New to Fitbit and really confused.
CorydonCutie
Posts: 185 Member
I recently got a Fitbit Flex and I am really confused. Reading the manual hasn't helped. For instance, my BMR is a little over 2200. Last night it said I burned 857 calories & took 15 steps (that part is probably right because I got up in the middle of the night) by sleeping. Since my intake of calories is between 1000 & 1200 a day, I don't understand why I am not losing more weight. Isn't that how it works, you burn more than you take in? I'm so confused.
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bump i'm interested cause i'm getting the surge when it comes out
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This info can be found in the fitbit users group. http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
Hope this helps.0 -
CorydonCutie wrote: »I recently got a Fitbit Flex and I am really confused. Reading the manual hasn't helped. For instance, my BMR is a little over 2200. Last night it said I burned 857 calories & took 15 steps (that part is probably right because I got up in the middle of the night) by sleeping. Since my intake of calories is between 1000 & 1200 a day, I don't understand why I am not losing more weight. Isn't that how it works, you burn more than you take in? I'm so confused.
It said you burned 857 calories for what time frame? Your BMR is 2200 based on what factors and calculators? Is your intake 1200 net or 1200 total calories?
Context and details matter when trying to give advice.0 -
brianpperkins wrote: »CorydonCutie wrote: »I recently got a Fitbit Flex and I am really confused. Reading the manual hasn't helped. For instance, my BMR is a little over 2200. Last night it said I burned 857 calories & took 15 steps (that part is probably right because I got up in the middle of the night) by sleeping. Since my intake of calories is between 1000 & 1200 a day, I don't understand why I am not losing more weight. Isn't that how it works, you burn more than you take in? I'm so confused.
It said you burned 857 calories for what time frame? Your BMR is 2200 based on what factors and calculators? Is your intake 1200 net or 1200 total calories?
Context and details matter when trying to give advice.
I went to bed at midnight and got up at 9am. During that time it said I burned 857 calories and walked 15 steps which I probably did when I woke up at 2 to us the bathroom.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by net or total calories? I eat 1000 to 1200 calories a day per doctor's recommendation.0 -
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The number the Fitbit is giving at that time is how many calories your body burned between midnight and when you looked at the number (9am?). So in that 9 hour period your body burned the 857 calories, which sounds about right for a daily BMR of 2200.
Most likely you are taking in more calories than you think. Are you weighing and honestly logging everything you put in your mouth?
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That number means approximately how many calories your body has burned at rest/maintaining body functions. 2200 is what you would burn if you did absolutely nothing but breathing, pumping blood, etc.0
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CorydonCutie wrote: »brianpperkins wrote: »CorydonCutie wrote: »I recently got a Fitbit Flex and I am really confused. Reading the manual hasn't helped. For instance, my BMR is a little over 2200. Last night it said I burned 857 calories & took 15 steps (that part is probably right because I got up in the middle of the night) by sleeping. Since my intake of calories is between 1000 & 1200 a day, I don't understand why I am not losing more weight. Isn't that how it works, you burn more than you take in? I'm so confused.
It said you burned 857 calories for what time frame? Your BMR is 2200 based on what factors and calculators? Is your intake 1200 net or 1200 total calories?
Context and details matter when trying to give advice.
I went to bed at midnight and got up at 9am. During that time it said I burned 857 calories and walked 15 steps which I probably did when I woke up at 2 to us the bathroom.
I'm not sure I understand what you mean by net or total calories? I eat 1000 to 1200 calories a day per doctor's recommendation.
Net calories is what MFP tracks ... food consumed (gross calories) - exercise = net calories.
If your BMR is truly 2200, then during your nine hours in bed is about 825-850 calories worht of BMR burn ... what you burn in a coma essentially. (2200 / 24 hours) * 9 hours in bed. You burn your BMR if you are on life support, lie in bed all day, etc. The standard factor applied to BMR to calculate resting metabolic rate (RMR) for a sedentary person is 1.2 ... so 2200 BMR * 1.2 = 2640 RMR ... the basis for determining your deficit.
From that point, I would ask your doctor how he arrived at 1000-1200 total calories for your intake. 500 calories deficit per day per weekly pound lost is the planning factor. Your current deficit is extremely aggressive at about three pounds per week. Unfortunately, many doctors just spout a total without looking at the math to arrive at that number. Getting the necessary nutrition at under 1200 can become problematic.
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i dont believe in fitbits or any other contraption. no one is burning 800+ calories just by sleeping0
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i dont believe in fitbits or any other contraption. no one is burning 800+ calories just by sleeping
If my BMR is 1500 (coma style), then I burn about 1.05 calories a minute just existing on the planet. That is 62 calories per hour, or 558 calories in the 9 hours between midnight and 9am. I am 5'5 and weigh 130...
She weighs more than me. Her BMR is 2200... that means 1.53 calories per minute, or 92 calories per hour... So 828 calories in 9 hours. she took 15 steps, so it adds a little.
I think her fitbit is dead on right for resting calories.
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CorydonCutie wrote: »I recently got a Fitbit Flex and I am really confused. Reading the manual hasn't helped. For instance, my BMR is a little over 2200. Last night it said I burned 857 calories & took 15 steps (that part is probably right because I got up in the middle of the night) by sleeping. Since my intake of calories is between 1000 & 1200 a day, I don't understand why I am not losing more weight. Isn't that how it works, you burn more than you take in? I'm so confused.
OP... the fitbit is fine. Your eating is pretty low, and you could likely lose plenty of weight eating more. But if you are not losing weight eating that low, you are probably underestimating your calories in. Make sure you weigh everything (not using measuring cups etc), read the forums for lots of tips on this, dont forget condiments, cooking oils, and drinks, etc. And give it time - how long have you thought you were eating 1200?0 -
Thanks for all your responses. It all makes a little more sense now. To those that asked, I am on an aggressive eating plan of 1000-1200 because I am very overweight and I am suffering negative health consequences. It is only short term (hopefully 1-3 months) until I can exercise more comfortably. I am measuring (I weigh my fruits, veggies and meat, use spoons/cups for salad dressing, cheese etc.) everything that goes in my mouth and don't feel deprived of anything so far. I made no dough pizza last night and it was delicious!0
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Dont use the spoons/cups for salad dressing or cheese... weigh them too!!!! You can pack a little or a lot of cheese into a 1/3 measuring cup, depending on how much you squish it. Check the serving size and weigh instead! (heads up, its a tiny amount...)
Glad you are doing well!0 -
How long has it been? Sometimes there are plateaus in weight loss. Well, usually. Sometimes if you add exercise you retain water so your fat loss doesn't show on the scale for a while. And if it's been two days, give it more time.
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How do you weigh dressing? How much does a Tablespoon weigh?0
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CorydonCutie wrote: »How do you weigh dressing? How much does a Tablespoon weigh?
Next to the Tablespoon measurement it will usually list grams too. Use the gram weight that is listed. It is extremely rare that both aren't listed - in my couple years I've been using a food scale I think I've seen it once where the grams (or ounces) weren't listed.
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I personally don't weigh liquids and I don't think it's a necessity. You can't cram salad dressing in a tablespoon.CorydonCutie wrote: »How do you weigh dressing? How much does a Tablespoon weigh?
Weighing can help keep you honest and improve your estimates but if you're good with visuals and honest and especially if you spot check yourself with the scale from time to time, you can do fine with little food weighing.
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WalkingAlong wrote: »
I personally don't weigh liquids and I don't think it's a necessity. You can't cram salad dressing in a tablespoon.CorydonCutie wrote: »How do you weigh dressing? How much does a Tablespoon weigh?
Weighing can help keep you honest and improve your estimates but if you're good with visuals and honest and especially if you spot check yourself with the scale from time to time, you can do fine with little food weighing.
No but actually not all tablespoons are created equal? Some have a line inside them to indicate where to stop, others go all the way to the edge. Most salad dressing is thicker than a true liquid. Maybe something like oil would be ok, but ranch or whatever can "bulge" in the middle. Since you weigh everything else, you might as well to this one too - bonus is that you dont have to dirty the measuring tools. Set your salad on the scale, zero it out and add dressing til you hit the right grams.0 -
CorydonCutie wrote: »How do you weigh dressing? How much does a Tablespoon weigh?
on the bottle, after it says 2 Tbsp, it should say (##g) which is about 28-30 grams, based on my personal dressing preferences. weighing everything (especially rice/cereal/etc) has been a true eye opener into the world of portion sizes. 0 -
I will have to buy another scale. Mine has grams on it but they are only marked in increments of 50. Trying to accurately measure something that is 13 grams would be as inaccurate as me using a spoon.0
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Definitely buy a new food scale. Get a digital scale. You'll love it. Then you can be really accurate when you weigh your foods. If you want to eat exactly half a serving of something that is 28 grams a serving, or even 1/4th, you need a digital scale. I eat 13 grams of julienned sun-dried tomatoes on my salads all the time, or 7 grams of croutons. Almonds are 28 grams a serving and I often eat 1/2 or 1/4 serving. Same with lots of snack items.0
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Well, that's my point... you don't need to weigh everything. I estimate my salad dressing portion. You can drive yourself (and the people you eat with) nuts micromanaging your diet or estimate your portions and see what happens. If you don't lose, eat less.WalkingAlong wrote: »
I personally don't weigh liquids and I don't think it's a necessity. You can't cram salad dressing in a tablespoon.CorydonCutie wrote: »How do you weigh dressing? How much does a Tablespoon weigh?
Weighing can help keep you honest and improve your estimates but if you're good with visuals and honest and especially if you spot check yourself with the scale from time to time, you can do fine with little food weighing.
No but actually not all tablespoons are created equal? Some have a line inside them to indicate where to stop, others go all the way to the edge. Most salad dressing is thicker than a true liquid. Maybe something like oil would be ok, but ranch or whatever can "bulge" in the middle. Since you weigh everything else, you might as well to this one too - bonus is that you dont have to dirty the measuring tools. Set your salad on the scale, zero it out and add dressing til you hit the right grams.
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WalkingAlong wrote: »
Well, that's my point... you don't need to weigh everything. I estimate my salad dressing portion. You can drive yourself (and the people you eat with) nuts micromanaging your diet or estimate your portions and see what happens. If you don't lose, eat less.WalkingAlong wrote: »
I personally don't weigh liquids and I don't think it's a necessity. You can't cram salad dressing in a tablespoon.CorydonCutie wrote: »How do you weigh dressing? How much does a Tablespoon weigh?
Weighing can help keep you honest and improve your estimates but if you're good with visuals and honest and especially if you spot check yourself with the scale from time to time, you can do fine with little food weighing.
No but actually not all tablespoons are created equal? Some have a line inside them to indicate where to stop, others go all the way to the edge. Most salad dressing is thicker than a true liquid. Maybe something like oil would be ok, but ranch or whatever can "bulge" in the middle. Since you weigh everything else, you might as well to this one too - bonus is that you dont have to dirty the measuring tools. Set your salad on the scale, zero it out and add dressing til you hit the right grams.
Everyone definitely has their own way of what works for them! My thought is "Why bother measuring anything if I am not going to be accurate?" I.e. if I only micromanage a portion of my intake, then eyeball or estimate the rest - I could easily wipe out my deficit (or surplus) with the estimating. When you get to the "end", accuracy is extremely important if you have a small deficit or surplus goal. But if you have more to lose, I agree its not as important! Of course, if you find you are not losing, you may have "scope creep" where your estimates are getting a little larger over time etc.
I was extremely accurate for most of my "journey". I did it for so long, I barely need to measure anything since I tend to always eat the same things and have been weighing them for years. But I still weigh them every now and then for a reality check.
And in reality, weighing most of my salad and then getting out a measuring spoon for the dressing would take me LONGER than just weighing it since I already had it on the scale. I find it way faster to use the scale and lots less dishes.
Good luck!0
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