Fitbit Question - Fitbit Charge HR

aylalee_90
aylalee_90 Posts: 2 Member
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I've been using my Fitbit to help with my calories burned and such, but I don't get that when I become a little less active later in the day, that I lose the calories I burned earlier? It messes up how I eat. I think I'm good to eat a little more since I'm hungry and then a few minutes later I'm over because the Fitbit decides I didn't burn those calories? I just don't get it. If anyone can explain this to me, that would be awesome! Thanks in advance.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    You should never lose calories that you burn. If you have negative adjustments turned on and you wind up burning fewer calories in a day than *projected* due to your activity level, then you will see a reduction in your available calories.

  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    Your Fitbit burn is TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). Click on the adjustment in your exercise diary to see the math MFP used to calculate it. MFP looks at your Fitbit burn, projects what it will be at 11:59 p.m., then adjusts your calories accordingly. Your adjustment changes every time you sync your tracker.

    If you're less active than your activity level (sedentary, lightly active, etc.), then MFP will take away some calories. That's why most people who use Fitbit set their activity level to sedentary. It'll take trial & error to find what works for you.

    You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    The fitbit assumes you'll continue being as active as you currently are for the entire day. So it gives you all those calories for the day, but then at night when you stop being active - it goes oops you slowed down and starts taking them away. So either keep busy until midnight or leave some extra calories because you know they're going to disappear.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Its an issue with how MFP estimates your calories.

    When you create an account at MFP, based on your stats and activity level MFP thinks you're going to burn (example only) 2400 per day. OR 100 per hour. MFP thinks you will burn 100 every hour, while you have some where you're burning less and others burning more. Like while you're sleeping maybe its only 75 and when you're running errands maybe 135.

    When MFP gets info from Fitbit, it says 'oh, you've burned 1900 calories already and its now 4pm. There are 8 hours left in the day, so you're going to burn 800 more. You'll end the day at 1900 + 800, you've earned 300 extra calories'. But say you from 8pm on you're either watching tv on the couch or have gone to bed. Maybe you averaged 100/hour from 4-8pm, but if your BMR is only 75/hour you'll have 75/hr from 8pm-midnight. Ending the day at 2600. So you 'lose' 100 because MFP was wrong about how many you'd burn for the rest of the day.

    Ways to avoid this, or at least make it better:
    1. choose sedentary in MFP. It will then expect you to burn less per hour. But do understand you'll have a bigger calorie adjustment from Fitbit. SUch as in the above example, maybe now MFP thinks you'll burn 2100/day and you actually burn 2600 so its a +500 instead of +200. Because you started lower.

    2. understand the adjustment will be lower than MFP shows, but the closer it is to the end of the day: the less error.
  • cld111
    cld111 Posts: 300 Member
    Yes, this happens to me every single night. I've been adding 200-300 quick calories daily just because I know that amount will be taken away (and it's a little buffer for those licks, bites and condiments that I don't track). Or, you could leave 200ish calories at the end of the day (or however many MFP usually takes away). I also find that if I follow Fitbit's calorie goals at the end of the day (versus MFP), I'm much closer to where I should be.
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