Fitbit/MFP/TDEE integration- Help!

maryosu
maryosu Posts: 10 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello everyone!

I just got a Fitbit One for my birthday (whoop whoop!), but I am sooo confused about how to make its calorie goals line up with MFP and my new TDEE calculation.

For a little bit of background, I had been following MFP's calorie recommendation for sedentary, but then I would track and eat my exercise calories. I was given 1350 calories a day, plus whatever I burned from exercise (usually ~200 a day from circuit training).

However, I was ALWAYS HUNGRY and my energy was always low. I started to look into using my BMR to calculate my TDEE and then eat 20% less than my TDEE. A lot of calculations later, I figured my BMR is about 1535 and my TDEE is about 2110. That gave me a daily goal around 1758. Eating at my TDEE - 20% was going smoothly until I got my FitBit. Now, My fitbit is constantly trying to add on calories to my MFP tracker, but I have to delete them since I'm trying to do TDEE and not track/eat my exercise calories!

Does anyone have any recommendations as to how I can align my goals (TDEE - 20%, working out 4-6 times a week) across MFP and Fitbit?

Thanks in advance!!

Replies

  • galipemi1
    galipemi1 Posts: 68 Member
    Well, I'm pretty new to it as well, but heres what seems to have mostly solved the problem for me.

    1. Go to Settings --> Update Your Diet Profile --> set it to your true goals and Very Active, maintain current weight
    2. Go back into Settings --> Goals (in the blue bar) and overwrite the calories to your calculated TDEE.

    For me here's what it does:
    my TDEE-20% is about 1600cals
    With my settings at very active & maintain, it estimates my TDEE and caloric needs at a little over 2000
    So, it only takes into account any fitbit activities that put me over 2000 in a day. Which is higher than my TDEE so it should work to keep me in line, if I get an adjustment, then I'm truly over and should eat a little more anyways.

    Hope that helps! Feel free to add me as a friend if you'd like.
  • maryosu
    maryosu Posts: 10 Member
    Thanks!! :-)

    I upped by MFP activity level to active with a weight loss goal of 1 lb a week, which got me 1650 calories a day, which is pretty close to my Fitbit calculated (from about a week's worth of data) TDEE (1963) - 250 (for 1/2 lb weight loss).

    I guess I just don't know what to believe :-/ I used like every BMR and TDEE calculator out there to get an average of 1750 for my TDEE - 20%. However, according to my FitBit, that number should be 1635 BUT, I can only set my daily calorie goal by subtracting 250 or 500, and neither of those hits 1635. Arghh!

    I guess I just have to remember that it's all just a best guess....

    We'll see how this new situation shakes out by the end of the day.
  • galipemi1
    galipemi1 Posts: 68 Member
    So, just to confirm:

    Your FitBit TDEE (average burn per day) is 1635 right?
    Your calculated TDEE is 2110
    Your calculated BMR is 1535


    So, 2110 - 20% is about 1688

    Either your FitBit TDEE is way underestimating, you're way overestimating in the calculations or you haven't tracked your other exercises within the FitBit website. Your FitBit TDEE and calculated TDEE are way to far apart. You may need to get that sorted out first.

    In terms of setting your goals, I ignore what's on FirBit or just set it to 0.5lbs/week and then I only really track here on MFP. On MFP, if you click on Settings and then look in the dark blue top bar (under the tabs) you can click on Goal and manually enter whatever calories and macros you want.
  • maryosu
    maryosu Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you for sticking with me through all these numbers! I'm swimming in calculations!

    On average, across all the online calculators, I've found this:
    BMR: 1535
    TDEE: 2111

    From Fitbit (with just 6 days of data)
    TDEE: 1963

    I may just manually set the Fitbit calories- I read that then it wont automatically add/decrease calories on MFP throughout the day.

    Would you default to my calculated BMR and TDEE (compiled and averaged across calculations) or to the Fitbit's?

    Thanks :)
  • fougamou
    fougamou Posts: 200 Member
    I haven't done any research, but I would think that the Fitbit TDEE is the accurate one since it has your actual activity, so that is the number I would go with.

    I would check first to make sure you set up the Fitbit correctly, though, as the calorie burn seems low to me, but again, not an expert.
  • galipemi1
    galipemi1 Posts: 68 Member
    Well, the calorie burn seems ok to me. I'm 5'2" and currently about 146lbs. I'm probably somewhere between lightly and moderately active in my own estimation, but I do go to school on a pretty spread out campus and work retail. My FitBit over the last 30 days has tracked me at an average burn of 1960cal.

    To get it as accurate as possible, make sure you create an activity for any non-walking/running exercise you do as it doesn't track those very well.

    I would suggest maybe splitting the difference:
    FitBit TDEE - 20% (1963-20%) 1570cal
    Calculated TDEE - 20% (2111-20%) 1690cal

    Maybe aim for 1600-1630? Just a thought, especially as you get more days logged into your FitBit and it starts to get more accurate.
  • galipemi1
    galipemi1 Posts: 68 Member
    Oh, and check out these groups:

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/3834-eat-more-to-weigh-less

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/1307-fitbit-users
  • rfsatar
    rfsatar Posts: 599 Member
    I did it this way:
    Used Scooby's Accurate Calorie Calculator to get my BMR and TDEE (Activity Level - lightly active)
    In FitBit turned off calorie estimation which was set to sedentary
    In MFP I set my goals to lightly active which brings me to about 30 cals off Scooby's calculation
    In MFP I adjusted my calories goal to be my BMR so that I can have some exercise cals back
    I eat back to a TDEE deficit and with these settings, FB only adds adjusted calories if I have been more active than usual.

    I have to do conditioning stretches to help rehab bad knees 6 days a week, and do 3 days in the gym (mix of cardio and strength) and Wii Fit/Active/Cardio 3 days a week and one compete rest day.

    I am half way to my goal ... I eat what I want but in moderation.
    I am happy now I have the fitbit only giving me extra calories IF I have been more active than usual - I feel this is a much more accurate reflection now (I do not have negative adjustments enabled on MFP)

    Hope that helps ...
  • maryosu
    maryosu Posts: 10 Member
    Thank you, everyone! Lots of great ideas and advice :) What I finally think I realized is that a 500 calorie deficit was too much for me, considering that I only have 10-15 lbs to lose. I set my activity levels in MFP and FB to sedentary, since I do work a HR desk job (I do work out 5-6 times a week, but for relatively short periods of time), and also lowered my weight loss goal to 1/2 pound per week. That puts me around 1600 calories a day, if I don't move my butt at all! I track my exercise in MFP and eat back some of those calories, but reserve the rest for the weekends when I like to splurge a bit more.

    So far I feel good- higher energy and not as hungry all the time! Here's hoping I see some progress and break this plateau :)

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