Fitness tracking added calories

jaredhelder
jaredhelder Posts: 4 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm getting a lot more serious about my health goals. I bought a fitness tracker that counts my steps, and synced it with MFP. Because it was adding more calories everyday, I do at least 10000 steps due to my job, I lowered my activity rate to sedentary. It's been adding over 2000 calories a day to MFP from all my steps. Should I eat these extra calories? I really want to be healthy and lose 50lbs. I just don't want to overeat.

Replies

  • Cynsonya
    Cynsonya Posts: 668 Member
    Dang, that's a lot of calories it's adding just for 10,000 steps. I would no way be comfortable eating them all. At least to start. If it were me I'd pick a percentage maybe 33%-50% and eat that amount back for a few weeks. Then I'd analyze the data. Did I lose what I expected? Did I lose more? Less? Then adjust accordingly.
  • annaelisam
    annaelisam Posts: 2 Member
    I usually try to keep with my regular daily calorie goal before the exercise and then use extra calories from exercise to give myself a "treat" of 200 to 300 calories like a Lara bar or something to reward myself for the extra work.
  • cheer4beer
    cheer4beer Posts: 22 Member
    Go to settings and see where your steps are pulling from. I had same problem where my Garmin tracker and my iPhone were both pulling in, doubling my extra calories. 2000 extra seems really high from just one device.
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    Man that seems like a lot when I do 15000 I get maybe 350 cals.
  • Cynsonya
    Cynsonya Posts: 668 Member
    ForeverSunshine09 wrote: »
    Man that seems like a lot when I do 15000 I get maybe 350 cals.

    A lot will depend on the size of the individual. A heavier person will burn more calories for the steps taken. I'm 300lbs and 15,000 steps gets me about 800 calories. If I eat them all back I lose 2ppw. If iI only eat back half I lose 3ppw. So this is an accurate # for my body.
  • ForeverSunshine09
    ForeverSunshine09 Posts: 966 Member
    Yes but, 2,000 for 10,000 unless you are 400 lbs seems like a lot.
  • Cynsonya
    Cynsonya Posts: 668 Member
    ForeverSunshine09 wrote: »
    Yes but, 2,000 for 10,000 unless you are 400 lbs seems like a lot.

    Oh, I agree 100% That's why I suggested only eating back 33-50% to start.
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,120 Member
    2,000 extra really sounds like a lot. Based on my fitbit's averages for the past 28 days, I walked an average of 17,200 steps and had a TDEE of about 2280 (95% of my exercise is walking-based). My BMR is about 1380 calories a day (5'6 female at 130lbs), so I would theoretically burn an additional 52 calories per 1,000 steps (or 520kcal added to my BMR for 10,000 steps).

    I have my calorie goal set to 1570 (negative calories enabled), and I have to walk about 3,000 steps to not have a negative adjustment. Most weekdays (when I'm getting the 17,000-20,000+ steps a day) I'll have a positive adjustment of 600-700 calories, while the weekends (average steps taken about 13,000-15,000) will only have a 350-500 calorie adjustment. I would have to walk over 38,000 steps to get a 2,000 calorie positive burn on MFP.
  • EddieP50
    EddieP50 Posts: 192 Member
    I have a Fitbit Charge HR linked to my account here. The explanation on the Exercise page states they project your total calorie burn for the day subtracting MyFitnessPal calories burned from the Fitbit calories burned and that shows up on your summary page and the app. It can change if the projection for the day changes. I just ignore it and go by my base calories of 1500 per day. My goal is to lose 2 lbs per week so my daily calorie burn goal is 2500 vs 1500 consumed. To me it seems counterproductive to exercise and then eat the calories back.
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    2000 calories from 10,000 incidental steps???
  • CollieFit
    CollieFit Posts: 1,683 Member
    ForeverSunshine09 wrote: »
    Yes but, 2,000 for 10,000 unless you are 400 lbs seems like a lot.

    and if you're 400lb you're unlikely to be walking 5 miles while at work...
  • Mavrick_RN
    Mavrick_RN Posts: 439 Member
    I do not trust all the extra calories my Fitbit gives me. I log my exercise time and manually input the number of calories I think are reasonable based on the gym elliptical estimate, MFP estimate and Fitness Partner (http://www.primusweb.com/fitnesspartner) estimate.

    Those extra calories look good on my home page and usually give me a pat on the back for staying under my calorie goal but I do not eat them. I know my food logging is not 100% accurate so I figure the extra exercise can't hurt. I'm still losing .5 to 1 lb a week and not stressing out about wanting more. I've got a whole life to live.
  • Psychgrrl
    Psychgrrl Posts: 3,177 Member
    edited March 2016
    I get about 200 calories for 10,000 steps. 5'3, 119 pound female.
  • Huge1993
    Huge1993 Posts: 14 Member
    No way that 10.000 steps is going to burn you 2.000 calories. There is defenitely something wrong with the calorie calculation. For me, if I run 10k, burn about 800 calories. This number depends on your weight ofcourse, but assuming you don't weight the same as a tank, I can tell you 2.000 calories for 10.000 steps is too optimistic.

    So my advice would be to NOT eat these calories back.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    Ok, I'm going out on a limb and saying the 2000 calories is the TDEE. if I get 10,000 steps, I generally burn about 1900 to 2100 for the day, not just for the steps. It helps to actually understand what the fitbit does.
  • jaredhelder
    jaredhelder Posts: 4 Member
    I'm around 230 lbs so I was thinking an additional 2000 calories was too much. I'm going to look into the specs of my apps a lot more and see why I'm getting such high add on for calories.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    sure that is just for your steps and not what you burn all day long? I have a fitbit charge HR and it tells me what I burn just by existing as well as my exercise calories burned.
  • jaredhelder
    jaredhelder Posts: 4 Member
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    sure that is just for your steps and not what you burn all day long? I have a fitbit charge HR and it tells me what I burn just by existing as well as my exercise calories burned.

    It is supposed to be my all day, but it's still around 4000 calories. I can't believe that is my caloric intake for one day. My job is active, but not that active.
  • jaredhelder
    jaredhelder Posts: 4 Member
    Dnarules wrote: »
    Ok, I'm going out on a limb and saying the 2000 calories is the TDEE. if I get 10,000 steps, I generally burn about 1900 to 2100 for the day, not just for the steps. It helps to actually understand what the fitbit does.

    I'm using UA Record with misfit flash to count steps. The whole point of me using these devices and syncing them with MFP is so I don't need to to any math myself. It's putting me at 4000 for the day though, with only 10,000 steps.
  • heatherheyns
    heatherheyns Posts: 144 Member
    Changing your activity level on MFP won't fix that, I think. With my fitbit, it gives me the difference in calories between what MFP thinks I should burn and what Fitbit expects me to. If i change my activity level on MFP, it still will give me the difference. For example, if I am sedentary, MFP will think I will burn 1900 a day (just examples), but Fitbit says, based on my activity, I should burn 2500 for the day. MFP will give me an adjustment for 600 calories. If I change my settings, and MFP thinks I'll burn 2100, I will get a smaller adjustment, (the difference being only 400), but it will still keep the same deficit. I'm not sure I'm making any sense, but that is my understanding.

    However, 2000 seems like a LOT. On my active days, where I get 1500 steps and do an hour of a hard workout, burning 400, I still have gotten at most about 1000 extra calories, and that is based on burning 3000 that day. Do you only have the one thing connected? Also, are you adding exercise in a few different places? Any of these can cause you to get credit twice.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    jaredhelder wrote: »
    Dnarules wrote: »
    Ok, I'm going out on a limb and saying the 2000 calories is the TDEE. if I get 10,000 steps, I generally burn about 1900 to 2100 for the day, not just for the steps. It helps to actually understand what the fitbit does.

    I'm using UA Record with misfit flash to count steps. The whole point of me using these devices and syncing them with MFP is so I don't need to to any math myself. It's putting me at 4000 for the day though, with only 10,000 steps.

    UA record for me was way off. it was giving me 1 calorie for every 5 seconds so that could be the problem. sounds like its also double dipping(counting your calories from the UA plus the misfit flash is counting the calories as well). I would just use your misfit flash and sync it to mfp and try that for awhile and see what you get calorie wise. but the bigger you are the more you will burn. my family member is female but around your weight and burns about 3000 calories just sitting around not doing much but if she were to get in 10,000 steps it gives her a total of 3500-4000 but that counts her calories just by being alive as well.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    jaredhelder wrote: »
    CharlieBeansmomTracey wrote: »
    sure that is just for your steps and not what you burn all day long? I have a fitbit charge HR and it tells me what I burn just by existing as well as my exercise calories burned.

    It is supposed to be my all day, but it's still around 4000 calories. I can't believe that is my caloric intake for one day. My job is active, but not that active.

    thats not your caloric intake that is what you would be burning along with your BMR, as for being accurate its hard to tell. did you set your tracker and input your height,weight and all that other info it asked for?
  • pebble4321
    pebble4321 Posts: 1,132 Member
    I use my Apple Watch to track steps, and yes, I'll usually eat extra cals if they are there.
    I agree that 2000 extra cals sounds excessive. Is there any reset option on your device, and have you tried unlinking and relinking with MFP?
  • soniaf
    soniaf Posts: 106 Member
    check your weight is entered in the right units? If you are 200 pounds but it thinks you are 200 kg that could be the reason it's inaccurate?
  • violet_wister
    violet_wister Posts: 34 Member
    annaelisam wrote: »
    I usually try to keep with my regular daily calorie goal before the exercise and then use extra calories from exercise to give myself a "treat" of 200 to 300 calories like a Lara bar or something to reward myself for the extra work.

    Yes this- I use my Fitbit exercise calories more as an interesting thing to know than something that directly affects my day to day eating. On days where Fitbit tells me I've accumulated a LOT of extra calories out through movement, I'll just use those days to have a small extra (tracked) something :)
  • WaterBunnie
    WaterBunnie Posts: 1,371 Member
    jaredhelder wrote: »
    I'm around 230 lbs so I was thinking an additional 2000 calories was too much. I'm going to look into the specs of my apps a lot more and see why I'm getting such high add on for calories.

    I weigh a couple of pounds less than you but get around 600 calories for 10000 steps if that's any help?
  • steadygirl06
    steadygirl06 Posts: 15 Member
    Do you have it set to kj? I get around 2000kj for 10,000 steps
  • Maxematics
    Maxematics Posts: 2,287 Member
    I've been a Charge HR user since July. It brought me from 139 pounds to 109 pounds. Here are a few things I've noticed by using it/reading feedback from others:
    • Apparently the more overweight you are the more the calories earned tend to be inflated. Several overweight/obese users have said they gained weight by eating what Fitbit stated while users who are more fit have claimed Fitbit underestimated the calories they can eat. Then again, I wonder how much of this boils down to accurate logging and using a food scale. I take this information with a grain of salt. Observing your own data and making adjustments is the best resource.
    • I'm 5'3" and 114 pounds now as I'm currently bulking. Personally I'm gaining weight at a slower rate than I should be using Fitbit as a baseline. However, I use the "dominant" setting on my non-dominant hand and I tend to overestimate calories if I don't have the nutritional facts for something. When I workout and walk 18K+ steps, I get 900+ calories more to eat and it hasn't been a detriment to my weight loss or weight gain at all. I eat most of my calories back, sometimes all.
    • Setting your food plan to sedentary instead of personalized on Fitbit will stop the calorie adjustment from changing so much on MFP. When it's personalized, Fitbit projects your extra calories based on how active it expects you to be for the day. You may see you have 600 extra calories for the day, but if you sit for the rest of the day it can shoot down to 400. With the sedentary setting, you start with a lower amount of calories and earn calories throughout the day. I've found that much easier to deal with and there are no surprises.
    • The first couple of days can be off. It will "learn" you as you keep using it.

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