Fitbit users eating all their calories

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annoz
annoz Posts: 68 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
MFP gives me 1420 calories to lose weight. I aim for about 1500-1600. I am on my feet at work and fitbit gives me usually at least a 500-600 calorie exercise allowance. I am already NOT losing weight...If I ate what MFP and fitbit want I'd be eating at least 1900 calories a day! I am 5'3" and 147ish pounds and want to be 130.

Sorry if I keep posting about my struggle to lose weight but I am getting so frustrated and down about it. My clothes still fit the same, too :(
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Replies

  • Heyyleigh
    Heyyleigh Posts: 268 Member
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    MF gives me 1210 cals and fitbit around 1435. I balance them both. In fitbit once the food is syncd to MFP you can see in the food plan what you have left. Fitbit bases off the calories you burn, your learned activity level, etc... MFP bases it off what you enter and how fast you want to lose the weight. People really give themselves to much credit for what they call exercise ;) There are many forums in here about fitbit and the Fitbit Calorie adjustment. I don't log any type of activity that fitbit picks up. ( I dont ride a bike or swim ) You can log it, but I suggest you not eat them back. I also really watch my carbs and what source they come from and also eat my weight in protein.

    How long have you been at it? Try the carb approach, also watch those sugars.

    On fitbit, try and get your step count to 20,000 and your miles at at least 8. Aim for 10 flights of stairs. :) I don't know how much time you have to workout, but it really speeds things up!
  • annoz
    annoz Posts: 68 Member
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    I don't log exercise either- just go along with what fitbit says. Thanks for your reply-

    Oh- I've been at this for about 7 weeks now.
  • johnnydubroy
    johnnydubroy Posts: 5
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    Sort of new to this but what is fitbit?
  • BluthLover
    BluthLover Posts: 301 Member
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    MFP gives me 1420 calories to lose weight. I aim for about 1500-1600. I am on my feet at work and fitbit gives me usually at least a 500-600 calorie exercise allowance. I am already NOT losing weight...If I ate what MFP and fitbit want I'd be eating at least 1900 calories a day! I am 5'3" and 147ish pounds and want to be 130.

    Sorry if I keep posting about my struggle to lose weight but I am getting so frustrated and down about it. My clothes still fit the same, too :(

    I'd like to help if I can. I'm your same height and 135 trying for 125. What's going on?
  • rhonniema
    rhonniema Posts: 522
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    I don't pay attention to my fitbit cals.
    I sync it at the end of the day.

    But being that you only have 17lbs to lose, it may not come off as fast as someone wanting to lose 50lbs.
  • rhonniema
    rhonniema Posts: 522
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    Sort of new to this but what is fitbit?
    basically a pedometer on steroids. lol.
  • johnnydubroy
    johnnydubroy Posts: 5
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    Intrigued... where do I get one and is it accurate?
  • samblanken
    samblanken Posts: 369 Member
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    fitbit.com

    I bought the scale too - very handy for the body fat measurement. I suspect it's fairly accurate too.
  • AmyOwensJackson
    AmyOwensJackson Posts: 7
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    http://www.fitbit.com/
  • rhonniema
    rhonniema Posts: 522
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    Intrigued... where do I get one and is it accurate?

    www.fitbit.com

    It counts steps, calories burned, stairs climbed, distance walked, & you can use it to monitor your sleep also.

    I think of it like a video game to keep me moving, if I don't unlock 2 badges a day or more, I need to move more.
  • SueMizZou
    SueMizZou Posts: 146 Member
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    I was in a similar place. I have cut back on carbs and have started to see the scale move. Cutting carbs might help
  • johnnydubroy
    johnnydubroy Posts: 5
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    Hahaha... I like the video game approach. Thanks for the info (and everyone else above too)
  • annoz
    annoz Posts: 68 Member
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    I'd like to help if I can. I'm your same height and 135 trying for 125. What's going on?

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/723434-wtf-how-could-i-have-gained-2-5-pounds
  • eightpock
    eightpock Posts: 61
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    MFP gives me 1420 calories to lose weight. I aim for about 1500-1600. I am on my feet at work and fitbit gives me usually at least a 500-600 calorie exercise allowance. I am already NOT losing weight...If I ate what MFP and fitbit want I'd be eating at least 1900 calories a day! I am 5'3" and 147ish pounds and want to be 130.

    Sorry if I keep posting about my struggle to lose weight but I am getting so frustrated and down about it. My clothes still fit the same, too :(

    I've found I lose weight more quickly if i Don't eat the exercise calories.
  • tbetts23
    tbetts23 Posts: 303 Member
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    I tend to ignore the "extra" that fit bit gives me. It credits you for staying at the same pace. Once I get home, I sit on my *kitten* and do nothing and it takes it away:(
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    MFP gives me 1420 calories to lose weight. I aim for about 1500-1600. I am on my feet at work and fitbit gives me usually at least a 500-600 calorie exercise allowance. I am already NOT losing weight...If I ate what MFP and fitbit want I'd be eating at least 1900 calories a day! I am 5'3" and 147ish pounds and want to be 130.

    Sorry if I keep posting about my struggle to lose weight but I am getting so frustrated and down about it. My clothes still fit the same, too :(

    I am 5'2", currently 200lbs. I have had a fitbit since the end of May, and lost 15lbs since then. I eat my exercise calories. I don't actually LOG exercise, just take whatever fitbit gives me. I have MFP set for sedentary even though I jog on the treadmill for 35min 3-4x a week.

    Maybe you should try eating your exercise calories for a week or two and see what happens. It is quite possible that you are not eating enough...
  • nheilweil
    nheilweil Posts: 82 Member
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    Fitbit definitely calculates a higher calorie burn than MFP and if you've got your MFP activity set to Sedentary, then you'll get extra Fitbit allowances too easily. Consequently, as you're seeing, you 'll gain weight if you eat back those calories!

    One thing you can do is raise your MFP level up to Active, which will lower the amount of Fitbit adjustments you get, but you'll also have a higher calorie allowance in MFP, so again, you still might gain weight!

    After many months of trying to simply ignore my Fitbit allowance, I eventually found that it was easiest to **not link** Fitbit with MFP. Now, I use my FitBit to ensure I'm walking around enough during the day. And I use MFP for everything else (food and exercise). That way, I'm never tempted to eat back my Fitbit calories. And I LOVE this approach cuz I'm on track weight wise using both MFP and Fitbit for their strengths!
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
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    Fitbit definitely calculates a higher calorie burn than MFP and if you've got your MFP activity set to Sedentary, then you'll get extra Fitbit allowances too easily. Consequently, as you're seeing, you 'll gain weight if you eat back those calories!

    One thing you can do is raise your MFP level up to Active, which will lower the amount of Fitbit adjustments you get, but you'll also have a higher calorie allowance in MFP, so again, you still might gain weight!

    After many months of trying to simply ignore my Fitbit allowance, I eventually found that it was easiest to **not link** Fitbit with MFP. Now, I use my FitBit to ensure I'm walking around enough during the day. And I use MFP for everything else (food and exercise). That way, I'm never tempted to eat back my Fitbit calories. And I LOVE this approach cuz I'm on track weight wise using both MFP and Fitbit for their strengths!

    actually, I have myself set for sedentary because some days I really AM sedentary. Yesterday I only had about 6,000 steps and today I have almost 15,000. There are some days that I eat all but 20 calories allotted to me--including exercise calories--and other days like today where there is no way that I can eat all of them (its 9pm and I still have over 900 calories available...I have eaten 1440 calories so far today). Currently I am losing about 1lb a week ( what MFP is set for), I think I should be losing more, but I suspect that I have a metabolic issue slowing things down--I have a doctor's appointment Tuesday to confirm.
  • rhonniema
    rhonniema Posts: 522
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    I tend to ignore the "extra" that fit bit gives me. It credits you for staying at the same pace. Once I get home, I sit on my *kitten* and do nothing and it takes it away:(
    Don't you just hate that!?
  • ExplorinLauren
    ExplorinLauren Posts: 991 Member
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    Fitbit definitely calculates a higher calorie burn than MFP and if you've got your MFP activity set to Sedentary, then you'll get extra Fitbit allowances too easily. Consequently, as you're seeing, you 'll gain weight if you eat back those calories!

    One thing you can do is raise your MFP level up to Active, which will lower the amount of Fitbit adjustments you get, but you'll also have a higher calorie allowance in MFP, so again, you still might gain weight!

    After many months of trying to simply ignore my Fitbit allowance, I eventually found that it was easiest to **not link** Fitbit with MFP. Now, I use my FitBit to ensure I'm walking around enough during the day. And I use MFP for everything else (food and exercise). That way, I'm never tempted to eat back my Fitbit calories. And I LOVE this approach cuz I'm on track weight wise using both MFP and Fitbit for their strengths!


    How did you "unlink" your FitBit from MFP??? I've been trying to do this, and haven't been able to :( I've tried contacting MFP about it, and they never answered me...Sigh. I don't eat back my FitBit cals... ever. lol But I still want it unlinked! So I don't even see it.

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