maintenance cals - fitbit

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sourgrape_
sourgrape_ Posts: 37
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Has anyone been able to maintain their weight by eating approximately the number of calories their fitbit tells you to?

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  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    I'd lose if I did that.
  • sourgrape_
    sourgrape_ Posts: 37
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    Why do you think that?
    I mean the maintenance cals it gives you without any weightloss goals set
  • hannydee
    hannydee Posts: 246
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    I've lost eating Fitbit maintenance cals before too. The reason, I think, is because the Fitbit actually underestimates my burns for things like walking. If I go on a long hike up hills etc, the Fitbit burn can sometimes read several hundred calories lower than the HRM for the activity.
  • hookilau
    hookilau Posts: 3,134 Member
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    I've lost eating Fitbit maintenance cals before too. The reason, I think, is because the Fitbit actually underestimates my burns for things like walking. If I go on a long hike up hills etc, the Fitbit burn can sometimes read several hundred calories lower than the HRM for the activity.

    I can see how this can happen, considering fitbit is just an activity counter while the HR monitor (with chest strap) gives you a more personal and accurate account of the type of activity you are doing.

    I use my fitbit for daily activities (work, errands etc.) and my HR monitor for exercise.

    That being said, I don't use either the calorie count on MFP or Fitbit. I used a third party calculator specific to the diet I'm on (keto). It's pretty much in line as far as total calories (not macros) with KM I think. It suggests 2k cal for my maintenance (5', 45 yrs old, F) and 1500 cal for a 1# loss.

    So far, with my fitbit, in order to net close to 1500 cal (sometimes not even) I eat about 1700-1800 cal (at a deficit to lose 1# wkly) probably because I get upwards of 10k steps daily in addition to lifting 3x weekly.

    I am 134 and have 15 more pounds to lose.
  • sourgrape_
    sourgrape_ Posts: 37
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    I guess it's still better to underestimate calorie burn than to overestimate it..
    once I switch into maintenance mode I'll try eating the number of cals it gives me and adjust after a few weeks if I gain/lose
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,372 Member
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    I guess it's still better to underestimate calorie burn than to overestimate it..
    once I switch into maintenance mode I'll try eating the number of cals it gives me and adjust after a few weeks if I gain/lose

    That's my plan. Not there yet though!
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I use my fitbit to more accurately measure my activity level in MFP. I am set to sedentary and go up from there. Fitbit does undercount bicycling and when I'm cleaning out the chicken coop or arm heavy things, but I log those separately in MFP and fitbit adjusts for that.

    When I ate those fitbit calories back without upping my calories from the 500 calorie deficit I lost around a pound a month (what I had been before fitbit but with manual exercise logging.) Since I upped my calories to a 250 calorie deficit and eating my fitbit calories, I have been basically maintaining.
  • sourgrape_
    sourgrape_ Posts: 37
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    I use my fitbit to more accurately measure my activity level in MFP. I am set to sedentary and go up from there. Fitbit does undercount bicycling and when I'm cleaning out the chicken coop or arm heavy things, but I log those separately in MFP and fitbit adjusts for that.

    When I ate those fitbit calories back without upping my calories from the 500 calorie deficit I lost around a pound a month (what I had been before fitbit but with manual exercise logging.) Since I upped my calories to a 250 calorie deficit and eating my fitbit calories, I have been basically maintaining.

    maybe it doesn't underestimate your calorie count after all since you're maintaining with what you think of as a 250cal deficit..
  • vicelike
    vicelike Posts: 22
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    Yes!
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    That is pretty much my plan. I have been trying to analyze the FitBit vs MFP numbers since I got my Flex in early August and I think I've gotten it pretty much figured out. I have been working toward using the 2 week average Calories Burned on FitBit's Dashboard (TDEE) then calculating a 10% deficit from that and setting that as my MFP net calorie goal since I only have about 5 lbs to lose. It is usually pretty close to the calorie goal that FitBit calculates each day using the "Easier" setting which subtracts 250 calories from my Calories burned. I usually end up within 100 calories on both of them so I think it is pretty close. On weeks where I am less active, I've been sick or busier with work, then I have been trying to stick closer to the FitBit daily numbers since it knows that I haven't been moving as much. On weeks where I am more active I just eat what I would normally eat and if I am over by a little bit it is ok since I know I will probably make up for it later in the week.

    I think from having the FitBit I will be better able to truly figure out those maintenance numbers and set my goals accordingly, but I'm guessing it will be a fairly easy transition since I've been increasing my calorie goal and eating very close to it (1700) for a while now and am losing half pound a week pretty steadily. Planning to go up to 1800-2000 for maintenance goal unless I see something a lot different on the FitBit weekly/biweekly/monthly averages.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I use my fitbit to more accurately measure my activity level in MFP. I am set to sedentary and go up from there. Fitbit does undercount bicycling and when I'm cleaning out the chicken coop or arm heavy things, but I log those separately in MFP and fitbit adjusts for that.

    When I ate those fitbit calories back without upping my calories from the 500 calorie deficit I lost around a pound a month (what I had been before fitbit but with manual exercise logging.) Since I upped my calories to a 250 calorie deficit and eating my fitbit calories, I have been basically maintaining.

    maybe it doesn't underestimate your calorie count after all since you're maintaining with what you think of as a 250cal deficit..

    I'm assuming this may be sarcastic, but let me answer it seriously. As an older woman, it is clear to me that the MFP estimation of my calorie needs is higher than the needs of my body. That was true when I started with MFP losing and it seems to be true now that I'm at maintenance. We're all different. Any calorie estimate is an 'estimate' which needs to be adjusted with experience.

    It may be that fitbit undercounts. It's equally possible that I'm undercounting my calories, despite my measurements and religious logging. What is true that at this calorie level and with eating back fitbit calories, I maintain. Which is all that actually matters.
  • Oishii
    Oishii Posts: 2,675 Member
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    Why do you think that?
    I mean the maintenance cals it gives you without any weightloss goals set

    Because I've tried it. The last time I lost weight (pre pregnancy) I was losing on 2400kcal gross, and fitbit seldom gives me that many as maintenance.
  • sourgrape_
    sourgrape_ Posts: 37
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    I use my fitbit to more accurately measure my activity level in MFP. I am set to sedentary and go up from there. Fitbit does undercount bicycling and when I'm cleaning out the chicken coop or arm heavy things, but I log those separately in MFP and fitbit adjusts for that.

    When I ate those fitbit calories back without upping my calories from the 500 calorie deficit I lost around a pound a month (what I had been before fitbit but with manual exercise logging.) Since I upped my calories to a 250 calorie deficit and eating my fitbit calories, I have been basically maintaining.

    maybe it doesn't underestimate your calorie count after all since you're maintaining with what you think of as a 250cal deficit..

    I'm assuming this may be sarcastic, but let me answer it seriously. As an older woman, it is clear to me that the MFP estimation of my calorie needs is higher than the needs of my body. That was true when I started with MFP losing and it seems to be true now that I'm at maintenance. We're all different. Any calorie estimate is an 'estimate' which needs to be adjusted with experience.

    It may be that fitbit undercounts. It's equally possible that I'm undercounting my calories, despite my measurements and religious logging. What is true that at this calorie level and with eating back fitbit calories, I maintain. Which is all that actually matters.

    I'm sorry if my post sounded aggressive or sarcastic, I didn't mean it to be. Was just curious..
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    I understand. Thank you.
  • sunflowerhippi
    sunflowerhippi Posts: 1,086 Member
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    I guess it's still better to underestimate calorie burn than to overestimate it..
    once I switch into maintenance mode I'll try eating the number of cals it gives me and adjust after a few weeks if I gain/lose

    This is my plan right now that I am starting. Just switched over this week to maintence.
  • Koldnomore
    Koldnomore Posts: 1,613 Member
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    My fitbit actually OVERestimates my TDEE by about 400 calories. If I were to eat what it said I would gain. It's all a numbers game. everyone is different. All you can do is try it and adjust as you see the trends. It helps if you track it manually on your own so you can see what's happening.
  • phillinnz
    phillinnz Posts: 82 Member
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    I guess it's still better to underestimate calorie burn than to overestimate it..
    once I switch into maintenance mode I'll try eating the number of cals it gives me and adjust after a few weeks if I gain/lose

    That is what I am doing, but based on MFP cals which are close to the basal metabolic rate cals I worked out from a website. Fitbit gives me way too many calories. I am finding that I should not go more than 200 above my base calories, even if I am quite active, as otherwise I put on weight. However, really strenuous exercise like hiking lets me eat back more of the burned up calories.

    Good luck.
  • TigerBite
    TigerBite Posts: 611 Member
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    Fitbit underestimates for me (doesn't take into account lean body mass and as already stated, doesn't really track non-srep based calories burns) ... I'm going to get a Bodymedia FIT link this week ... from the research I've done, it seems more accurate ... Though nothing is 100% ...
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
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    You can log other exercises in MFP and fitbit includes it. I was cleaning out chicken coops this afternoon which is mostly upper body and I just logged it. As you say, nothing is perfect.

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