I've been using MFP for two years and just got a Jawbone for Christmas...I have to admit I don't understand it either and I've set everything to what people say to. I expect that the steps I take should show under exercise and tell me how many calories I've burned for that many steps. I have a feeling I may be mistaken in the way this thing works lol! I'm glad I'm not the only one, sorry I have no advice

Sorry, check that- it took some time for my Up to synch and I have now gained back the -143 calories, plus 70 more for a total +213 calories. Lesson learned. Give it time to synch properly.

I'm also pretty confused (and a totally new UP user, but have been actively using MFP for a while). The negative calories thing is kind of concerning to me. I have my activity set to sedentary, my goal set to losing 1 pound a week, and that gives me 1460 calories a day per MFP. I have a desk job, so even though I work hard to get up for short breaks regularly, I can't exactly be out walking all over the place for much of the day. I do go to the gym quite regularly, but understand that the non-step based activity records differently. So, for example, I nearly met my step goal today (10,000 goal) and lifted weights for 85 minutes plus 10 mins stretching at the gym today, which I logged via MFP, and my UP calorie adjustment is -455??!! That would mean, by UP's math, I should be eating about 1000 calories today. That just can't be right. I'm 5'9" and am not trying to lose weight at more than a pound a week. Might I be missing some sort of setting that is causing this to happen? Eating so few calories does not seem OK to me. I'd really appreciate thoughts from more experienced up users.
Thanks!!!

Everything is so confusing, I just calculated my TDEE and eat a few hundred less (or burn an extra few hundred). What MFP gives you generally is lower than you should be eating, and, to be honest, haven't paid attention to what Jawbone gave me for an allowance. Haven't gone over it for it to scold me haha

I think how it works is UP estimates how many calories you will burn that day depending on how active you are, and sends that info to MFP. So if you sit most of the morning, and you sync at noon, it's going to predict you will have a low burn that day since you haven't taken many steps. If you take a walk after lunch, then sync again, it will adjust your estimated calorie burn accordingly, and it will be higher. The more active you are, the higher your estimated calorie burn will be.

Now MFP has their own estimate of how many calories you burn a day. It gets this number from the information you entered when you set up your account. Your age, height, weight, and activity level all factor into this estimate. BUT since the UP estimate is more accurate, MFP adjusts your calorie goal to correspond with the number that UP sends them.

If the UP estimate is higher than the MFP estimate, it will give you extra calories. Your UP is telling MFP that you were MORE active than MFP predicted, so you can eat more calories and still have the same deficit.

If the UP estimate is lower than the MFP estimate, it will take away calories (these are negative calories). Your UP is telling MFP that you were LESS active than MFP predicted, you didn't burn as many calories, so you should consume less in order to still maintain a deficit.

I hope this helps! I find it best for me to not look at my adjusted calorie goal until right before dinner, since it can fluctuate so much during the day.

editorgrrl wrote: »

juniebug2013 wrote: »

I think how it works is UP estimates how many calories you will burn that day depending on how active you are, and sends that info to MFP.

MFP does the estimating—not UP. If you click on any adjustment you'll see the actual math involved.

MFP recalculates your adjustment every time you sync your UP. As I said above, my adjustments got better each day, as if the system was "learning" my routine.

UP does estimate how many calories you burn... It says so right in the app. If you sync your UP app with your MFP app it sends that info over, and MFP adjusts your calorie goal based on that information.

From the MFP app directly:
"Calorie Adjustment
You're using UP to measure your actual activity level throughout the day.
To accurately reflect any extra calories you're burning, we use this data to adjust your daily MyFitnessPal calorie goal."

So MFP uses the data that UP sends them.

Nevermind, after an hour of searching the webs, I ended up just unlinking and relinking my accounts, and that seems to have worked.