Barbie is correct, Fitbit calculates how many calories you are burning, based off how many steps you take in a day - that has nothing to do with what 'activity level' you set on MFP - that number would be the same if you weren't using MFP at all.

When you set an activity level on MFP, MFP decides how many calories they think you will burn at that level. Then, Fitbit pushes over how many calories you've actually burned, and you get your adjustment.

Your calorie goal for the day is dependent on what you have MFP set to as far as how much you want to lose per week. A 1 lb weight loss per week is equal to a 500 calorie deficit per day. Since you only have 5 lbs to lose, a 1lb loss per week is much too high, so I hope you have it set to 1/2lb per week, which would equal a 250 calorie deficit per day.

So for example, let's say you are using a 250 calorie deficit, and have MFP set to Sedentary. Let's say MFP thinks you're going to burn 1800 calories at that level (this is your EXPECTED TDEE), then MFP is going to start your day with a 1550 calorie goal. (1800 minus 250).

Now, let's say Fitbit calculates you've actually burned 2200 calories for the day (this is your ACTUAL TDEE). So you're going to get a calorie adjustment of +400 calories on your TDEE (2200-1800), which will also increase your eating goal by the same number, so now you've got 1950 calories for the day. Remember that number. 1950.

Now, you change your activity level on MFP to Lightly Active - which is going to increase what MFP sets as your EXPECTED TDEE - let's say that number is now 2100 calories. MFP will then give you a calorie goal for the day of 1850 (2100 minus 250 deficit).

Now Fitbit still calculates you've burned 2200 calories for the day (again, ACTUAL TDEE), so it's going to push that over to MFP and give you a calorie adjustment of 100 calories (2200-2100), increasing your eating goal by the same number, giving you a calorie goal for the day of 1950 (2200 minutes 250 deficit). As you can see - you've still reached the same calorie goal of 1950 calories for the day, regardless of which activity level you set on MFP.

HOWEVER, with all that being said, you shouldn't have such a large positive calorie adjustment coming over. If you do, that means that you should set your activity level on MFP even higher, so that the two TDEES will be closer at the beginning of the day - giving you a more realistic calorie goal throughout the day. It's not that you "burned off an extra 500 calories by going to work and sitting on the couch all day". You burned off 500 more calories than MFP EXPECTED you to burn off - meaning, your activity level on MFP is set to low.

Sorry that was so long, really wanted to explain as clearly as I could.

Just wanted to add, I have mine set to sedentary and I almost always get a NEGATIVE calorie adjustment - I actually burn about 120 calories per day LESS than what MFP thinks I should burn, according to my Fitbit.

Just for clarification, it doesn't matter at all what Fitbit weight loss goals are set at.

The ONLY thing that Fitbit reports to MFP is total daily calorie burn (and steps for the logging), no math is done on that figure from the weight loss goals setup on Fitbit.
Only if you were attempting to follow 2 roads to the same destination would it matter if they are setup the same, and that's just asking for headache anyway.

To add a couple reasons why it is better to NOT just use sedentary all the time, especially when big adjustments on your non-exercise days prove you are not.

MFP bases your eating level from it's estimated maintenance level (without exercise). So you might say non-exercise TDEE. If you do exercise, it doesn't include it until you log it, so it's always non-exercise TDEE.
Say 2000 less 1000 cal deficit, because 2 lbs weekly is reasonable for now.
2000 - 1000 =1000

Oh, wait, MFP stops at 1200, so really only an 800 calorie goal.

Lets say you are not sedentary though outside exercise, but a nurse. So you get 400-600 Fitbit calorie adjustments daily with no exercise being done.

You'd think MFP maintenance 2000 + 500 = 2500 less the 1000 cal deficit = 1500 eating level.

But no, the 1200 has already been established. So this is what really happens.

Fitbit reported 2500 - 2000 MFP estimated = 500 calorie adjustment.

Eating goal 1200 + 500 = 1700 eating goal. Still an 800 cal deficit.

But if you selected Lightly Active as more honest, the following would happen.

MFP 2240 estimated - 1000 deficit = 1240 eating goal.
Fitbit 2500 - 2240 = 260 calorie adjustment
1240 + 260 = 1500 eating goal. Same 1000 calorie deficit. Daily.

Plus, what's easier to plan the day around, an expected 1240 eating goal plus maybe another 200-300 sometimes.
Or 1200 eating goal with 400-600 adjustments.

Planning is so needed for success, might as well plan the best you can, with best figures you can.

If you get 500-600 on non-exercise day, you selected the wrong MFP activity level.

If at Sedentary, Lightly Active won't even be enough. You really want the smallest adjustments as possible on non-exercise days, so you can plan eating better.

Failure to plan well is failure. Think about all the times you or others talk about going over goal for a day, usually poor planning is root cause.
Well, failure to reach goals is just as bad.

A goal is something to attempt to reach, not avoid by as much as possible. So best estimate of eating goal on daily basis before exercise is thrown in the mix, the better.

dragon1ady wrote: »

I completely agree on planning and the importance of meeting goals, not constantly under-shooting them. Discovering late in the evening that I am 600 calories short of my daily goal is not my idea of a successful health/fitness plan!

What has me thrown off is, what exactly is MFP's definition of sedentary, if my typical non-exercise day doesn't fit it?

My typical non-exercise day:

• Get up, walk the dog for 20-30 minutes.
• Go to work
• Sit at my desk and type almost 9 hours straight. I occasionally get up and walk over to other people's desks, or into conference rooms where I sit down again for a meeting, but it's very much a sit-down job. At various points during my work day I eat lunch and small snacks.
• Go home.
• Play with the dog for 10 minutes or so (if not, the Sad Puppy Eyes attack)
• Have dinner.
• Spend the rest of the evening sitting comfortably while I read, or watch movies, or play video games.

Yes, that is what gives me a 500-600 adjustment when MFP and FitBit are synched. I thought that was sedentary...?

I stayed at my desk a lot more than normal today (busy days have that side-effect), but I still have an adjustment of over 340 calories, and it's barely 6:00 PM. If my habit of getting up once an hour during my workday to walk around for a few minutes is all it takes to get my activity level up above Lightly Active--remember a normal day for me is a 500-600 calorie adjustment--then MFPs definitions of the various activity levels are very far from mine!

Are the MFP definitions available anywhere so I can look at them and pick the one that best fits my day?

I agree that your day is mostly sedentary, BUT you are getting in 40 mins of physical activity per day. I don't have a dog and my day looks much like yours. I have have a slight or negative adjustment at the end of the day depending on what else I ddd that day.

I want to stop fitbit from adjusting my calories period. I eat 1900 regardless of activity level (as per the program I am following). How do I stop fitbit from syncing my activity and changing my calorie goals?

malibu927 wrote: »

disconnect your accounts

And manually add your steps the next day. That way you'll know how much you ate (too much/not enough) without changing it throughout the day.

dragon1ady wrote: »

I completely agree on planning and the importance of meeting goals, not constantly under-shooting them. Discovering late in the evening that I am 600 calories short of my daily goal is not my idea of a successful health/fitness plan!

What has me thrown off is, what exactly is MFP's definition of sedentary, if my typical non-exercise day doesn't fit it?

My typical non-exercise day:

• Get up, walk the dog for 20-30 minutes.
• Go to work
• Sit at my desk and type almost 9 hours straight. I occasionally get up and walk over to other people's desks, or into conference rooms where I sit down again for a meeting, but it's very much a sit-down job. At various points during my work day I eat lunch and small snacks.
• Go home.
• Play with the dog for 10 minutes or so (if not, the Sad Puppy Eyes attack)
• Have dinner.
• Spend the rest of the evening sitting comfortably while I read, or watch movies, or play video games.

Yes, that is what gives me a 500-600 adjustment when MFP and FitBit are synched. I thought that was sedentary...?

I stayed at my desk a lot more than normal today (busy days have that side-effect), but I still have an adjustment of over 340 calories, and it's barely 6:00 PM. If my habit of getting up once an hour during my workday to walk around for a few minutes is all it takes to get my activity level up above Lightly Active--remember a normal day for me is a 500-600 calorie adjustment--then MFPs definitions of the various activity levels are very far from mine!

Are the MFP definitions available anywhere so I can look at them and pick the one that best fits my day?

Here is what sedentary has in it based on most people's resting calorie burn.
Weekly - 45 hr work/drive sitting, 56 hr sleeping, 60 hr sitting/standing, 7 hr slow walking

Divide that by your days, you'll see it's very sedentary.

MFP describes it when you select Activity level. And they changed it last year based on some new research showing that when people do have active jobs, they burn even more.
So MFP is really trying to keep up at least on that aspect.

Compare that to most other sites using the rough 5 level TDEE charts which include exercise, but don't factor in busy work days. That's from 1919 study and never been updated.

heybales wrote: »

Here is what sedentary has in it based on most people's resting calorie burn.
Weekly - 45 hr work/drive sitting, 56 hr sleeping, 60 hr sitting/standing, 7 hr slow walking

Divide that by your days, you'll see it's very sedentary.

MFP describes it when you select Activity level. And they changed it last year based on some new research showing that when people do have active jobs, they burn even more.
So MFP is really trying to keep up at least on that aspect.

Compare that to most other sites using the rough 5 level TDEE charts which include exercise, but don't factor in busy work days. That's from 1919 study and never been updated.

What threw me off is that MFP says Lightly Active is "Spend a good part of the day on your feet (e.g. teacher, salesman)" and that's very far from what I do. That said, adjusting my activity level (to LA) based on what's been revealed in this thread has in crashed my MFP total with 350, which is a lot closer to FitBit's numbers, so I am definitely on the right track. I suspect this will require some trial and error, but it's definitely working much smoother already.

Oh, you shouldn't be logging walking the dog. That's walking, and Fitbit is giving you best estimate already for that.
Now, if you walked dogs as a job pulling back 10-15 dogs for 8 hrs daily, yes the Fitbit is going to be badly underestimating.
But you walk them for 20-30 min - close enough even if it's missing extra burn from holding dog back, if you even do.

You ONLY need to log non-step based exercise - swimming should be obvious, biking, rowing, lifting, elliptical, ect.

So don't skip stuff you should log.

And I told you that you were no where near sedentary, I didn't think with your daily activity lightly active was right either - and it's obviously not.
Perhaps you have been motivated by the device to get up a tad more and more more often.

Don't even mess with the arm changes and settings UNLESS you have proof there is an issue. Because that only effects step count.
Since calories is based on steps - is the steps correct?

Shouldn't be hard. As you are walking look at step stat at some point.
Count 50 right foot steps.
Look again at step stat, should be 100 higher or abouts. 10 either direction is great, within 10%, and not enough calories to worry about.

Not really difficult, you could just keep having huge adjustments and learn to plan on how to eat to them.
Getting the activity level right just allows better planning, which should fit in with OCD better. ;-)

heybales wrote: »

Just for clarification, it doesn't matter at all what Fitbit weight loss goals are set at.

The ONLY thing that Fitbit reports to MFP is total daily calorie burn (and steps for the logging), no math is done on that figure from the weight loss goals setup on Fitbit.
Only if you were attempting to follow 2 roads to the same destination would it matter if they are setup the same, and that's just asking for headache anyway.

To add a couple reasons why it is better to NOT just use sedentary all the time, especially when big adjustments on your non-exercise days prove you are not.

MFP bases your eating level from it's estimated maintenance level (without exercise). So you might say non-exercise TDEE. If you do exercise, it doesn't include it until you log it, so it's always non-exercise TDEE.
Say 2000 less 1000 cal deficit, because 2 lbs weekly is reasonable for now.
2000 - 1000 =1000

Oh, wait, MFP stops at 1200, so really only an 800 calorie goal.

Lets say you are not sedentary though outside exercise, but a nurse. So you get 400-600 Fitbit calorie adjustments daily with no exercise being done.

You'd think MFP maintenance 2000 + 500 = 2500 less the 1000 cal deficit = 1500 eating level.

But no, the 1200 has already been established. So this is what really happens.

Fitbit reported 2500 - 2000 MFP estimated = 500 calorie adjustment.

Eating goal 1200 + 500 = 1700 eating goal. Still an 800 cal deficit.

But if you selected Lightly Active as more honest, the following would happen.

MFP 2240 estimated - 1000 deficit = 1240 eating goal.
Fitbit 2500 - 2240 = 260 calorie adjustment
1240 + 260 = 1500 eating goal. Same 1000 calorie deficit. Daily.

Plus, what's easier to plan the day around, an expected 1240 eating goal plus maybe another 200-300 sometimes.
Or 1200 eating goal with 400-600 adjustments.

Planning is so needed for success, might as well plan the best you can, with best figures you can.

I've read so many posts that I'm giving myself a headache and I just want to make sure I'm using my Charge HR and MFP correctly......so here goes, I have my Fitbit set @ sedentary so that I can earn calories thru the day. I have MFP set at sedentary based on the fact that I have a desk job from 8-430. I drive an hour back and forth to work...more sitting, go home, make dinner, do chores, etc. Another reason I had it set it at sedentary was so that when I worked out (prior to having the HR) I would only earn extra calories after logging activities and therefore I knew I actually earned those calories and I would eat those back. Now enter the new Charge HR...I have the 2 apps synced. I enabled the negative adjustment feature on MFP as I read on one of these many posts to do. My TDEE 1607, have my setting is to lose .5/wk, looking to lose 10 lbs (@140 5'6'' now). My daily calorie goal is 1366 with no exercise. It's around noon and I have a fitbit adjustment of 250 cals. When I look under the "i" I see a fitbit calories burned fullday projection of 1900 and MFP estimated cal burn of 1650. Do I really want to eat those calories...knowing I haven't really done any "exercise"? It's hard for me to wrap my head around that knowing prior to the HR I would have only earned calories based on the exercises I entered manually. Also, is my way of thinking of starting with sedentary and eating back calories as they are earned the wrong way to look at things? I don't always do this same ol' routine, drive to work, work, drive home, do light chores and sleep, often I walk at lunch and work out at home after work that's why I liked having the lower setting (sedentary) for my not so active days and then the days I am active I know I've truly worked hard to earn those extra calories.

Thanks in advance for your help....

Yes @heybales‌, I got the Fitbit for accuracy. I will update MFP to lightly active. Thanks again for your help!!!