Established Fitbit charge hr users
Twincle1970
Posts: 45 Member
I have a shiny new fitbit charge HR and have been glued to it since xmas day. My question is to those of you that have been using it for a period of time. I have been exercising moderately, cardio and weights, and it gives me back calories throughout the day, so, What do you do with these earned calories? do you ignore them or have you successfully been losing weight by keeping them in you CI<CO totals?
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Integrate with MFP enabling negative adjustments for those days when you move less than expected. Eat back the "exercise" calories it gives you to achieve the goals you've defined for yourself in MFP. Adjust your MFP goals based on your weight changes as evaluated by a trending weight app. Since you have a Fitbit.com account, connect www.trendweight.com to it and use it as your trending weight app.0
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I have my Fitbit connected to MFP and I eat my exercise calories. Fitbit has been accurate for me.0
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I don't eat any exercise calories-- I find on days when I run a little over goal, I don't let it get me down. I love my HR!
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I recommend not eating back the calories. Not really a reason to.0
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New Fitbit users should join the Fitbit Users Group on MFP:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
The FAQ is essential reading, and the group is filled with helpful threads and people.0 -
I recommend not eating back the calories. Not really a reason to.
The reason you eat back exercise calories is the same whether we are discussing the Fitbit adjustment or actual exercise calories: you eat them to achieve the deficit you've set for yourself to achieve.
Not eating back exercise calories achieves a bigger deficit. Sounds good? Well... it isn't. Because yes, there IS such a thing as too big of a deficit for optimized weight loss.0 -
I don't eat back my calories.
I have negative adjustments turned off and have my calories at a fixed amount (premium).
My daily calories are approximately 20% less than my TDEE (30 day avg) TDEE comes from FitBit.0 -
MFP is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. Most of us with long term success, eat back around half of those calories.
Eating too few calories results in lean muscle loss, fatigue, and a whole host of other issues.
I would strongly advise new people to listen to those who have been here a long time and have had success.0 -
callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »MFP is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. Most of us with long term success, eat back around half of those calories.
Eating too few calories results in lean muscle loss, fatigue, and a whole host of other issues.
I would strongly advise new people to listen to those who have been here a long time and have had success.
If you use MFPs NEAT formula sure. If you use the FitBit TDEE method, eating them back isn't necessary. They are already accounted for.
Some people use MFP just to track what they are eating. I have much more success using TDEE and eating 1600 calories than the MFP 1200 gave me.
OP, I would strongly advise joining the FitBit users group linked above.
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callsitlikeiseeit wrote: »MFP is designed for you to eat back your exercise calories. Most of us with long term success, eat back around half of those calories.
Eating too few calories results in lean muscle loss, fatigue, and a whole host of other issues.
I would strongly advise new people to listen to those who have been here a long time and have had success.
If you use MFPs NEAT formula sure. If you use the FitBit TDEE method, eating them back isn't necessary. They are already accounted for.
Some people use MFP just to track what they are eating. I have much more success using TDEE and eating 1600 calories than the MFP 1200 gave me.
OP, I would strongly advise joining the FitBit users group linked above.
We need to clarify for the newbies.
Most new members (and we get a lot at this time of year) haven't a clue what the TDEE method is. I don't even know what the "Fitbit TDEE" method is.
"I have much more success using TDEE and eating 1600 calories than the MFP 1200 gave me."
That's exactly the same thing as being on 1200 with MFP and eating back most of the exercise calories you earned.
I'm on 1200 with MFP but I earn about 1000 with exercise logged automatically in Fitbit, and I eat 75% of that back.
We don't eat all the exercise calories back to allow for the fact that exercise machines and wristbands tend to exaggerate a bit.
Can you explain the "Fitbit TDEE method"? @kuranda100 -
FitBit uses TDEE. It calculates ALL the calories used during the day. when I wake up it shows I've already burned 300 calories. There isn't any of the bouncing calories because you haven't been as active as MFP expected you to be. It's really crappy to think you were doing great all day and then find out at 11 PM you're over for the day.
Or, go to the FAQs on the Fitbit group linked above, @heybales explains it much better than you attempting to call me out because I don't subscribe to your method,
I don't bother eating back exercise calories because I have chosen to not log every single activity of every single day. FitBit tells me my avg TDEE is 2030. I eat 20% less than that.
YMMV.0 -
FitBit uses TDEE. It calculates ALL the calories used during the day. when I wake up it shows I've already burned 300 calories. There isn't any of the bouncing calories because you haven't been as active as MFP expected you to be. It's really crappy to think you were doing great all day and then find out at 11 PM you're over for the day.
Or, go to the FAQs on the Fitbit group linked above, @heybales explains it much better than you attempting to call me out because I don't subscribe to your method,
I don't bother eating back exercise calories because I have chosen to not log every single activity of every single day. FitBit tells me my avg TDEE is 2030. I eat 20% less than that.
YMMV.
I'm sorry you think I'm "attempting to call me out because I don't subscribe to your method". I was just wanting to learn from you.0 -
Some people can plan better if they have a static daily eating goal. Eat some of the same meals daily, no big surprises either direction.
MFP's static goal (NET) for non-exercise days, eaten all the time even with exercise, is just foolish though.
The problem is when people don't realize MFP does it differently than almost every other site (though the activity trackers follow MFP method now) and say they don't eat back exercise calories.
They actually do - planned or historical average exercise calories and daily activity.
This is where the thinking comes that you better do your exercise to lose weight - in that type of usage - true.
Because your eating level was based on burning so much on average daily which included exercise.
Skip the exercise too much and you may lose the deficit and not lose weight.
Though the fact is you merely need to eat less than you burn daily on average, whether that includes exercise or not.
Some people can eat around a dynamic goal like MFP and Fitbit use that actually basis it on the amount you did today, and today only, and take the same amount of deficit off.
So you could always use a site like MFP or Fitbit that is designed for one way, and use the other way.
And now MFP under premium makes it easier to do so. Fitbit allows setting static goal too.
Fitbit just provides the weekly TDEE figures to base the MFP eating goal on. For those that do it smart.
Some people still prefer to guess from 5 rough levels that only talk about exercise, rather than Fitbit providing infinite levels to work with, or allow MFP to correct itself with.
So exercise calories are actually eaten back to some degree - and there is a deficit taken on the average daily burn that includes them.
I really don't understand why someone would likely have no clue how MFP works to get their eating goal, then buy a Fitbit that provides better estimates of activity, and somehow trust MFP figures without Fitbit corrections more.
Charles Babbage, father of programmable computers - "On two occasions I have been asked [by members of Parliament], 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able rightly to apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."0 -
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I recommend not eating back the calories. Not really a reason to.
I can think of lots of reasons why one might not want to create a larger deficit: preserving muscle mass, fueling heavier exercise, maintaining energy, preparing for maintaining weight loss, avoiding hunger.
My Fitbit gives me an average of 500-600 extra calories a day. Since I'm maintaining, not eating those would really mess up my health and my energy.0 -
I have a general question about the Charge HR. What kind of battery life should I expect from this device?
In my honest opinino, not a very good one.
My battery lasts around 2 days and that's with all the 'extras' disabled and with limiting myself to 1 'button press' a day. I have e-mailed fitbit support for this and they are insistent that there is no issue or fault with my device despite re-setting it numerous times. I still love it - but I haven't found it to last anywhere NEAR the 5 days it claims. The fitbit flex (again, my opinion) was better battery-wise.
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PinkPixiexox wrote: »I have a general question about the Charge HR. What kind of battery life should I expect from this device?
In my honest opinino, not a very good one.
My battery lasts around 2 days and that's with all the 'extras' disabled and with limiting myself to 1 'button press' a day. I have e-mailed fitbit support for this and they are insistent that there is no issue or fault with my device despite re-setting it numerous times. I still love it - but I haven't found it to last anywhere NEAR the 5 days it claims. The fitbit flex (again, my opinion) was better battery-wise.
I hardly ever push the button, don't use the alarm or any alerting features, and usually get about two days from my battery. I love it otherwise, so I've just come to accept it.0 -
janejellyroll wrote: »PinkPixiexox wrote: »I have a general question about the Charge HR. What kind of battery life should I expect from this device?
In my honest opinino, not a very good one.
My battery lasts around 2 days and that's with all the 'extras' disabled and with limiting myself to 1 'button press' a day. I have e-mailed fitbit support for this and they are insistent that there is no issue or fault with my device despite re-setting it numerous times. I still love it - but I haven't found it to last anywhere NEAR the 5 days it claims. The fitbit flex (again, my opinion) was better battery-wise.
I hardly ever push the button, don't use the alarm or any alerting features, and usually get about two days from my battery. I love it otherwise, so I've just come to accept it.
Glad I'm not the only one with this then! Thanks 0 -
I have a shiny new fitbit charge HR and have been glued to it since xmas day. My question is to those of you that have been using it for a period of time. I have been exercising moderately, cardio and weights, and it gives me back calories throughout the day, so, What do you do with these earned calories? do you ignore them or have you successfully been losing weight by keeping them in you CI<CO totals?
Personally, I find that when I eat ALL of them back at a supposed 500 calorie deficit, I maintain my weight perfectly--the numbers are a bit off for me. That said, I eat some of them back when I want them, but I make sure to not eat them all back. Do what works for you--eat them back for a while and see what happens with your weight. If you continue to lose, great! If not, keep tweaking until you find your perfect medium. 0 -
I've had a Charge HR for about 2 months (before then I had a Fitbit Flex). I "eat back" some of the calories I burn - but so far I'm getting a 2-3kg a month weight loss by aiming for a 1300 net calorie goal. I also try to overestimate how much I eat.
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Well, I attend a weight loss center and have been losing weight with MFP, a personal trainer, a nutritionist and a doctor. I was advised by my doctor to not eat back my calories. My calorie goal is my calorie goal, regardless of what activity I do throughout the day. On high-intensity days if I'm extra hungry and happen to go over I just don't freak out about it. But overall, I do not eat them back per the instructions of my medical provider.0
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I can run about 4 days on a fully charged battery for my Charge HR. I tend not to dip into my Fitbit adjustment unless it's stupidly large (800+). I use it as a buffer to account for any errors in my food logging or the standard variations of calories for packaged foods (which I tend to eat a lot of). 33 lbs since the first week of August puts me right on track for my 1.5 lb/week loss, so I think my method is working pretty darn well, especially considering how many off days I've had with vacations, sickness, etc.0
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ok, so eating back the calories is not necessary, but you can eat them all back without too much of an issue, but a nice buffer would be to, if your going to eat them, eat half back
= that works for me.
Battery life for me is about 2 days so I'm going to revisit settings to see what I don't need on to try and increase this.
Now, what if your fit bit is throwing back an unreasonable amount of calories? e.g. I did 30 minutes cardio on top of my daily routine and it gave me 900+ excess calories which seemed wildly excessive.0 -
and i'm in a few challenge groups and charged my HR this morning, leaving it there forgetting it when I went out, losing me half days steps
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I have mine connected and eat back about half of my calories it gives me. It seems to be fairly accurate but I am trying for at least a two pound loss each week which is why I am not eating all back.0
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I have a shiny new fitbit charge HR and have been glued to it since xmas day. My question is to those of you that have been using it for a period of time. I have been exercising moderately, cardio and weights, and it gives me back calories throughout the day, so, What do you do with these earned calories? do you ignore them or have you successfully been losing weight by keeping them in you CI<CO totals?
Sometimes I eat back the calories, sometimes I bank them for a future treat, and sometimes I put them toward my deficit and don't eat any of them back. A lot of it depends on how active I was the day I earned them, and how active I plan to be the next day. I found if I just go for the deficit I run out of energy on day 3.
I have also found that MFP over estimates the added calories from FitBit, so I usually try not to go over 75% of those calories earned, though lately I have been using FitBit's calories left to determine how much more I will eat as I feel it's more accurate. I still log everything in MFP though. Enjoy your FitBit!0 -
Hi Twincle45,
I noticed that when I first got my Fitbit, my calorie count was high, it was struggling registering steps, etc. It took a couple of weeks for my Fitibt to know my strides, etc., and it eventually equaled out. Are you logging your cardio? That could be duplicating. The newest update will register common exercises (walking/running/eliptical) if you do it for longer than 15 consecutive minutes, so always doublecheck that it did not log the activity for you before you manually add. Hope this helps!0
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