Just got my FitBit and am TOTALLY confused

auntsoozaay
auntsoozaay Posts: 38
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
I posted this on the FitBit Users group, but thought I'd try here too...

I got my FitBit yesterday and after doing everything I needed to do online...including syncing it to MFP, I started wearing it. I didn't work out yesterday, in fact I did little of nothing yesterday and it said that I burned 1940 calories. How could that be? And...where does it show up on MFP for yesterday? I put the FB on the little device to sync it...the info shows up on FB dashboard, but not MFP.

Also, is there a manual of some sort online that I can read more about what the FitBit works and what I need to do in order to take advantage of everything it does for me? I wasn't able to find this on the FB website...but maybe I just overlooked it.

Thanks for any advice you can lend me....my hubby & I are very excited to use the FB but are clueless on how to use it properly.

Replies

  • wolfchild59
    wolfchild59 Posts: 2,608 Member
    I can't help you with all of the syncing with MFP questions since I don't own a fitbit. But I own a BodyMedia Fit and I tend to burn 1800-2000 calories on days I never leave my apartment and barely leave my couch other than to use the restroom or make some food. So the 1940 burn seems totally reasonable to me.

    Out of the year and a half that I've been wearing my BMF, I've had a grand total of seven days I burned less than 1800 calories. Two of them I was sick in bed and one of them was Passover at a friends house, where we sat for, literally, six hours. My average burn on non-workout days, excluding vacation days where I was out and walking for the bulk of the day despite not working out, is just over 2100 calories. Which makes 1940 sound like it could easily be right for you.

    Hope you get some help on the other issues as well. :)
  • b_fit4life
    b_fit4life Posts: 105 Member
    You will only see your FitBit data on MFP if you burn an excess of what you would be expected to burn from your normal activity level. It will show up in your MFP exercise screen as FitBit Calorie adjustment for 1 minute and the total number of cals burned.

    Your FitBit is giving you your calories burned from all activity....not just exercise. So, it's 1900 cals from yesterday includes the cals your body needs to survive plus your level of activity for the day.

    *Edit to add* What I find most beneficial about the FitBit is that it's really just a gauge of how active I am in a day. I have a daily step and stair goal set for myself....I can check my FitBit any time throughout the day for a progress report.
  • auntsoozaay
    auntsoozaay Posts: 38
    OK....gotcha! About the calorie burning...I was totally thinking of working out/burning calories (like you burn 600 jogging, etc.)...NOT just in general....so that's why my calorie burn # on the dashboard is so high! I gotta change that back....I had lowered it.

    To see how much I burn for exercise, do I just start the stop watch feature...and then stop it when I'm done?
  • smilesalot1969
    smilesalot1969 Posts: 392
    The fitbit tracks the calories you use just by being alive. You body needs a certain number to keep functioning and this number while you were inactive will be what you saw. My daily total if i dont do a lot is around 2100. If you start the stopwatch when you begin a workout it records the calories burned until you stop it and will automatically adjust your calorie allowances here on MFP when you sync. You can go into your fitbit dashboard and label these recorded workouts as whatever you like and you can see how many calories you burned at that particular time. This way you know what are workout calories and what are just existing and breathing calories :)
  • auntsoozaay
    auntsoozaay Posts: 38
    The fitbit tracks the calories you use just by being alive. You body needs a certain number to keep functioning and this number while you were inactive will be what you saw. My daily total if i dont do a lot is around 2100. If you start the stopwatch when you begin a workout it records the calories burned until you stop it and will automatically adjust your calorie allowances here on MFP when you sync. You can go into your fitbit dashboard and label these recorded workouts as whatever you like and you can see how many calories you burned at that particular time. This way you know what are workout calories and what are just existing and breathing calories :)

    THANK YOU!!!! It's coming clear now! I think I was just so excited to get started, I wasn't looking at everything clearly.
  • b_fit4life
    b_fit4life Posts: 105 Member
    OK....gotcha! About the calorie burning...I was totally thinking of working out/burning calories (like you burn 600 jogging, etc.)...NOT just in general....so that's why my calorie burn # on the dashboard is so high! I gotta change that back....I had lowered it.

    To see how much I burn for exercise, do I just start the stop watch feature...and then stop it when I'm done?

    Yes, just start the timer and then stop when you are done. One of my favorite features is the sleep monitor. I use the wrist strap and start the stop watch when I go to sleep, stop the watch when I wake up. It tells me my quality of sleep!
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