FitBit syncing question

jennmcpherson
jennmcpherson Posts: 263 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hey all, I hope that everyone is doing well!

I recently synced my FitBit and MFP accounts, all the logging seems to be working great but the calories allowance is different on both accounts. I'm just wondering if this is the norm or if I've done something wrong. Help please!

Thanks!

Replies

  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I'd love to have all the calories FitBit thinks I should eat. My calorie allowance over there is about double it is here. I just ignore it, although I believe there IS a way to get them to match, but I don't know what it is.
  • pamperedlinny
    pamperedlinny Posts: 1,688 Member
    I use what it puts on MFP and usually only 3/4 of that. I think sometimes it gives me too much when I haven't been all that active.
    But I feel lost without it and wear mine everyday.
  • wlkumpf
    wlkumpf Posts: 241 Member
    within the last few hours my fit bit fell out of my wrist holder somewhere in this house!!! I do daycare and am everywhere and the bathroom and laundry and garbage and diapers and bags of stuff!!!

    I am ticked off!!!!!!! IT fell out once while I was in bed, but I really like the wristband. Obviously I will never use that again but that doesn't help me on my search now when I had just made a resolution to ALWAYS wear it!!! GRRRRRR!!!!!
  • JazzyJudi
    JazzyJudi Posts: 3
    Even though the store where I bought my Fitbit said it could be used with IPhone 4 - it doesn't. Has to be 4s or later. Sad face!! Frustrating trying to get it to work but decided to go back to my weight watchers steps calculator and at least that will tell me something. Heading off to walk the mall - not shop!!
  • DorisInTheDena
    DorisInTheDena Posts: 151 Member
    The biggest key to getting close to the right amount of calories allowed is to make sure you enter when you workout. I use an elliptical trainer every day. I log the activity on the Fitbit site or app. When I do, it adjusts the calories down versus if i was just walking the same amount of steps. Fitbit then syncs with MFP.

    I love my Fitbit. I hope you like yours too. :smile:
  • ladyraven68
    ladyraven68 Posts: 2,003 Member
    Hey all, I hope that everyone is doing well!

    I recently synced my FitBit and MFP accounts, all the logging seems to be working great but the calories allowance is different on both accounts. I'm just wondering if this is the norm or if I've done something wrong. Help please!

    Thanks!

    The reason that the calories are different is that MFP is based on your BMR and activity factor, not your actual activity.

    If you look at your Home page in MFP, then Goals, top right hand corner will be an estimate of daily calories burned through normal activity. This is what MFP bases your defict on.

    It your Fitbit actual calories are higher or lower than the MFP estimate, you will get a FitBit adjustment.
    if it is adding calories daily then you have probably underestimated your activity level on MFP.

    I'd originally set myself as sedentary as I have an office job, but my FB was regularly adding 100+ calories, so I increased the MFP activity level to lightly active, and now they are very close.
  • GauchoMark
    GauchoMark Posts: 1,804 Member
    mine is always different, but usually within 25-50 calories or so. Even though the calculation says that it just looks at the total calories available and adjusts them to match, mine NEVER matches exactly. As long as they are somewhat close, I'm happy, though.
  • corneredbycorn
    corneredbycorn Posts: 267 Member
    Even though the store where I bought my Fitbit said it could be used with IPhone 4 - it doesn't. Has to be 4s or later. Sad face!! Frustrating trying to get it to work but decided to go back to my weight watchers steps calculator and at least that will tell me something. Heading off to walk the mall - not shop!!

    Thanks for mentioning this. I have the Ultra, got it before I realized there was a new one that synced with phones. I seriously thought about swapping it out since I would like to be able to sync while out and about, but if it doesn't work with iPhone 4, that feature is useless to me.
  • jennmcpherson
    jennmcpherson Posts: 263 Member
    Thanks all for your help! Good luck! I'm loving my FitBit!
  • om3guz
    om3guz Posts: 48
    .I'd originally set myself as sedentary as I have an office job, but my FB was regularly adding 100+ calories, so I increased the MFP activity level to lightly active, and now they are very close.

    I have both my MFP and FB set to sedentary because my activity level is not consistent. I always have more calories on MFP than from FB. I go by FB's calories and ignore any extra calorie allowance from MFP. I will try changing MFP to lightly active and see if this works better. Thank you for posting this!

    I have been able to maintain my weight by eating the amount of calories given to me by fitbit. It is more accurate for me than MFP, probably because my activity level is always changing (from a busy work day to a day of classes to a day off doing nothing!).

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