am confused. I am about 5 pounds from maintenance. I have a flex. Should I change my calories on MFP, when I start maintenance to match what my flex says? Do I keep them at a deficit and then eat back what the flex gives me?
  • Redmoonstar
    Redmoonstar Posts: 9 Member
    Are you logging your food on MFP? I live in Australia and have a fitbit also linked to MFP. I log my foods on MFP and you can add the foods to it the meals then sync to fitbit but only show as meals not the foods you have eaten.
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    I log my foods on MFP and not the fitbit. They are synced, so the fitbit adds calories as I go through my day. I guess I'm wondering when I hit maintenance, should I just change MFP daily calories to what the fitbit generally says I burn daily?
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Just lower your MFP goal to maintenance. Fitbit pro-rates your calories by time of day (and goes way below 1,200 calories), so I ignore Fitbit's calorie panels & follow MFP's calorie goal.

    Maintenance takes a whole lot of trial & error to find the number of calories at which your weight stabilizes. Slowly increase your calories until you start gaining, then decrease them even more slowly until you maintain.

    Your weight will fluctuate, so choose a range (for example, +/- 2.5 lb.). When your weight goes above your range, cut your calories by 100. When your weight goes below your range, add 100 calories.

    Congratulations on your loss!
  • mamadon
    mamadon Posts: 1,422 Member
    Ok thanks! I think I have been worrying as much about maintenance as I have about losing! I will slowly up my calories until I see what works for me.

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