Can a fitness tracker have a negative effect?
DapperKay
Posts: 140 Member
Here is my thinking. Take this example:
Person 1, no fitness tracker, works out 3 times a week, maintains a certain daily calorific goal. Eats back work out calories burned.
Person 1, now using a fitness tracker, continues doing the above, but now MFP gives P1 a bigger daily allowance due to syncing up with tracker and tracker calculating daily burned calories differently.
Person 1, slowly over time might start to overeat as they think they now have extra calories to consume.
Person 1 is now actually eating much more than before and their goals are missed.
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Why did this happen? It is obvious that Person 1 had a clear system that worked. With a fitness tracker now on board and synched up to MFP, the tracker is sending the daily calories burned and they turn out to be more than Person 1 originally thought. But Person 1 was okay with his initial setup, he was achieving his goals. So all what the tracker did here is add doubt to Person 1's setup and slowly made him lose sight of his/her goals.
For me a tracker should serve a purpose, and I do see lots of value in it, but I just can't help but think that in some cases it will just give you numbers which may or may not be accurate, but whose effects will be negative anyways.
Anyone shares my views?
Person 1, no fitness tracker, works out 3 times a week, maintains a certain daily calorific goal. Eats back work out calories burned.
Person 1, now using a fitness tracker, continues doing the above, but now MFP gives P1 a bigger daily allowance due to syncing up with tracker and tracker calculating daily burned calories differently.
Person 1, slowly over time might start to overeat as they think they now have extra calories to consume.
Person 1 is now actually eating much more than before and their goals are missed.
----
Why did this happen? It is obvious that Person 1 had a clear system that worked. With a fitness tracker now on board and synched up to MFP, the tracker is sending the daily calories burned and they turn out to be more than Person 1 originally thought. But Person 1 was okay with his initial setup, he was achieving his goals. So all what the tracker did here is add doubt to Person 1's setup and slowly made him lose sight of his/her goals.
For me a tracker should serve a purpose, and I do see lots of value in it, but I just can't help but think that in some cases it will just give you numbers which may or may not be accurate, but whose effects will be negative anyways.
Anyone shares my views?
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Replies
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Person 1 will notice a weight gain /slower weight loss and will adjust intake accordingly. No big deal.0
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Person 1 will notice a weight gain /slower weight loss and will adjust intake accordingly. No big deal.
True, Person 1 should do that, but the fact that every day they will see an extra 2-300 calories in their dairy will at a sub concious level get them to eat more, because that's just the way things are.
Of course, they can always switch synching off and hence this whole debate is pointless.
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Most people get those extra calories because activity trackers will motivate them to move more (therefore increasing calories burned) and because IMHO most people tend to underestimate their daily activity level, so in most cases those calories are "genuine" (at least they are for me and most people on the Fitbit group here on MFP, I can't speak for everyone).
Before having a Fitbit I was set to sedentary on MFP (student + desk job) and I was eating back my exercise calories. My average calorie allowance was around 1400.
Now I'm eating 1700-1800 calories and losing at the same rate, give or take. Maybe a bit more. Why? I am moving more because of the motivational thing and since I was previously eating too little for my actual activity level I had a lot of adherence issues (read: splurge days) which slowed down weight loss and discouraged me.
I also see a lot of people who always ignore their fitbit calories and end up closing their diaries with 1000+ uneaten calories and they're not dying or losing 90lbs/week, so I guess it works differently for everyone of us and some trial and error to find our personal middle ground is always needed.
However, "Don't fix what isn't broken" is always solid advice. 0 -
From experience, trackers do not just give you calories, you have to work for them. Depending on your settings and activity level you might not get hardly any adjustment unless you bust your tail. Bottom line, if you like what you are doing and it works, do not try to change it.0
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I generally don't eat the calories tracked from my fitbit. Unless I'm really hungry.0
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I don't let my Vivofit change my MFP calories. I do add running data from my Garmin watch to MFP. Just use your Fitbit or Vivofit to encourage you to hit a daily steps target.0
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Person 1 will notice a weight gain /slower weight loss and will adjust intake accordingly. No big deal.
True, Person 1 should do that, but the fact that every day they will see an extra 2-300 calories in their dairy will at a sub concious level get them to eat more, because that's just the way things are.
Of course, they can always switch synching off and hence this whole debate is pointless.
No it won't...I've had mine since the start of August..I have yet to eat those calories it gives me and some days it gives me almost 500 extra...
What it has done is made me more conscious of movement.
I have teammates that motivate me, congratulate me, offer advice, have found a challenage site associated with them which makes me move more.
If I do get an adjustment I delete it plain and simple...
If someone who uses a fitness tracker eats the extra calories and gains or stops losing and doesn't stop eating them that is not the fault of the fitness tracker it is an individual choice.0 -
I guess Person1 hasn't been using MFP how it is intended because Person 1s are supposed to eat back their exercise calories.
Trackers just make those measurements more accurate (in theory).0 -
The scenario you described could be applied to any fitness gadget, calories burned displayed on exercise equipment, or the amount generated by MFP. At the end of the day, if a person has not loss any weight over a 4-6 weeks period then it's time for a deficiency adjustment.0
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I see your point and I do think if you didn't eat back 'ordinary activity' calories before (and who does) but now your Fitbit is adding calories for it, you'll probably eat more with it. I did.
But in your example it was 'workout calories'. And the assumption seemed to be that the Fitbit calced them higher than the person. I don't know how common that is, given how many posts I see about MFP's database exaggerating exercise calories.0 -
I understand what you mean, I've actually thought the same thing before. I decided to go with a HRM rather than a fitbit and that was partially because I wanted to track the calories I burned during a "workout." I figured with a fitbit it would be calculating the calories i was burning all day long from regular activity and I didn't want to be temped to "use" those calories to eat more. I'm very happy with my decision to get a HRM as I feel it is more accurate portrayal of what I'm really burning during official exercise. On the days I feel sluggish and don't work out as hard I see that reflected on my HRM and I like that.0
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Your hypothetical seems to be that Fitbit would add calories beyond what allows for weight loss. IME, Fitbit is pretty spot on at estimating my maintenance calories, and thus that doesn't seem to happen.
When I first started I had a Fitbit, but it didn't cross my mind to eat back the calories, even though I saw them. I was more focused on eating a particular way and meeting my MFP calories (which I did not yet quite understand included exercise legitimately, rather than "maybe if you want to and are hungry"). I also lost at a higher rate than MFP predicted, because I'd said I was sedentary and I was not. Eventually I gathered the connection between Fitbit calories and activity level and started eating back some of them, and now I use the Fitbit more to keep me honest about my activity level (I try to be active, but I have negative adjustments when I'm not). Anyway, so arguably I did eat more with the Fitbit than without it when I recognized that the calories it was adding were connected to something real--that I was at least lightly active--but had that not been the case, had I been losing only what MFP said I should, I would have continued to ignore the Fitbit calories, I'm sure. So I'd say the effect of Fitbit was to make me use MFP properly, by correctly estimating my activity level or otherwise accounting for it (which you are already supposed to do with MFP, but many people just assume sedentary).
The bigger effect of Fitbit for me is motivating me to be more active in my daily life, so that I actually was lightly active and am often active vs. sedentary or close to it, even apart from intentional exercise.
I personally would adjust if I weren't losing weight, though, and based on the discussions I've seen here and on my friends' feed, I don't think that's uncommon at all.0 -
Awesomely put!
No it won't...I've had mine since the start of August..I have yet to eat those calories it gives me and some days it gives me almost 500 extra...
What it has done is made me more conscious of movement.
I have teammates that motivate me, congratulate me, offer advice, have found a challenage site associated with them which makes me move more.
If I do get an adjustment I delete it plain and simple...
If someone who uses a fitness tracker eats the extra calories and gains or stops losing and doesn't stop eating them that is not the fault of the fitness tracker it is an individual choice.0 -
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My Fitbit automatically deducts over 200 calories from my daily total in the morning and I have to earn it back. This motivates me to move around a lot more to get those calories back,0
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If person 1 has set their activity level to include their exercise then they shouldn't link their fitness tracker with MFP.
If person 1 logs their exercise on MFP then again they shouldn't link their fitness tracker with MFP.
If person 1 logs their exercise on their tracker's website for anything other than walking and has MFP set as sedentary then they should eat back those calories.
If person 1 is doing TDEE-x% then they should use the data from their fitness tarcker to calculate an average of their TDEE and then custome set their MFP goal to that value - their required deficit and not link their accounts or eat back their calories as those caloreis are already included in their goal value.
BTW I do the last one of these and it works best for me as I track a rolling average of my TDEE and adjust my MFP goal if necessary.0 -
I use a different brand of tracker (LifeTrak) and what I do is to take an average between my net calories there and what's calculated here.
(For those who don't know, net calories = total calories burned during workout - what calories you'd burn without any activity)
In my case, my LifeTrak says that when I'm sedentary and awake, I burn about 90 to 105 calories an hour.0 -
I guess Person1 hasn't been using MFP how it is intended because Person 1s are supposed to eat back their exercise calories.
Trackers just make those measurements more accurate (in theory).
Yes, in the first scenario, Person 1 has likely been undereating.0 -
I got a fitbit, but I don't sync to MFP. It tells me I burn about 3000 calories a day, and that really doesn't account for my weight lifting. So in theory, according to my fitbit, I could lose eating at about 2500 calories a day. But, I've only had it a few weeks, and twice now I've hit 10,000 steps while driving, and once while I was washing my face in the shower. I would likely gain weight because it's over counting steps.
However, I still find the device useful because it still inspires me to get more steps, even though I know the count isn't accurate. On days that I do cardio, I try to get more than 15,000 steps, and I know I'm making better decisions just so that I can get more steps (I pace while waiting for the train or brushing my teeth, take the stairs, or park far away in parking lots).0 -
I've been using a fitbit and I just don't eat back my calories. Seems to work for me. Just nice to know that I am staying active during my workday and to challenge myself to move as much as possible! Also tells me that I am in fact getting into a cardio range while doing my planned weekly exercise. There is always going to be people that abuse the system and see it as a way to eat more. But I'm not worried about them I am only accountable for myself!0
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I got a fitbit, but I don't sync to MFP. It tells me I burn about 3000 calories a day, and that really doesn't account for my weight lifting. So in theory, according to my fitbit, I could lose eating at about 2500 calories a day. But, I've only had it a few weeks, and twice now I've hit 10,000 steps while driving, and once while I was washing my face in the shower. I would likely gain weight because it's over counting steps.
However, I still find the device useful because it still inspires me to get more steps, even though I know the count isn't accurate. On days that I do cardio, I try to get more than 15,000 steps, and I know I'm making better decisions just so that I can get more steps (I pace while waiting for the train or brushing my teeth, take the stairs, or park far away in parking lots).
I'm guessing you have the Flex or Force. Couple of things I'd suggest to increase accuracy. 1) wear it on your non-dominant hand but in the settings have it set as being worn on your dominant hand. 2) If I'm driving for any length of time I log it on the Fitbit site as "Automobile or Light truck (not semi) driving" it then removes any steps from that time period. I've also measured and set both my walking & running stride length.0 -
Jesus, I love the hypothetical "Person Number 1." Really. Seriously, though, the more negative effect it had on me was psychological. Tracking my calories became pathological, as I became obsessed with the caloric count of every single thing I ate (read: obsessed). The more obsessed I became, the more I would have a tendency to overeat because I would get bitter about my relationship with tracking (counterintuitive, I know). That contribution doesn't really help with your question, but I do think it can be negative in that way.0
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Of course, they can always switch synching off and hence this whole debate is pointless.
This. I use my Fitbit to keep myself accountable for a certain level of activity, over and above my workouts. I don't sync with MFP because I calculate my calories differently. It works very well for me...0 -
:laugh: Very good point!0
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can drinking water have a negative effect? yes, if you drink too much.
can having great sex have a negative effect? yes, if you suffer from sex addiction (or if your spouse finds out about it)
can winning the lotto have a negative effect? yes, if the money drives a wedge between you and the rest of your family.
can the mfp forums have a negative effect? yes, if you start overthinking things by posing questions like the one in this thread.0 -
I had the opposite with my jawbone up. It wasn't giving me enough calories and I ended up getting sick from not eating enough for the activity level I was doing.
I went back to the TDEE method and I have an app on my phone that tracks steps to make sure I move enough at work.0 -
I don't let my Vivofit change my MFP calories. I do add running data from my Garmin watch to MFP. Just use your Fitbit or Vivofit to encourage you to hit a daily steps target.
I do the same...I allow Garmin Connect to add an activity in which my HRM has been engaged, but any calorie adjustment as a result of the steps that my Vivofit has tracked, I delete from MFP. My Vivofit is really just a motivator to get 11,000 steps in per day and a reminder to MOVE!0 -
I have a Bodymedia fit. When I follow its recommendations I gain weight. Basically it reads about 30% higher than my actual burn (I have verified this number by tracking my actual intake, bodymedia's numbers, and my weight very carefully for the past 15 months. )
So, I was taking a 15 % cut to lose. But the bodymedia's overestimating my TDEE by 30% meant that when I used these numbers, I was actually eating at a surplus. Thus I gained 10 lbs over the15 months. I kept thinking my body would "reset" and it would actually work. Every online calculator I consulted indicated I was overeating, but still I believed. . .
Let me show you the numbers:
My actual (verified by results) TDEE: about 1650 (some days more some less, as activity varies)
Bodymedia TDEE estimate: 2350 (average)
Total daily eating goal per 15% off Bodymedia TDEE: 1997
So when I was eating 1997 cals a day, I thought I was eating at a nice 350 calorie deficit. In reality I was eating at 350 calorie SURPLUS!! Thus the weight gain. It would have been more, but many days I ate less than 1997 because it just felt like too much.
I now know that my actual TDEE is basically 70% of what the Bodymedia reports. (1650/2350=70%)
I have unlinked the Bodymedia from MFP and I now use that 70% number as a guideline. I subtract about 250 to create a deficit. It turns out that it is about what 1200 + exercise is for me. I lose just over 0.5 pounds per week with that, which is very close to what MFP predicts for me. When I go back to maintenance I will use 1200+250+exercise to figure my TDEE. That should put me pretty close to the 70% Bodymedia number.
So, if the Bodymedia is reading accurately for you, it should work with MFP. But if it is off for you,it will mess up your MFP number, unless you manually enter a different goal number into MFP.
I would use activity trackers carefully and verify with results.
My theory is that the farther you are from the averages that are used to generate height, weight, and calorie burning formulas, the farther off the activity tracker will be. I am definitely below the average person's height and weight and so I would not fit the norms. Of course after gaining weight, I was almost back there!
Unfortunately when I contacted Bodymedia, they were unwilling to consider that their product might have a bigger than reasonable margin of error for me. It has been an expensive mistake!0 -
Love all the different inputs on here. It seems that it might not be a problem if you are in maintenance, but might be if you in deficit, and of course that would be the case, because then the tracker is the ideal maintenance state and the deficit you get should tie in with the deficit you set for yourself more or less on average.
I'm trying to find a reason to get a Jawbone and so far other than maybe some "nice" info about sleep patterns i'm not seeing it. Motivation is not an issue thankfully. I think what I need is a HRM to wear when working out and running.
I'll let Person 1 know.0 -
can drinking water have a negative effect? yes, if you drink too much.
can having great sex have a negative effect? yes, if you suffer from sex addiction (or if your spouse finds out about it)
can winning the lotto have a negative effect? yes, if the money drives a wedge between you and the rest of your family.
can the mfp forums have a negative effect? yes, if you start overthinking things by posing questions like the one in this thread.
People need to know that activity trackers are not completely accurate, and that until they are verified with an individual's results, they should be used with caution. Read my post above. Following my Bodymedia resulted in a 10 lb weight gain for me.
Knowledge is power, and the more knowledge people have, the better the outcomes.
Not everyone will have a negative experience with a tracker, but people should know it happens.0
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