FitBit calories in vs out not making sense

Fitbit estimates how many calories you'll reach by the end of the day by your current burn rate and past history. If you don't want it to do that, then turn off Estimated Calories in your profile.

Give it a chance, though. It does a really good job from my experience.

MFP also has a profile setting to let Fitbit do calorie adjustments, so that if you're burning more or less than the expected rate, it counts them as positive or negative exercise calories. I also have found that to work quite well.

The only tricky thing to make MFP calories in sync with Firbit is to tweak the MFP Goals using custom numbers and not let it default for you. It takes a few adjustments over a couple days, but once you get it right, the numbers are pretty close and can be within ten or so calories of each other.

Would you be so kind as to school me on how the heck to get my fitbit to sync with my MFP? Why does MFP tell you upon registering your fitbit that you never log into fitbit again and only use MFP? Is that what everyone does? I like my fitbit dashboard, but now I am so utterly confused on what the heck to use/do. PLUS, my calories on fitbit (the ones i need to eat) are NOT what MFP says to eat...only eating 1200 is not good for me, and I don't know how to edit MFP to just follow what fitbit.com already has registered/planned for me...


I feel frustrated, thank you for your help!

Stephanie

Fitbit told me I ate 1719 calories, burned 2731 calories (including BMR) but said I have no calories left to eat. This is a 1000 calorie deficit but I don't see how that can possibly be healthy if I'm netting less than 1200, especially at my weight. I know that's still only a 2 lb a week weight loss but it sounds fishy for the little amount of weight I want to lose!

Fitbit doesn't use "net" that is an MFP thing.

Example:

Burn 2500 according to fitbit
eat 1500
Deficit 1000 calories

now on MFP would be slightly different

estimated burn before exercise of 1800
calorie goal of 1200
deficit of 600 calories
eat 1200
fitbit adjustment/ exercise subtract 700 calories from the 1200 you ate
NET 500
MFP is going to say you have 700 calories left to eat to maintain a 600 calorie deficit
So in this scenario to keep the 1000 calorie deficit, you would have to NET 800.

The reason for this is the settings you chose when you set up your MFP profile. If you say you want a 1000 calorie deficit, but MFP thinks you only burn 1800 calories before exercise (example number) than you will only get a 600 calorie deficit. MFP won't go lower than 1200 calories. Fitbit on the other hand has no problem letting you go below 1200. Probably because the more you move, the more calories you earn and this is reflected on the dashboard there. For example, if I saw that I only had 800 calories to eat for the day than I would get up and move my a** so I could eat a bit more. You could try upping your activity level here on MFP and see if it balances the calories out between the 2 sites. My guess is you underestimated your activity level here.

I didn't underestimate activity level on MFP because I have it synced with fitbit. I just used THEIR estimation, which ended me w a dangerously low net on MFP. I still don't think we're understanding one another here.. I know how both systems work but it seems wrong that fitbit's nets are ending me w so little calories on MFP. Still super confused.

Okay. Look at your "Goals" page here on MFP.

If you are getting large adjustments from fitbit, than you did underestimate your activity level here. Notice the 2 areas I've highlighted.
What kind of deficit do you have here? It's probably not 1000. Thus the difference between the 2 sites. With the activity level you picked, MFP wouldn't let you have a 1000 calorie deficit. Fitbit on the other hand will always let you have a 1000 calorie deficit if you want it.

Here I'll play with my settings for an example:

MFP set to "Sedentary"
MFP set to "2lb per week loss"


MFP won't let me have a 1000 calorie deficit, because it would drop me below 1200 calories. So it does the best it can and gives me a 770 calorie deficit.

Now, Fitbit:
1000 calorie deficit
calorie estimation off
food calories based on bmr alone...no activity

This will obviously change as I get moving.

Now that we have that difference established. Lets go back and look at a more active day.

Keep in mind MFP is always going to want a 770 calorie deficit for me.

So for this day, MFP would have wanted me to eat: 1477 (remember it only has me at a 770 calorie deficit)
Fitbit on the other hand would have wanted me to eat 1247 (remember it is set to a 1000 calorie deficit)

You lost me.
I set my goals on mfp. 1620 calories currently for maintenance assuming I'm sedentary.
I aim for 12000 steps a day on fit bit. In the afternoon I sync and again in the evening. If I have been sufficiently active my calorie goal for the day goes up and I can eat something a bit more exciting for dinner or have pudding!. Often I have about 200 to spare which I leave as I don't mind a small deficit. Other times I suddenly remember I didn't log something so it's nice to have that little buffer.
You are right about one thing, it is not wise to net under 1200 long term, unless you have a huge amount to lose and are under medical supervision.

I'll preface that my BMR is only around 1300 or 1400, I'm 140 lbs and 5'6 and am only trying to lose 10 lbs.

My MFP and fitbit dashboards/home are completely different. Like MFP said yesterday "*You've earned 949 extra calories from exercise today" after I ate 1700 calories, netting me w only 800 something and that I have 300 something calories left to eat.

Fitbit told me I ate 1719 calories, burned 2731 calories (including BMR) but said I have no calories left to eat. This is a 1000 calorie deficit but I don't see how that can possibly be healthy if I'm netting less than 1200, especially at my weight. I know that's still only a 2 lb a week weight loss but it sounds fishy for the little amount of weight I want to lose!

It's a large deficit.
You only have 10 lbs to lose.
I would suggest at most 0.75-1.5 lbs max per week.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/1386749-article-review-evidence-based-nutrition-and-supplements

Say I want to lose 1.5 lbs a week. I would subtract 750 calories from my TDEE which would be 1400 calories.

Yes.

You should probably go with a 500 calorie deficit and allow yourself to be up to 250 under that for most but not all days. It accomplishes the same thing, but beating the target by a variable number every day becomes more of a game and and a lot more engaging than just eating to a static total number. That's what I did and it worked really well and I didn't feel anywhere as guilty for days when I didn't beat the target. I feel I lost more this way than if I had always tried to hit that 500 calorie deficit every day and the stress with occasionally going over.

Yes, because the day isn't done.

What I suggest: based on your prior end of day total burns: set a daily burn goal for yourself. You can edit your Fitbit goals from your dashboard. Make it realistic but don't take the easy way out. Such as if you've averaged 2400/day then set your goal for 2425-2450.

1. Set Fitbit calories per day goal
2. Google your BMR and divide by 24 to know what your BMR is per hour
3. What time do you normally settle down at the end of the day? Make a mental note of what your calories burned should be at this time so you know you'll hit your goal by midnight.

Example: Right now my goal is 2000/day. Yes, I'm taking it a little bit easy as I'm dealing w/ back to school schedules for me & the kids on top of 2 jobs and being a grad student. Anyhow, my BMR is about 60/hour. So at 9pm I want my Fitbit to show me at 1820 calories burned. (2000 - 3*60) That way I know I'll hit 2000 for the day.

Having the daily goal, and making sure to hit it, means you know what your calorie intake range is because you know where your calorie burn will be.

Confusing as ever.