Fitbit Syncs

fstrickl
fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
My apologies if this has already been asked multiple times or if this forum is completed the wrong to be in. I wasn't quite sure where to ask my question. Here it goes...

I have a Fitbit Flex that syncs with MFP. I am concerned that because the steps and activity tracked on my Fitbit count as "extra" calories if you will, I won't be in a calorie deficit and therefore loose weight. I do sync MFP food diary with FitBit and track my calories there (I aim for a -750 calorie deficit a day) but the two apps always have different allowances for my remaining calories! Can anyone offer advice on this? Should I be syncing my Fitbit activity/steps with MFP?

Thanks in advance!

Replies

  • thunder1982
    thunder1982 Posts: 280 Member
    I find it easiest to sync my fitbit with MFP and enter my food through MFP. Only one place to look at calories and MFP will give you any exercise cals from your fitbit activity.

    I use the fitbit dashboard to look at weight/body fat progression and steps etc. Not food/calories.
  • jessicayockey
    jessicayockey Posts: 7 Member
    Agreed I use MFP stories track all my calories & Fitbit to monitor my steps, flights, heart rate, sleep, etc. Only problem I've noticed is occasionally MFP won't sync up with FB, but it usually corrects itself within the day.
  • xLyric
    xLyric Posts: 840 Member
    edited December 2015
    Same here, I synced up and use MFP for food and just let Fitbit do its thing every day. Fitbit will give you more calories to eat only if you've earned them, and you'll still be at a deficit if you've set Fitbit up correctly. What's great is that everywhere I've read people generally consider Fitbit to be better at estimating calorie burn than MFP, so it's completely okay to eat all or at least most of those exercise calories. (As opposed to only eating a percentage of what MFP would tell you.) Again, if everything is set up correctly, you'll still be at a deficit.

    I highly recommend you join the Fitbit group here and read the FAQ. It explains the majority of questions most people have initially.
  • fstrickl
    fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
    xLyric wrote: »
    Fitbit will give you more calories to eat only if you've earned them, and you'll still be at a deficit if you've set Fitbit up correctly. What's great is that everywhere I've read people generally consider Fitbit to be better at estimating calorie burn than MFP, so it's completely okay to eat all or at least most of those exercise calories.

    I highly recommend you join the Fitbit group here and read the FAQ. It explains the majority of questions most people have initially.

    Hmm this is interesting, I find MFP usually gives me MORE calories at the end of the day than FitBit. Perhaps I haven't set it up correctly? (I think so though...) I have the Flex so it doesn't count heart rate but I like it for the motivation to take steps. I've been reading around the FAQ in the Fitbit Group so hopefully I can sort through all those posts and come to conclusion on what works best for me. For now, as long as no harm (aka: over eating) is done I'm alright.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    Closed diary so can't see, if Fitbit is giving you more calories in MFP this is because it has measured more activity / projected calorie burn than MFP is set for. So for example I did a lot of walking today and hence I got an increase in food calories as MFP is set to sedentary and I wasn't.

    If you are less active than MFP thinks, and have enabled negative adjustments, then Fitbit will steal some of your food :-)
  • jeepinshawn
    jeepinshawn Posts: 642 Member
    There are 2 ways to do this way #1:
    You sync MFP and fitbit, you set your activity level to sedentary, enable negative calorie adjustments. This will as already said give you extra or occasionally take away some calories depending on your movements for the day. Log all non step based exercise, and I find it helpful and mroe realistic to actually only eat back about half the calories the fitbit gives you credit for on MFP.

    Way #2-
    You leave them synced, log your eating on MFP, but instead o lookign at yrou calorie totals on MFP and going by that count you go to your fitbit dash board and see what your TDEE is for that day and you eat up to whatever deficit you want, 500 calories less then your TDEE should result in about 1lb per week weight loss for example.

    Im in maintenance mode now and I find my fitbit TDEE is all of my basic MFP calories plus about 1/2 to 3/4 the exercise calories that fitbit gives to the MFP app.
  • xXGearheadXx
    xXGearheadXx Posts: 56 Member
    edited December 2015
    Just for giggles i pulled my last 10 complete days off each app. MFP, synced with fitbit consistently showed 31-34 calories less total daily burn (goal+excercise) than total daily burn reported in the fitbit app. Not a huge difference, but very consistent.

    As for how i use the two together...I have the fitbit synced with MFP, negative calorie adjustments enabled. Activity level is set to lightly active (i get between 10-20k steps a day). The goal for each app is set to maintain weight.

    All food, exercise (non-walking cardio), and weight measurements are entered into MFP...all of those things will sync with the fitbit app so they're more or less on the same page.

    With these settings i'm more or less getting the same number reported across both apps.

  • fstrickl
    fstrickl Posts: 883 Member
    I just made a comparison table post lunch and here's the results:

    Fitbit (I weigh 157lb my goal is 130lb and I have a calorie deficit set up for -750 cal a day)
    1060 in
    1451 out
    566 remaining
    Currently I'm "in the zone".

    MFP (activity set at sedentary, obviously my goal is the same)
    1060 in
    393 cal of exercise (210 were from a logged exercise cardio this morning)
    653 remaining.

    Maybe I just don't know how to read these things right... Le sigh. Thanks for all your opinions though, it is seriously helpful! I appreciate you all taking the time to respond :#
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Fitbit calculates up to the minute in real time. Mfp gives a full day projection. They should roughly match up by midnight.
    I'm over in fitbit for most of everyday, but under on mfp.
  • xXGearheadXx
    xXGearheadXx Posts: 56 Member
    edited December 2015
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    Fitbit calculates up to the minute in real time. Mfp gives a full day projection. They should roughly match up by midnight.
    I'm over in fitbit for most of everyday, but under on mfp.

    This. Fitbit will continue to update cals burned up until midnight, even if you've taken the unit off and are sleeping. That's why I used completed days earlier, and why I don't like fitbits method for calorie burn tracking. It's a lot tougher to hit a moving target.

    Check your last 10 days on each. For the mfp number use your calorie goal + exercise + daily calorie deficit target (I.e. 250 cals for .5 lb/week, 750 cals for 1.5lb/week), compare that to your total daily burn in Fitbit. They should be pretty close.
  • dawniemate
    dawniemate Posts: 395 Member
    I love my new fitbit charge but don't understand the cal in, in the zone or any of the calorie side of it. MFP is set to 1200. I add all my food on it. Still can't understand how the Fitbit bit works. Just stay within mfp calories. Is this ok.
  • Nikkei74
    Nikkei74 Posts: 48 Member
    The Fitbit app is using the information you enter in MFP and giving you a graphic to demonstrate how you're tracking. You can ignore it completely if you like. It doesn't work particularly well if you pre log your day as it will end up in the red until bed time, but if you log and sync as you go through the day, then it's a nice representation of how your CI match up with your CO.
  • fishshark
    fishshark Posts: 1,886 Member
    fstrickl wrote: »
    xLyric wrote: »
    Fitbit will give you more calories to eat only if you've earned them, and you'll still be at a deficit if you've set Fitbit up correctly. What's great is that everywhere I've read people generally consider Fitbit to be better at estimating calorie burn than MFP, so it's completely okay to eat all or at least most of those exercise calories.

    I highly recommend you join the Fitbit group here and read the FAQ. It explains the majority of questions most people have initially.

    Hmm this is interesting, I find MFP usually gives me MORE calories at the end of the day than FitBit. Perhaps I haven't set it up correctly? (I think so though...) I have the Flex so it doesn't count heart rate but I like it for the motivation to take steps. I've been reading around the FAQ in the Fitbit Group so hopefully I can sort through all those posts and come to conclusion on what works best for me. For now, as long as no harm (aka: over eating) is done I'm alright.

    agreed MFP will show I have more calories left then fitbit app. I just go by my fitbit.

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