Worrying Fitbit Calorie Allowance?!

girl_afraid82

Hey all,

I've been looking into getting a Fitbit, so out of curiosity I signed up to their website for a nosy about.
It gave me the option of setting up a food profile, so I duly entered information about my current weight, goal weight, height etc etc.
It then presented me with four options similar to MFP, asking if I wanted to lose 0.5, 1, 1.5 or 2lbs a week. The calorie allowances for this were a bit shocking!

To lose 0.5lbs a week I can eat = 1425 calories a day
1lb a week = 1175 calories
1.5lbs a week = 925 calories
2lbs a week = 675 calories

Now I know MFP has something built in to stop us eating under a healthy 1200 a day... surely Fitbit should be incorporating something similar? I can't believe it suggested 675 calories a day!!

Anyone else think this is a terrible oversight on their part? You can set your own calorie goal, but half the reason I wanted to get a Fitbit was to track this kind of thing more accurately based on my own body rather than estimates on MFP.

greenolivetree

Hmm...I see what you mean. That's no good. I've just had my fitbit about 2-1/2 weeks and I just set it at the "easier" weightloss plan b/c I'm already in the healthy weight range and I'm just sort of "fine-tuning". I never even noticed it would tell me to eat so little if I upped my goal to more lbs per week.

I have both this site and the fitbit site set to 1/2lb a week weightloss and they both start me off with about the same cals. But the fitbit tells me I can eat more overall because it's adding to my cals all day based on how active I am. Whereas before, I was only enterting intentional aerobic exercise into this site for exercise cals. Maybe the fitbit is picking up that I'm actual lightly active rather than sedentary.

girl_afraid82

I got the fitbit today, so I guess I will see how it goes. I have it set to 1175 calories a day (of which I will always eat a little over, because I know that's too few calories) and will see what it makes of my daily activity. It may adjust itself I guess once I get going, but I did find it a little worrying to show that sort of number from the outset.

Someone who isn't as savvy on healthy calorie intake might think that it's a reasonable suggestion to only eat 675 a day! Now I know it's because I'm short and don't have a lot to lose, but come on! I think they should have an in built regulator for this sort of thing.