Calorie adjustment from fitbit

goldenglow90
goldenglow90 Posts: 44 Member
edited November 28 in Getting Started
I have been using my Fitbit for a week now. All of the food I log syncs quickly from mfp but the calorie adjustment is always off. Example, my goal is 1700 calories. I went to the gym so Fitbit increased my calorie goal to 2060 calories but the adjustment in mfp says 62 calories so mfp always says I'm going over. While I do use the calories left from Fitbit, I like to see the breakdown of macros in mfp to decide what best to eat.

Anyone else have this problem?

Replies

  • victorsparade
    victorsparade Posts: 15 Member
    Yeah, it's been pretty bad with my Fitbit... I feel bad because my mom sent me hers she wasn't using so she asks me how I like it, and I've been lying and saying it's great... Really I rely more on MFP to get the job done. FitBit isn't as "smart" technology as they'd like to claim.

    Again, that's just my experience.
  • Clobern80
    Clobern80 Posts: 714 Member
    Make sure you have the "allow negative adjustments" checked in your settings on MFP
    Set your goal activity level to sedentary on MFP
    Make sure you have MFP and FitBit both set to the same goal (1/2 pound per week, 1 pound per week, etc.)
    Add your food in MFP, not in FitBit
    Let FitBit add the exercise for you

    I am not sure what else can be the problem. This is exactly what I have done and it syncs up just fine for me.
  • goldenglow90
    goldenglow90 Posts: 44 Member
    Maybe that's it then, I'd set a calorie goal in mfp rather than a weight goal. I'll try changing it
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited January 2016
    Are your weight loss goals and stats (height/weight/age/gender) the same in both your Fitbit profile AND MFP? If so, there should not be much of a discrepancy if you look at yesterday, the day before, and other days in the past.

    The same day "calories left" will vary between the 2 because of different methods of estimating what you're going to burn for the rest of the day.
  • goldenglow90
    goldenglow90 Posts: 44 Member
    Okay, now I can't get the negative calorie adjustment to work. I've enabled it on the website, restarted the app, logged out and back in, uninstalled and reinstalled the app, it still says it is disabled.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    The negative calorie bit is ONLY an issue if you move less than your stated activity level. If its disabled and you regularly see 0 Fitbit calories, then you can a) enable it or b) move more to earn additional calories.

  • goldenglow90
    goldenglow90 Posts: 44 Member
    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    Are your weight loss goals and stats (height/weight/age/gender) the same in both your Fitbit profile AND MFP? If so, there should not be much of a discrepancy if you look at yesterday, the day before, and other days in the past.

    The same day "calories left" will vary between the 2 because of different methods of estimating what you're going to burn for the rest of the day.

    All stats are the same in both (maintain weight). I don't have the exact figures but yesterday Fitbit said I'd burned around 1780 calories but my adjustment in Fitbit was only about 30 (so a total of 1730). Today Fitbit says I've burned nearly 1900 calories so far but my adjustment is 0, 200 calories difference!
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited January 2016
    Calorie adjustment will never be exact between MFP and Fitbit. This is by design...

    Have you looked at the adjustment (red minus sign) on the exercise diary in MFP and looked at the projected calories from Fitbit has for the day SO FAR and is the sync time right... Sometimes the syncing on the device may not come over to MFP right away.

    Did yesterday's pair up right? At the end of the day perhaps last sync at 11:59 p.m. have the right calories between MFP and Fitbit.

    The adjustment is the difference between calories actually burned in Fitbit (projection will change during the day) and the calories MFP gave you ate.. the projection can up or down all day long.. The actual number is not complete until 11:59 sync at night.
  • andrewford80
    andrewford80 Posts: 4 Member
    Dont give up, it's confusing at first but you will eventually get the gist of how it works. Just be accurate and honest with everything you eat (dont forget to weigh stuff) and it all will come together.

    The negative adjustments thing is a bit weird. It seems like it penalises you initially, but once you rack up some activity, it then swings back in your favour. You have to be active though :)
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member


    I'm set for maintenance on both also. MFP expects my maintenance to be 1750. Yesterday Fitbit says I burned 1890. And MFP shows me with +145 so only a difference of 5. (1890-1750=140, not 145.) This could be from using a different BMR formula. Or from different ways of rounding.

    For today however, so far I've burned 1211 and logged 1384. Fitbit says I have 219 left (I have my Fitbit set to show calories as I 'earn' them, so the # goes up as I move more) and MFP shows that I've earned 12 Fitbit calories and have 389 left. They will always report a different # of 'calories left' because they estimate the rest of the day differently.

    If you're in maintenance my fix for you:
    • Go to Fitbit.com and log in.
    • Click on Log near the top of the page
    • Click the little gear icon to the top right of the Food Plan section
    • Make sure its set to sedentary

    When you do that, Fitbit calculates your burn for rest of the current day as BMR only. Then as you move more, you earn more calories. Set a goal of # of calories you want to burn in any given day. Move enough so that what you've logged plus 'calories left' equals or exceeds that goal.

    This is how I do it. I want to burn at least 1850 calories. Right now I show 1384 logged and 219 'left' so I'm not there yet. If I were to go to bed right now (4:35pm) I know I'd burn 1384 + 219 = 1603.

    goldenglow90 wrote: »
    StaciMarie1974 wrote: »
    Are your weight loss goals and stats (height/weight/age/gender) the same in both your Fitbit profile AND MFP? If so, there should not be much of a discrepancy if you look at yesterday, the day before, and other days in the past.

    The same day "calories left" will vary between the 2 because of different methods of estimating what you're going to burn for the rest of the day.

    All stats are the same in both (maintain weight). I don't have the exact figures but yesterday Fitbit said I'd burned around 1780 calories but my adjustment in Fitbit was only about 30 (so a total of 1730). Today Fitbit says I've burned nearly 1900 calories so far but my adjustment is 0, 200 calories difference!

  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    Its because MFP assumes you burn the same # of calories every hour of the day. Say based on your stats & stated activity level, MFP thinks you will burn 2400 per day. When MFP gets your Fitbit info, it assumes you'll then burn 100 calories for each hour remaining in the day. If your BMR is 80 and you're like most people (sleeping overnight) then you wake up behind schedule. At 6am Fitbit says you've burned 6 hours x 80 and MFP expects 6 hours x 100. So yes, you will start out in the negative. Then maybe you go for an hour run before work - burn 700 calories that hour. Much more than the 100/hour MFP expected and you're ahead.

    Each time you sync, MFP compares actual vs expected and it changes your Fitbit adjustment.
    andrewford80 wrote: »
    Dont give up, it's confusing at first but you will eventually get the gist of how it works. Just be accurate and honest with everything you eat (dont forget to weigh stuff) and it all will come together.

    The negative adjustments thing is a bit weird. It seems like it penalises you initially, but once you rack up some activity, it then swings back in your favour. You have to be active though :)

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