FitBit/Steps per Day Question

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  • erinelissa91
    erinelissa91 Posts: 63 Member
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    Ok, I will be logging in MFP. The only other exercises I do besides walking and running are HIIT and Weight Lifting and I will log them both via MFP. You guys are great and have been so helpful! I feel a little less intimidated by it all now and perhaps this will be a good thing to keep me moving.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Just to clarify- You don't have to log any steps-based stuff once you have a Fitbit and have it linked to MFP. I'm not sure what you're doing now... using your phone pedometer to enter steps in the Fitbit app and then seeing the adjustment here?

    I lost 35lbs. in 2010 following Fitbit's calorie recs for me.
  • Kidominos
    Kidominos Posts: 1,249 Member
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    Do you have a Fitbit tracker or are you just using the app? I had assumed, maybe incorrectly, that you have a Flex, Zip, One or Force.
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
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    Your TDEE is actually based on your BMR (which is actually a fairly advanced calculation vs the tdee) ... sedentary (the lowest level) is 1.2x your BMR and the highest level is 1.9x your BMR.

    So .. really just another math calculation and should be used with your stats to determine your correct level based on your goals.

    And yes the Fitbit does use this math .. as the more activity you do .. the more calories you are given as you will see if your MFP account is linked. Your Fitbit dashboard will just show more calories burned the more steps you do. It all counts, so what you do with the numbers is up to you.

    Just so you know .. yes, in my experience, the Fitbit numbers are actually pretty good. There is no such thing as 100% accuracy but it is not a bad estimate for most people. But if you read the Fitbit forums .. many many many many people have issues with Fitbit products and I just think that they should return them to the store .. it is just too smart of a device for them.

    I personally am not in calorie deficit mode now .. but when I was I used the Fitbit numbers as a gauge. I would not worry about those extra calories that the Fitbit will give you .. cause really if you do not eat them .. you will probably just find that your losses may be slightly higher. As I said before .. when you are in calorie deficit mode .. which most people here are, you may just find increased or decreased losses if you use the Fitbit numbers.

    But .. it really is a personal situation and I really recommend keeping very good records so you can determine how the number of calories you are eating is reflected in your losses.
  • dedflwrs
    dedflwrs Posts: 251 Member
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    Maybe it's all baloney and maybe it has not motivated some of the people here but fitbit has motivated my husband my son and myself. We all compete against ourselves and each other.

    I recommend you read David Sedaris excellent article on fitbit in New Yorker Magazine.

    Anyway... You can just go to the meal plan section of fitbit and set it to sedentary. It will then only calculate your actual activity plus your resting metabolic rate. I normally don't enter my activity (unless I'm charging my fitbit at the time which does not happen often) and that way I don't go to crazy. As it is, I eat a lot so I don't want to find excuses to stuff my face even more. In any case, I reached my goal (20 lbs lost) in three months and have kept it with slight fluctuations both up and down.
  • erinelissa91
    erinelissa91 Posts: 63 Member
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    Do you have a Fitbit tracker or are you just using the app? I had assumed, maybe incorrectly, that you have a Flex, Zip, One or Force.

    No, I have not purchased a device because I wasn't certain it would end up being something I used. I have an iPhone5s which is supposed to have a bangin activity monitor in it. So far between MapMyRun, fitbit and I used Withings for a while it seems to work properly and since I almost always have my phone on me I think it works fine for now. At some point I may purchase a device but for now, if I miss a few steps between my couch and the bathroom i won't be that worried about it

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