Fitbit question

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dchris1968
dchris1968 Posts: 16 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Wondering if anyone on here has one of those Fitbit devices, and how they work with MyFitnessPal? I used to have a heart rate monitor, but after several years it isn't working anymore, and I want to purchase something I can use throughout the day and not just in the gym. And feedback would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks! :)

Replies

  • marsandval
    marsandval Posts: 16 Member
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    I just came on here to ask the same kind of question. I just got a Fitbit Zip and I am having trouble figuring out the whole syncing process.
  • jessicasuarez815
    jessicasuarez815 Posts: 2 Member
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    I have the Fitbit one, and I brought the wrist band for it off of eBay! Everything syncs through my phone. What u do is, download both the Fitbit & mfp apps. Then, in the settings of mfp, give ur Fitbit permission to share info! After that, u basically sync ur Fitbit 2 it's app periodically or have it do it automatically (options R urs in the Fitbit app settings) & then open ur mfp app & it will automatically update ur info according 2 what ur Fitbit app says. It's fairly accurate & simple... Hope that helps u!
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    Fitbit sends over calorie burn information to MFP every time you sync. MFP uses the information to take a guess as to what your Fitbit burn is going to be by 11:59pm.
    Your adjustment is Fitbit Calorie Burn for day (estimated till midnight) - MFP estimated calorie burn based on activity level selection = adjustment (can be negative if negative adjustments is enabled on MFP)
    An example of what it looks like:
    oh4ni60mnbbg.jpg


    You can connect the accounts from the App section on MFP (website). Fitbit will send steps, total calories burned, weight (if logged on fitbit), and sleep minutes (if device tracks it) to MFP. MFP will send over logged workouts (recommended to log things like swimming and cycling) and weight (if logged on MFP).

    Fitbit's calorie burn isn't just based on steps. It's more of an approximation of your TDEE for the day based on the activity it dectected and your BMR.
    2.JPG 33.2K
  • coreyburk3
    coreyburk3 Posts: 1
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    Just a quick question, because maybe I'm not understanding something. I have my fitbit linked to myfp, and today I went on a run (without my phone if that matters). Fitbit says I've burned 2000 calories but myfp is giving me an adjustment of only 18 calories?
  • MissSaraSunshine
    MissSaraSunshine Posts: 52
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    Following! I also just bought a zip and am so confused. Trying it out to see if I want to get a more expensive version down the line. :)
  • marsandval
    marsandval Posts: 16 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I am missing something too. The Fitbit does not add my exercise calories as a plus calories towards my total left. I am confused because mfp does. What am I missing?
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    marsandval wrote: »
    I am missing something too. The Fitbit does not add my exercise calories as a plus calories towards my total left. I am confused because mfp does. What am I missing?

    MFP doesn't trust that you will workout, so it's projected calorie burn is without activity until you log it.

    Fitbit gives you credit for what you do as you do it.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
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    coreyburk3 wrote: »
    Just a quick question, because maybe I'm not understanding something. I have my fitbit linked to myfp, and today I went on a run (without my phone if that matters). Fitbit says I've burned 2000 calories but myfp is giving me an adjustment of only 18 calories?

    That means that there is only an 18 calorie difference between what MFP thinks you burned and what Fitbit thinks you burned for the day.

    There are a couple reasons this can occur.
    1. Your activity level is set to high, so even with exercise you barely see an adjustment.
    2. You logged your run on MFP. So say MFP thinks you burn 2500 before exercise, you log 500 calories of exercise on MFP. Your burn is now 3000 on MFP. Fitbit says with the exercise and daily activity your calorie burn for the day is 3018. You get 18 calories because that is the difference between the 2.
    3. The information on MFP is outdated. If you look at the picture I posted above, you should see a time under the Fitbit Calorie Burn. This time will reflect the last time MFP and Fitbit talked. If you say, went for a run at 3pm, but the last time the 2 sites communicated is 1pm than your activity hasn't been accurately reflected on MFP yet. Try syncing your fitbit to fitbit dashboard, wait a few seconds and see if this fixes the information error.
  • dchris1968
    dchris1968 Posts: 16 Member
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    Thanks for all the feedback!

    I am actually looking at purchasing the Fitbit Surge (https://www.fitbit.com/surge#i.w26bjh13uldc6x). It looks like it could track a lot more information than just steps. I hope it will be easy to use with MyFitnessPal as well..

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