Negative adjustments?
tazjosh
Posts: 88 Member
can someone explain this to me? Some people say enable others disable. I don't understand what it is to know what's best for me?.
If it helps I'm very active in the day but not in the evening generally so I want the fit bit I've just bought to help me know what I can eat/calories I can have ?
If it helps I'm very active in the day but not in the evening generally so I want the fit bit I've just bought to help me know what I can eat/calories I can have ?
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Yes, you should enable it. If you have a really lazy day - one where you are less active than the activity level set in MFP - then it will keep you from thinking you can eat all the calories that MFP starts you with, so you'll maintain your deficit.
For instance, say MFP gives you 1500 calories to eat each day. If you're more active than your selected activity level, Fitbit will send that information to MFP and you'll be given a positive adjustment. Say, 500 calories. So, you can eat 2000 calories instead of 1500 calories while still maintaining a calorie deficit.
However, say you spend the whole day just laying in bed. You're not burning calories at the rate that MFP assumes you'll burn them (even the Sedentary setting assumes some activity). If you don't have negative adjustments enabled, you'll still think you can eat 1500 calories, but if you do, you won't have a calorie deficit (or not a very big one). If you do have negative adjustments enabled, then when Fitbit reports your lack of activity to MFP, it will subtract calories from your 1500 and if you eat based on that you will maintain that calorie deficit.
Only people who are doing something out of the ordinary with their Fitbit/MFP setup - people who really get how it works and have a good reason for setting it up differently - should turn negative adjustments off.0 -
Yes, enable negative adjustments. For all the reasons that @NancyN795 said. In fact, I believe that EVERYONE should set their activity level at sedentary, and let the FitBit add to it as you progress through your normal day. I don't see any reason to set the activity level higher.0
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DaveAkeman wrote: »Yes, enable negative adjustments. For all the reasons that @NancyN795 said. In fact, I believe that EVERYONE should set their activity level at sedentary, and let the FitBit add to it as you progress through your normal day. I don't see any reason to set the activity level higher.
I have mine set to Sedentary, but everyone is different and there can be good reasons to set it higher. If you have fairly consistent days and need (or want) to plan your food for the day first thing in the morning, setting it so that you get a minimal adjustment at the end of the day is probably best. I'm more motivated by seeing the adjustment number start only a little negative and get progressively more positive as the day progresses. Other people are more motivated if that number stays negative longer.
One thing I love about having a Fitbit is that the MFP activity level really doesn't matter (assuming negative adjustments are enabled).0 -
DaveAkeman wrote: »Yes, enable negative adjustments. For all the reasons that @NancyN795 said. In fact, I believe that EVERYONE should set their activity level at sedentary, and let the FitBit add to it as you progress through your normal day. I don't see any reason to set the activity level higher.
I have mine set to Sedentary, but everyone is different and there can be good reasons to set it higher. If you have fairly consistent days and need (or want) to plan your food for the day first thing in the morning, setting it so that you get a minimal adjustment at the end of the day is probably best. I'm more motivated by seeing the adjustment number start only a little negative and get progressively more positive as the day progresses. Other people are more motivated if that number stays negative longer.
One thing I love about having a Fitbit is that the MFP activity level really doesn't matter (assuming negative adjustments are enabled).
I guess that could be good reason for some. I typically burn about 4000+ calories a day (as measured by FitBit), but I have it set to sedentary, too. When I have an odd day where I need to plan my food for the day first thing in the morning, I've been doing this long enough now to know what I need.
But, like you seem to be saying - different people are motivated in different ways.0 -
I have it enabled. My average work day has me very active but on my days off I am frequently very inactive or at least a lot less active than during the week. Letting Fitbit adjust my calorie allowance based on my actual activity for the day is a big help.0
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I have negative calorie adjustments set, so I know what I can eat that day. I have VERY active days and a couple of very lazy days each week, this helps me know at what level I need to eat at for the day. Sometimes, I think I will be lazy, something happens and BAM I am running round all over the place doing stuff. Keeps it real.0
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I love the negative adjustments. Having them on helped me realize I was being super lazy after a long run. Seeing it remove my hard-earned exercise calories, helps me get up and move around!
In the past, I think this is why I wouldn't lose weight. I would way overeat because I thought I had "earned it" and do less of everything else on heavy exercise days. Um, no.0 -
I recommend the negative adjustments. The only thing I do not like about them is that they change constantly throughout the day.
If you really just don't trust them, another method you can use is to look at your fitbit dashboard, and look at the "average calorie burn for the last 28 days" -- then subtract 500. If you have had your fitbit less than 28 days, you can use the 7 day average. But 28 days is more accurate. Then just make a custom calorie count in MFP.
However, if you use this "average" method, you should not track ANY exercise on MFP, only log exercise on fitbit, do not allow fitbit to make ANY adjustments (positive or negative), or eat back ANY calories. Every other week, check your average and see if it has changed at all. This is obviously more work than just allowing negative adjustments.
You could also "mix" these two methods, and just mentally keep track of your average calories for planning purposes. For instance, my average this month is 2,039 calories burned per day. So I plan to eat about 1,500 calories per day, and if fitbit is telling me I'm lazy today, skip my planned snack/dessert. If I'm extra active, maybe an extra snack (or have a beer! yay, beer!).0 -
I have enabled negative adjustments. I am new to this, as well as to Fitbit. I have a quick question - how is it that, after exercising for 60 minutes, I now have -44 calories from exercise? Shouldn't it be giving me more calories, rather than taking them away...?
ETA LATER: Oh, never mind, I get it now "If you receive a negative adjustment, it means you burned less according to Fitbit than MFP thought you would." (from this thread: https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/1439552/question-on-fitbit-negative-calorie-adjustments )0 -
I have enabled negative adjustments. I am new to this, as well as to Fitbit. I have a quick question - how is it that, after exercising for 60 minutes, I now have -44 calories from exercise? Shouldn't it be giving me more calories, rather than taking them away...?
As someone above commented prior to observing it with Fitbit - their workout while good, caused them to be lazier than normal rest of the day.
You could easily compensate for a good workout with less burn elsewhere.
But - first confirm MFP is dealing with recent figures.
Click on the "i" next to Fitbit calorie adjustment and see the time stamp of the stats - and then confirm it's correct calorie burn that matches Fitbit total.0 -
So...basically you have to keep moving, zero down time, or you get calories taken away?0
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Adjustments are the difference between your Fitbit burn (which is TDEE) and your MFP activity level.
At sedentary, my adjustments turn positive after a few thousand steps. YMMV.0 -
I don't really understand. I have nearly 11,000 steps for the day, and from the time I posted my last comment to the time I chased a 3 year old around, got her room picked up and got her bathed and dressed for bed, my calories added (earned?) went from 60 something to a puny little 3?? Not that I was going to use them anyway, but wth? My activity level is set to "Active"
ETA: Nothing was eaten during that time.0 -
Click on the adjustment to see the math MFP used to calculate it—and the time. MFP recalculates your adjustment every time you sync your tracker with Fitbit: http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/portal/articles/1084232-what-is-the-calorie-adjustment-in-my-exercise-diary-0
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I don't really understand. I have nearly 11,000 steps for the day, and from the time I posted my last comment to the time I chased a 3 year old around, got her room picked up and got her bathed and dressed for bed, my calories added (earned?) went from 60 something to a puny little 3?? Not that I was going to use them anyway, but wth? My activity level is set to "Active"
ETA: Nothing was eaten during that time.
I've never bumped my activity level up from sedentary, no matter how active I am.
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It had just been synced when I posted that.0
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If you read the Help article I linked to, it explains that your adjustment will change every time you sync your tracker with Fitbit.
It has a lot more info, too.0 -
I don't really understand. I have nearly 11,000 steps for the day, and from the time I posted my last comment to the time I chased a 3 year old around, got her room picked up and got her bathed and dressed for bed, my calories added (earned?) went from 60 something to a puny little 3?? Not that I was going to use them anyway, but wth? My activity level is set to "Active"
ETA: Nothing was eaten during that time.
It's because your activity level is set to "Active". MFP expects you to burn the same number of calories every hour of the day. When your activity level is set to active that means you have to be really, really active during every single waking hour to make up for when you're asleep (like you said in a previous message - zero down time). So, if you didn't stay really active until midnight, you probably ended up with negative calories.
If you truly have an active lifestyle, then setting your activity level there can help you have a really good idea of how many calories you'll be able to eat that day, even first thing in the morning. That works for some people. I like getting a positive adjustment and seeing that number go up as the day goes on, so I keep my activity level set to Sedentary.
At the end of the day, you should end up with the same number of calories, no matter what your activity level is set to, but if seeing calories get taken away whenever you take a break bothers you, you might prefer setting a lower activity level.0 -
I have mine set to sedentary and I still use negative adjustments. They still negatively adjust if I spend most of the day on the couch, and rightly so, haha.0
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I don't really understand. I have nearly 11,000 steps for the day, and from the time I posted my last comment to the time I chased a 3 year old around, got her room picked up and got her bathed and dressed for bed, my calories added (earned?) went from 60 something to a puny little 3?? Not that I was going to use them anyway, but wth? My activity level is set to "Active"
ETA: Nothing was eaten during that time.
Read the 2nd half of the FAQ in the stickies for the math involved if really interested.
Basically, all that activity caused you to burn almost exactly what MFP by itself was estimating you'd burn, tad less actually since you lost adjustment amount.
And what made MFP estimate you'd burn so much - you selected Active.
Does that job description really apply to you?
That is daily activity level BTW - notice exercise is NOT being talked about in there at all.
And since your eating goal does have a deficit in it anyway - hopefully a reasonable one for fat loss only - don't make it bigger by not considering those adjustments.
You eat less than you burn in total to lose weight - Fitbit is helping MFP to get more accurate on that burn side to create your eating goal with same deficit.0 -
It's because your activity level is set to "Active". MFP expects you to burn the same number of calories every hour of the day. When your activity level is set to active that means you have to be really, really active during every single waking hour to make up for when you're asleep (like you said in a previous message - zero down time). So, if you didn't stay really active until midnight, you probably ended up with negative calories.
If you truly have an active lifestyle, then setting your activity level there can help you have a really good idea of how many calories you'll be able to eat that day, even first thing in the morning. That works for some people. I like getting a positive adjustment and seeing that number go up as the day goes on, so I keep my activity level set to Sedentary.
At the end of the day, you should end up with the same number of calories, no matter what your activity level is set to, but if seeing calories get taken away whenever you take a break bothers you, you might prefer setting a lower activity level.
Well, I suppose that makes sense. I just set it from "Active" to "Sedentary", and after logging 30 minutes of exercise and having not eaten anything yet today (I know the whole thing about 'breakfast being the most important meal', but just the thought of food in the am makes me ill) and in my diary it says "*You've earned -144 extra calories from exercise today"
Just when I think I understand it, I get confused all over again...
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Click on the blue i (beside Fitbit calorie adjustment) and see the time, it may not have updated yet0
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I keep hearing about this blue "i" but I can't find it anywhere. Jeez I'm really starting to feel dumber than a box of rocks...breeze_brat wrote: »Click on the blue i (beside Fitbit calorie adjustment) and see the time, it may not have updated yet
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Don't feel dumb. Click on the exercise tab and it's under cardiovascular0
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Oh!!! Thank you! I guess I'm sort of starting to understand how this works now
I was looking in the wrong place entirely! 0 -
Once you're using your Fitbit for a while, you'll start to see patterns in how many extra calories it gives you. I'm set to sedentary. On an average day (10k steps), Fitbit/MFP will give me an additional 400 calories, give or take. So I pretty much build that into my menus for the day unless I know I'm going to be less active.0
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I see
wow, my average is 10 - 11000 steps per day too but I seriously doubt I could eat 400 extra calories! Good to know that I could though if I was particularly hungry one day, instead of starving with the only 2 options being deal with it or go over 0 -
So....what happens if you decide to "eat back" those calories? What if one decided to do so every. single. day? Just curious...0
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So....what happens if you decide to "eat back" those calories? What if one decided to do so every. single. day? Just curious...
I eat back most of mine. During the first six months of my weight loss I lost 25 pounds, which was pretty much exactly on target with the 1# per week I was shooting for.0 -
I see wow, my average is 10 - 11000 steps per day too but I seriously doubt I could eat 400 extra calories! Good to know that I could though if I was particularly hungry one day, instead of starving with the only 2 options being deal with it or go over
And lucky you! I find eating 1700-1800 calories incredibly easy. Sadly. :P0
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