FitBit Calorie Adjustments-Do you find them accurate?

wildcelticrose
wildcelticrose Posts: 40 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I recently synced my fitbit with MFP and am now getting calorie adjustments from the fitbit.

I think that the calories burned they're giving me credit for might be a bit on the high end.

How about the rest of you? Do you think the calorie adjustment is high, low or about right?

Replies

  • snowdrop_diva
    snowdrop_diva Posts: 142 Member
    I noticed people in other Fitbit threads saying that the feel they are too high.

    As far as I've gathered most people here seem to just ignore or even just delete the Fitbit calorie credit altogether each day when they are in the MFP exercise area.

    Personally I am on the 'ignore' side of things. :smile:

    Have you peeked at the fitbit forum here yet? http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1307-fitbit-users
  • wildcelticrose
    wildcelticrose Posts: 40 Member
    Thanks.

    I popped over there and I'm seeing a lot of folks saying it's reasonably accurate and actually gives less calorie burned credit than BM.

    Maybe I'm under estimating and under eating?

    I know the weight loss has slowed down (not a big deal as my goal was to get under 150 and I did but would like a bit of a cushion/safety net-that and I still feel flabby)
  • wildcelticrose
    wildcelticrose Posts: 40 Member
    the older threads say it's pretty accurate.

    the newer thread indicates that some things may have been double logged; I checked mine and that's not the case.
  • snowdrop_diva
    snowdrop_diva Posts: 142 Member
    the older threads say it's pretty accurate.

    the newer thread indicates that some things may have been double logged; I checked mine and that's not the case.
    Good to know =) I hadn't double checked things in a while there, good to know that now the majority says it's accurate. That means I'll stop ignoring it in my daily diary just in case :drinker:
  • wildcelticrose
    wildcelticrose Posts: 40 Member
    folks noticed the double logging after the server was down a couple days ago.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    FitBit is decently accurate for non-exercise activity, and walking and flat jogging.

    It'll be underestimated for any real workouts.

    If you get sync updates of extra workouts, that is because MFP is seeing that your daily maintenance is really higher than they estimated.

    So to keep the weight loss deficit the same (1 or 2 lb loss), they put in FitBit adjustments as exercise to increase the calories you eat.

    Deficit is still there. If you log a workout and calories, that is account for then.

    So if you see those adjustments on non-exercise days, then you need to go and increase your MFP activity level, because Sedentary was not accurate.

    And most that started using those devices have indeed discovered they are really Lightly Active or higher, on non-exercise days.

    Now you are getting the benefit of why you bought the thing, decent daily estimates so you can take deficits and keep the eating level appropriate for your level of activity.
  • wildcelticrose
    wildcelticrose Posts: 40 Member
    Thank you.

    That's very helpful.

    I think I under estimate what I'm actually doing unless it's hard core training and I'm afraid that if I eat all those calorie back, I'll lose my deficit.

    for example, my bike ride today was short, a little over 3.5 miles (had to go pick something up downtown) but the climb back up on my bike was around 400 feet in elevation gain, that's a hard workout. (the guys where I picked up my modem looked at me in abject horror when I told him I was riding my bike straight up the 25th St hill)

    I was doing a lot of running around the house today (upstairs and basement and ended up with 35 floors climbed (often the case with walks and runs as well because we don't have any flat ground around here)

    I need to be eating more anyway as I have my first triathlon in three years on Sunday and a long work day tomorrow that involves physical labor and walking 8-10 miles over the course of the day.
  • wildcelticrose
    wildcelticrose Posts: 40 Member
    AHA!

    I knew something was squirrely with the fitbit Calorie adjustments.

    My time zone for fit bit was GMT -7 (daylight savings time)

    My time zone for MFP was GMT -8 (standard time) so I was getting double credits as my exercise and fit bit steps were an hour off.

    Good thing I ignored the fitbit adjustment and didn't try to eat that much ;)

    It's fixed now.
  • snowdrop_diva
    snowdrop_diva Posts: 142 Member
    AHA!

    I knew something was squirrely with the fitbit Calorie adjustments.

    My time zone for fit bit was GMT -7 (daylight savings time)

    My time zone for MFP was GMT -8 (standard time) so I was getting double credits as my exercise and fit bit steps were an hour off.

    Good thing I ignored the fitbit adjustment and didn't try to eat that much ;)

    It's fixed now.
    Crap, I just checked and mine set the same way. Must.fix

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