Fit bit confusion

Tracydpips
Tracydpips Posts: 13 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Hi I have been using mfp for a little while and tracking my exercise etc. today I used my fitbit for the first time in the gym and am confused. Mfp calculates that I earned 508 exercise calories for an hour uphill on the treadmill. The machine in the gym said I had burned 480 calories but my fitbit has only made an adjustment of 111 calories. Help needed please

Replies

  • martinel2099
    martinel2099 Posts: 899 Member
    I don't use fitbit but I would like to urge some caution about the numbers my fitness pal gives and those of exercise equipment.

    firstly treat all numbers from these sources as estimates, because that's what they are. Fitbit can help give you a more reliable estimate, but it's still an estimate.

    When I go to the gym I've been using elliptical that has heart rate monitor attached, cardio program that adjusts difficulty based on my heart rate and allows me to enter my weight and age. I tend to trust that estimate better. I've noticed that when I put the same entry in my fitness pal it can generally give me up to 30% more than what the machine read. If I decide to use MYP's estimate, I cut it in half to be safe.
  • 1Cor1510
    1Cor1510 Posts: 413 Member
    MFP tends to overestimate burns. When I go to the gym I use the number from the machine, so you manually put in the 480. Fitbit ESTIMATES your total calories for the day AS YOU'RE GOING, so if the activity you've already done would put you over the TDEE it has estimated for you, it will make an adjustment in MFP. EX: Fitbit says based on your hight/weight etc that you will probably burn 2100 cals for the day. If you entered that you burned and extra 480, it will calculate that into your total activity estimated for the day and give you extra calories on MFP for the day.

    Not sure if that clears it up, it is a bit wonky...you can turn off calorie estimation for the day on the fitbit site under settings if you want.
  • jenswan70
    jenswan70 Posts: 40 Member
    Generally speaking, I'll either cut the time in half or only eat back 30-50% of the added calories MFP says I've earned. The numbers are all over the place. I figure the best bet is to overestimate calories and underestimate exercise.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    Hi I have been using mfp for a little while and tracking my exercise etc. today I used my fitbit for the first time in the gym and am confused. Mfp calculates that I earned 508 exercise calories for an hour uphill on the treadmill. The machine in the gym said I had burned 480 calories but my fitbit has only made an adjustment of 111 calories. Help needed please
    The Fitbit adjustment is NOT an estimate of your workout burn. It's how much your Fitbit expects you to burn today above what MFP expects you to. If you click on the little "i" next to it on your Activity page, you'll see how it got 111.

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