just wondering how you guys are using Fit Bit alongside MFP?

clafairy1984
clafairy1984 Posts: 253 Member
edited November 22 in Health and Weight Loss
I've just started using a Charge Hr, and am finding it confusing with meal planning, as it doesn't calculate the calories in advance like MFP does.I often do my workouts in the evenings , so can't really calorie adjust late at night.

Replies

  • in that case, you should be able to see the effects of the exercise (calorie calculations) over each week. If you go back in the previous week, you can see how many calories were earned for exercise and then use that information going forward.
  • ckm013
    ckm013 Posts: 9 Member
    I use a charge hr, what I do is I do not calculate my food with the fitbit app. I use fitbit for exercise and mfp for food. And I snyc them together so food shows up on the fit it database and any extra calories earned comes here.
    Idk If that helps
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Connect your accounts at http://www.myfitnesspal.com/fitbit

    Set your goal to .5 lb. for every 25 lbs. you're overweight: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided

    Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    Log your food & drink in MFP. Ignore your Fitbit calorie goal and follow MFP's, eating back your adjustments. No need to log any step-based activity—your Fitbit is tracking it for you. Log non-step exercise (like swimming or biking) either in Fitbit or in MFP—never both. Exercise logged in MFP overwrites your Fitbit burn during that time.

    You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • Caletara
    Caletara Posts: 27 Member
    Be sure to set your MFP settings to sedentary and set the negative calorie adjustments so you can let fitbit calculate your actual calories burned.
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Caletara wrote: »
    Be sure to set your MFP settings to sedentary and set the negative calorie adjustments so you can let fitbit calculate your actual calories burned.

    If (and only if) you enable negative calorie adjustments in your dairy settings, choosing an activity level is a matter of personal preference: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

    Increasing your activity level gives you more calories in the morning with smaller adjustments.
  • slowrollem
    slowrollem Posts: 55 Member
    Just piggybacking on this as I'm looking at getting the same device....when these are synced, do you still eat back only half of your excercise calories?
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    slowrollem wrote: »
    When these are synced, do you still eat back only half of your excercise calories?

    I eat back 100% of my Fitbit adjustments, lost the weight, and have kept it off for more than a year. I also enabled negative calorie adjustments, log everything I eat & drink accurately, and log exercise in Fitbit—never MFP.

    Eat back your adjustments for a few weeks, then reevaluate your progress.
  • Blueseraphchaos
    Blueseraphchaos Posts: 843 Member
    I linked my accounts, chose the activity level that most closely correlates to my activity on days off work, then eat back any exercise calories in days that i work...or i just eat to my recommended calorie level here and ignore exercise calories, depending how hungry i am.
  • JeffGDDG
    JeffGDDG Posts: 252 Member
    I've had them connected and disconnected and disconnected seems to work best for me. I use a TDEE goal here that I try and stay around or under and I track my food and water here. I track my non-walking exercise on fitbit's website and use that to try and make sure I've gotten in my steps and enough daily calories burned.
  • slowrollem
    slowrollem Posts: 55 Member
    editorgrrl wrote: »
    slowrollem wrote: »
    When these are synced, do you still eat back only half of your excercise calories?

    I eat back 100% of my Fitbit adjustments, lost the weight, and have kept it off for more than a year. I also enabled negative calorie adjustments, log everything I eat & drink accurately, and log exercise in Fitbit—never MFP.

    Eat back your adjustments for a few weeks, then reevaluate your progress.

    Thanks for sharing your experience. That's what I was hoping to get out of the Fitbit, a more accurate idea of calorie burn.

    I spend so much time and effort weighing, logging and maintaining my diet that I'd hate to throw that away by guesstimating mfp's excercise calories.
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