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Trying to understand Fitbit app on my iPhone.

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Looncove_Farm
Looncove_Farm Posts: 115 Member
in Social Groups

Hi,

Is there anyone that can explain to me a little about the Fitbit App on my iPhone.
I synced it with MFP today.
Calories burned on my app differ from my calories burned on MFP. Why?
Track excercise. It always says run. Will I get the same information at a walk? Does it map your route? Just started using today and trying to understand it.

Thank you to anyone thats using the app or has any answers.

Becca

Replies

  • Gritty_Gal
    Gritty_Gal Posts: 96 Member
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    I'm in the same positing as you are. Sorry I can't help, but I'm following the discussion as I'd like to find that out as well...
  • NancyN795
    NancyN795 Posts: 1,134 Member
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    I'd recommend reading the FAQ written by heybales that you'll find in the stickies for the group. It doesn't specifically address the iPhone (or Android) app usage, but it answers a lot of questions - such as "Why do the calories burned according to Fitbit not match the calories burned according to MFP?"

    I hope someone else will help with the questions specific to the iPhone app. I've got an Android so while the apps are probably similar in features, they're not the same. Plus, I mostly look at and manage my Fitbit (and MFP) info on laptop, not my phone.
  • Looncove_Farm
    Looncove_Farm Posts: 115 Member
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    I can do my fitbit online?

    Thank you nancy. I will go read that now.
  • sarahwillams0
    sarahwillams0 Posts: 13 Member
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    same issue, I think that MFP tracks the calories from your steps only, as fitbit tracks calories you burn when you sleep, sit ect, we burn calories all day even when we don't do anything, that's why calories burned on fitbit app is always a lot.
  • creed714
    creed714 Posts: 5 Member
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    Fitbit gives your calories burned in real time in its app. It takes into account your BMR calculated from height, weight, gender, and age and then adds calories based on how active you were, which is data coming off your fitbit tracker.

    MFP doesn't give the number of total calories you have burned in real time. It uses your BMR plus your activity level that you specified when setting up your account. To know what MFP thinks your daily calorie burn is just set MFP to maintain weight, and the calorie goal you have is what MFP thinks you are burning daily.

    The ***calorie adjustment*** is made by comparing what MFP thinks you will burn for the day versus what the fitbit think you will burn for the day. The adjustment is made to make sure that you perfectly hit your calorie deficit. If you want to have a 500 cal deficit per day and say MFP thinks you burn 2000 cal per day then it will give you 1500 cal to eat. However, if fitbit things you are burning 2500 cal per day then it will give a ***fitbit calorie adjustment*** of 500 cal that is added to your previous 1500 cal budget for a total of 2000 to eat, maintaining the 500 cal deficit.

    Keep in mind that the Fitbit app gives calories burned in real time, and MFP uses more of a whole day projection. However when MFP makes the ***fitbit calorie adjustment*** it uses Fitbit's whole day projection. Both of these projections (MFP & Fitbit) are generated independently before calorie adjustment takes place.

    The idea is that Fitbit's projection is more accurate because it has more data about you calorie burn because of the tracker you wear.


    I want to apologize if I confused anyone. I'm bad at explaining things.
  • Ianultrarunner
    Ianultrarunner Posts: 184 Member
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    Fitbit - http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/How-does-Fitbit-know-how-many-calories-I-ve-burned/?l=en_US&c=Topics:Food_Calories&fs=Search&pn=1

    MFP - https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/410332-how-does-myfitnesspal-calculate-my-initial-goals-
  • Looncove_Farm
    Looncove_Farm Posts: 115 Member
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    You guys are great and helping a lot. Sounds like fitbit gives a little more accurate calorie burn. I am going to check the 2 links out posted above as well. Thank you Creed and farrellian
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Looncove_Farm wrote: »
    Calories burned on [the Fitbit] app differ from my calories burned on MFP. Why?

    Your Fitbit burn is TDEE (aka your maintenance calories). If you eat at a reasonable deficit from that, you will lose weight.

    Your default MFP calorie goal is activity level minus deficit. Adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn and your MFP activity level. Click on any adjustment to see the math MFP used to calculate it.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
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    Creed got it right - but there are other points asked in other posts about that should be understood, several are not, I can tell.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy

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