Over estimation of calories burned
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Schmarah
Posts: 5 Member
Has anyone else had problems with the BodyMedia Fit overestimating the amount of calories you've burned in a day? I have followed the caloric intake and expenditure recommendations from BMF pretty closely (1500 in and 2500 burned with an average 857 cal deficit daily over the last month) but I have gained 3 lbs. Ridiculously, I feel like there is something wrong with me rather than the BMF. Last yr I lost around 15 lbs using just MFP so I really don't think the problem has anything to do with my under reporting food. When I read reviews and online media about the armband everyone seems to love it and lose weight with it. Why can't I?
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No - can't say that I have. If anything, I feel like MFP over-rates the calories burned on some of my exercising. When I look at what I actually did on my armband stats, I have to come back here and adjust the calories I burned down. I tend to manually input my excersice here since this site never pulls data from my armband again once the two sites have connected the one time every day which is always way before I do my exercising in the evening. If it was 3 lbs, 3 lbs, 3 lbs, and 3 more again over a period of time, then I'd be wondering what was going on. But it it's only the first couple of weeks and you've gone up/down/up - they you may fluctate 3 lbs often and just didn't realize it until now. I know I'll lose, go up 4, lose 3 or 4, go up 4, lose 5, go up 4, lose 3 or 4, go up 4. I figure it's just part of my cycle. Since that's is such a swing for me, I really factor in a very long term time line and measurements. I know my over all measurements now vs 3 years ago are much smaller so even if my weight doesn't seem to be dropping, I know something is working. It's just different for me now than it would be when I was 20 or 30. I have to be okay with that or I would just cycle out of control.0
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Maybe your deficit is too high? With less than 20 lbs. to lose, you should probably be closer to 500 per day. Mine measures pretty accurately, or seems to--lost 23 lbs. in about 6 months last year and have maintained since September eating within about 100 calories per day of what it says I burn. Gained 2 lbs. while my son was here over the holidays. Lost them in January averaging about 250 under for the month.
Are you logging your food on MFP still? Do you know your BMR? How many calories were you eating when you lost before?0 -
I've had mine about a month. I found my calorie burn was higher than it was when I used fitbit/ HRM. I on,y have about 8 pounds to lose but as usual, I've been so up and down each day, its hard to say if vie lost or not.0
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I only had mine for a month as well and my weight did go up about 3lbs in the last month. But I have changed a lot of thing in the same time so i'm giving the time to my body to adapt. Since I got my BMF I increased my calorie intake from 1200 to 1900, started NROL4W and now just started C25K program. I really don't think that BMF over estimated the calorie burned, I read the studies about it before buying it and it was demontrated that the BMF is really accurate. I would say just stick with it and weight will come off eventually.0
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Thanks for your responses guys! I appreciate it. Although, I was afraid I'd be told I was the only one having a problem
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Over a year ago I lost around 15 lbs using just MFP and eating 1200 cals per day. I wasn't counting my calories burned as much but I was doing my normal 3-4 mile walk with my dogs plus multiple class at the gym. Really, it amounted to about 4hrs/day of workouts. I know that's a lot but I was extra motivated by my wedding date in March and I wasn't working so the gym served as my social life. Even with all that it took me 5 months to lose a little less than 15 lbs.
Anyway, I went on my honeymoon last April and it really felt like I just ate a few big meals and the weight was all right back on. When I got back after 11 days, none of my pants fit. I tried maintaining my weight after that and thought the BMF would help, especially since I love numbers/information. I started using my BMF reliably one month ago and additionally gained about a pound a week. I know 20 lbs doesn't seem like a lot but when you can't wear any of your clothes except for the stretch pants, it sure feels like a lot.
My BMR is about 1300, give or take 100 depending on my weight. I'm still using MFP to log my food and I'm very meticulous about it. I'm reaching 100's of cals above my Calories Burned goal by just doing my house work and walking my dogs each day which is the other part that seems off. (I should say, we moved to the country so I no longer have a gym but I do have a lot more house/yard work.) I mean, if the BMF is accurate and its this easy for me to keep a rather large calorie deficit than why is it so hard for me to ever lose weight?
After I posted yesterday I started thinking maybe I should raise my physical exercise time and intensity goals (I have very little vigorous exercise logged each day) and start paying closer attention to reaching those each day rather than killing myself over the calorie deficit that does nothing for me. Although I can calculate exercise time without having to wear a monitor on my arm. The whole point of the BMF is the numbers it generates.0 -
elaine_des, let me know how the calorie increase works for you this week. I can't decide if I'm going to go forward with my increased recommended intake or be OCD and customize all my goals.0
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Schmarah, you weren't eating enough when you lost before which is why you gained it back so quickly. Much easier to keep it off if you lose slowly and ease into maintenance.
Try adding about 200 calories to what you are currently eating and see what happens. You may gain at first, but should drop after a couple of weeks and then continue to go down. Definitely don't need more than a 500 calorie per day deficit, and you will still lose with less if you are accurately tracking (weighing) your food.0 -
Thanks for all the input guys. I'm going to keep going with the recommendations by BMF for my input cals for a bit longer despite the fact that it tells me to eat more than I used to and the weight gain and my difficulty wrapping my brain around the amount of calories it says I burn in a day (3026 KCals yesterday, BTW, seems so high!!!). Trusting the system. I will surely post as soon as it starts working. Thanks again.0
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Also remember that when you increase your calories up to where they should be, you may hold steady or even gain alittle while your body adapts, then it should start releasing the fat. A personal trainer told me to give any diet changes a minimum of 6-7 weeks before making more changes or deciding it doesnt work. Check out the eat more to weigh less group on here.0
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elaine_des, let me know how the calorie increase works for you this week. I can't decide if I'm going to go forward with my increased recommended intake or be OCD and customize all my goals.
I am down 1.1 lbs compare to last week. But I notice that have been eating at around 1600-1700 for the last week.0 -
I also did a lot of research before buying a calorie meter device and picked the BMF because it is meant to be the most accurate of them all. I've heard people give conflicting accounts of this from their own personal experience, but as I understand it it is mostly accurate for most activities except for weight lifting and pilates... maybe yoga. I'm wondering if it could count belly dance accurately... but ive been going with the numbers it gives me.
I'm surprised at how little calories I burn at work, where I had imagined I did a lot more, and how many I burn doing Zumba where I feel like I'm being half-assed because I can't do some of those crazy things. I'm calling it accurate since when it does give me a high rate of calorie burn its pretty obviously right.
I'm guessing you're not eating enough food. I did nutrisystem for 2 months once, nearly starved to death and never lost more than the original 6lbs I lost the first week, most likely because I wasn't eating enough.
I'd go with the BMF's number since it should be an accurate number specific to your body. If I followed the MFP plan it would have me suffering at 1200 calories a day and I'd go off it permanently in no time.0
