Net Calories Consumed and Fitbit Calorie Adjustment

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KSnow78
KSnow78 Posts: 37 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a quick question. I aim for 1350 calories per day. Because eating healthy is new to me, I haven't started exercising just yet but i wear a fitbit to track steps. This fitbit carries over calories that it states I burned and adds them to my daily log. So for example. I have a desk job, If I walk my normal day, taking kids to ballet, and mopping of the floor, it will carry over approximately 350 calories as burned as exercise. When I eat 1350, it then states my net calories are 1000. Well below what I want.. but I would be afraid to eat even half of those as this would bring me upwards into 1500 calories ingested. What would you do ? Would you use those calories that fitbit brings over as calories gained by regular steps to eat ? Or should i not sync them together and log all calories burned by exercise only ?

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    I ate back my activity calories when I was losing weight. Before I had a Fitbit, I ate 50-75% back to account for over-estimation. After I got my Fitbit, I ate all of them back.

    Your body doesn't distinguish between calories burned from exercise and calories burned through all your other daily activity. A calorie burned is a calorie burned. If you net a low number of calories for too long, you can compromise your health and energy. It can also make it harder to stay on plan -- hungry people find it much harder to resist temptation.
  • robingmurphy
    robingmurphy Posts: 349 Member
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    I eat back all my FitBit calories, and it works fine. Having too low a net calories for too long can make it really hard to stick to a diet, and result in binging for many.
  • sault_girl
    sault_girl Posts: 219 Member
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    I eat back most of my calories, unless I'm not hungry. I have MFP set to "sedentary" so anything extra really should be extra and not double-counted (i.e. if you told MFP you are active then it could already be giving you credit for the movement fitbit is crediting you for).
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    sault_girl wrote: »
    I eat back most of my calories, unless I'm not hungry. I have MFP set to "sedentary" so anything extra really should be extra and not double-counted (i.e. if you told MFP you are active then it could already be giving you credit for the movement fitbit is crediting you for).

    If your Fitbit is synced with MFP, you will only begin earning extra calories when you exceed the calorie burn estimate for the activity level you gave MFP. So if you set yourself up as "active" you will begin earning extra calories much later than someone who set their account up as "sedentary." This eliminates the risk of double-counting.
  • KSnow78
    KSnow78 Posts: 37 Member
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    Thank you. I wasn't aware that fitbit only begins to give me credit for calories when i exceed the calorie burn estimate. I will start eating them back !!
  • fboosman
    fboosman Posts: 13 Member
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    janejellyroll wrote: »
    If your Fitbit is synced with MFP, you will only begin earning extra calories when you exceed the calorie burn estimate for the activity level you gave MFP. So if you set yourself up as "active" you will begin earning extra calories much later than someone who set their account up as "sedentary." This eliminates the risk of double-counting.

    Whatever your MFP level is set to, MFP calories + Fitbit adjustment is still going to equal the same amount.
  • tahxirez
    tahxirez Posts: 270 Member
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    I eat back all or almost all of my calorie burn from my fitbit and I've had great success. Of course there are days why I have a significant deficit and don't eat back but thats not every day or anything.
  • sault_girl
    sault_girl Posts: 219 Member
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    fboosman wrote: »

    Whatever your MFP level is set to, MFP calories + Fitbit adjustment is still going to equal the same amount.

    Ok I am new to the fitbit thing and I guess I misunderstood.
  • KSnow78
    KSnow78 Posts: 37 Member
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    I guess what I was saying was... I dont look at normal everyday walking as "extra burning of calories" and If I didn't sync, I would still eat 1350. But now because its saying i need to eat those extra 350 calories that fitbit says I earned, i feel like I am eating too much. Im not working out... Im just doing everyday things... I can understand If i went on the treadmill or walked around the mall for 2 hours ... but this is just everyday things...
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
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    TeamSnow0920 wrote: »
    I guess what I was saying was... I dont look at normal everyday walking as "extra burning of calories" and If I didn't sync, I would still eat 1350. But now because its saying i need to eat those extra 350 calories that fitbit says I earned, i feel like I am eating too much. Im not working out... Im just doing everyday things... I can understand If i went on the treadmill or walked around the mall for 2 hours ... but this is just everyday things...

    Whether you are getting those steps through purposeful exercise or just your daily activity, it still leads to an increase in your total calories burned, your TDEE. If you are getting big adjustments like that for perceived low activity, that may be a sign you have your goal set too aggressively, as those calories are meant to make up the difference between what you set your goal at and what FitBit is saying you burned. What are your stats: height, weight, goal weight, goal rate of loss, and what does FitBit say your total calories burned is?

    For what it's worth, I'm 5'2, started MFP at 153 and I was set at 1200 cals to lose 1 lb/week trying to get down to 125. I didn't have a FitBit at first, so I was just using MFP exercise estimates and quickly realized 1200 was too low for me. I raised it to about 1500 cals, still eating back the exercise calories, and after about 6 months I got a FitBit. Like you I realized that I was more active than I thought, getting 7-8K steps just from my daily life (desk job but two small kids). Add in 30-60 minute walks for exercise and I was averaging 10-12K steps and getting huge exercise adjustments between FitBit and MFP. I got good advice that I really wasn't sedentary so I changed my activity level to Lightly Active so that the adjustments were more reflective of the actual exercise. I also raised my calories to about 1650. I continued to lose 0.5 lb/week reaching my goal weight after about a year on MFP.

    It's now 2 years later, I average 15k steps/day and I'm maintaining around 120 lbs. FitBit says I burn ~2200 cals/day so I eat all of those calories.

    So don't assume that just because you aren't running marathons that your busy life doesn't burn calories.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
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    TeamSnow0920 wrote: »
    I guess what I was saying was... I dont look at normal everyday walking as "extra burning of calories" and If I didn't sync, I would still eat 1350. But now because its saying i need to eat those extra 350 calories that fitbit says I earned, i feel like I am eating too much. Im not working out... Im just doing everyday things... I can understand If i went on the treadmill or walked around the mall for 2 hours ... but this is just everyday things...

    Your body doesn't distinguish between calories burned doing "everyday things" and calories burned doing purposeful exercise.

    If you earn 350 activity calories, you've burned 350 more calories than your activity level -- the one you entered into MFP -- would indicate. Not eating these means that you could potentially undernourish yourself -- it could impact your health and energy.
  • KSnow78
    KSnow78 Posts: 37 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    TeamSnow0920 wrote: »
    I guess what I was saying was... I dont look at normal everyday walking as "extra burning of calories" and If I didn't sync, I would still eat 1350. But now because its saying i need to eat those extra 350 calories that fitbit says I earned, i feel like I am eating too much. Im not working out... Im just doing everyday things... I can understand If i went on the treadmill or walked around the mall for 2 hours ... but this is just everyday things...

    Whether you are getting those steps through purposeful exercise or just your daily activity, it still leads to an increase in your total calories burned, your TDEE. If you are getting big adjustments like that for perceived low activity, that may be a sign you have your goal set too aggressively, as those calories are meant to make up the difference between what you set your goal at and what FitBit is saying you burned. What are your stats: height, weight, goal weight, goal rate of loss, and what does FitBit say your total calories burned is?

    For what it's worth, I'm 5'2, started MFP at 153 and I was set at 1200 cals to lose 1 lb/week trying to get down to 125. I didn't have a FitBit at first, so I was just using MFP exercise estimates and quickly realized 1200 was too low for me. I raised it to about 1500 cals, still eating back the exercise calories, and after about 6 months I got a FitBit. Like you I realized that I was more active than I thought, getting 7-8K steps just from my daily life (desk job but two small kids). Add in 30-60 minute walks for exercise and I was averaging 10-12K steps and getting huge exercise adjustments between FitBit and MFP. I got good advice that I really wasn't sedentary so I changed my activity level to Lightly Active so that the adjustments were more reflective of the actual exercise. I also raised my calories to about 1650. I continued to lose 0.5 lb/week reaching my goal weight after about a year on MFP.

    It's now 2 years later, I average 15k steps/day and I'm maintaining around 120 lbs. FitBit says I burn ~2200 cals/day so I eat all of those calories.

    So don't assume that just because you aren't running marathons that your busy life doesn't burn calories.

    Thank you so much for this information. Here are my stats. I would love for you to assist me in figuring this out.

    5'1 38 Years old. Current weight is 205.4 Started at 215.2 Looking to lose 2 lbs per week. My goal weight is 140 first, than 125 if I can get there.. but Ive never been there. I work a desk job. Monday - Friday. I try to get up and go to the printer, bathroom, i have my fitbit set every 2 hours to go for a walk around the office. I average without trying about 6000-7000 steps per day. Not many. I am set to sedentary. It first said 1200 calories a day... but i struggled... I now set it to 1350. I do not eat any fitbit adjustement calories. Those are about 150-450 per day just on steps.

    Thanks
  • sault_girl
    sault_girl Posts: 219 Member
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    WinoGelato wrote: »
    TeamSnow0920 wrote: »
    I guess what I was saying was... I dont look at normal everyday walking as "extra burning of calories" and If I didn't sync, I would still eat 1350. But now because its saying i need to eat those extra 350 calories that fitbit says I earned, i feel like I am eating too much. Im not working out... Im just doing everyday things... I can understand If i went on the treadmill or walked around the mall for 2 hours ... but this is just everyday things...

    Whether you are getting those steps through purposeful exercise or just your daily activity, it still leads to an increase in your total calories burned, your TDEE. If you are getting big adjustments like that for perceived low activity, that may be a sign you have your goal set too aggressively, as those calories are meant to make up the difference between what you set your goal at and what FitBit is saying you burned. What are your stats: height, weight, goal weight, goal rate of loss, and what does FitBit say your total calories burned is?

    For what it's worth, I'm 5'2, started MFP at 153 and I was set at 1200 cals to lose 1 lb/week trying to get down to 125. I didn't have a FitBit at first, so I was just using MFP exercise estimates and quickly realized 1200 was too low for me. I raised it to about 1500 cals, still eating back the exercise calories, and after about 6 months I got a FitBit. Like you I realized that I was more active than I thought, getting 7-8K steps just from my daily life (desk job but two small kids). Add in 30-60 minute walks for exercise and I was averaging 10-12K steps and getting huge exercise adjustments between FitBit and MFP. I got good advice that I really wasn't sedentary so I changed my activity level to Lightly Active so that the adjustments were more reflective of the actual exercise. I also raised my calories to about 1650. I continued to lose 0.5 lb/week reaching my goal weight after about a year on MFP.

    It's now 2 years later, I average 15k steps/day and I'm maintaining around 120 lbs. FitBit says I burn ~2200 cals/day so I eat all of those calories.

    So don't assume that just because you aren't running marathons that your busy life doesn't burn calories.

    Are you me? I'm going through/have gone through pretty much the same process. Love my new fitbit, I also average about 15-18k steps/day and I'm eating around 1600-1800cal per day and I'm losing weight. 1200 wasn't enough for me and wouldn't be sustainable.
  • sault_girl
    sault_girl Posts: 219 Member
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    TeamSnow0920 wrote: »

    Thank you so much for this information. Here are my stats. I would love for you to assist me in figuring this out.

    5'1 38 Years old. Current weight is 205.4 Started at 215.2 Looking to lose 2 lbs per week. My goal weight is 140 first, than 125 if I can get there.. but Ive never been there. I work a desk job. Monday - Friday. I try to get up and go to the printer, bathroom, i have my fitbit set every 2 hours to go for a walk around the office. I average without trying about 6000-7000 steps per day. Not many. I am set to sedentary. It first said 1200 calories a day... but i struggled... I now set it to 1350. I do not eat any fitbit adjustement calories. Those are about 150-450 per day just on steps.

    Thanks

    I also work a desk job, but I get out walking in the morning before work, on my lunch break, and after work, and I find it adds up pretty quickly. It's 2:40pm here and I have 8600 steps today. Should finish around 18,000 today. It's totally do-able! (And I still vote eat back your calories)
  • KSnow78
    KSnow78 Posts: 37 Member
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    sault_girl wrote: »
    TeamSnow0920 wrote: »

    Thank you so much for this information. Here are my stats. I would love for you to assist me in figuring this out.

    5'1 38 Years old. Current weight is 205.4 Started at 215.2 Looking to lose 2 lbs per week. My goal weight is 140 first, than 125 if I can get there.. but Ive never been there. I work a desk job. Monday - Friday. I try to get up and go to the printer, bathroom, i have my fitbit set every 2 hours to go for a walk around the office. I average without trying about 6000-7000 steps per day. Not many. I am set to sedentary. It first said 1200 calories a day... but i struggled... I now set it to 1350. I do not eat any fitbit adjustement calories. Those are about 150-450 per day just on steps.

    Thanks

    I also work a desk job, but I get out walking in the morning before work, on my lunch break, and after work, and I find it adds up pretty quickly. It's 2:40pm here and I have 8600 steps today. Should finish around 18,000 today. It's totally do-able! (And I still vote eat back your calories)

    Im sitting at 3,083 Im going to get up and go for a walk !!

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