How many Fitbit calories do you eat back?
travelgirl77
Posts: 99 Member
I have MFP set to lose 2 pounds per week. I have been eating back some of my Fitbit calories, but for the past few weeks my loss has been sluggish. I am not in a panic yet, but I was curious as to whether you eat those Fitbit calories, and if so, how many do you eat? Thanks so much!
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I'm in maintenance and eat about all my calories. I haven't gained so think it's pretty accurate for me.
Have you set your fitbit to lose 2lb as well?0 -
i just started using the fit bit surge 2 days ago, its registering all these exercise calories from walking to the store , sleeping and house hold activites, i am assuming these are calories that are separet from my bmt , bmi ot TDEE, correct me if i am wrong, but i have not eaten non of these calories, i have only been eating what MFP designated i need to eat to lose 2 lbs a day which is 1940 per day and i am staying below that.0
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I eat them all and lose the weight that mfp predicts I'll lose.0
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Be aware that when you sync Fitbit with MFP - MFP is merely correctly it's guess of your daily calorie burn by means of that adjustment.
So ask yourself - why would you trust MFP's calculation of your daily calorie burn by means of your BMR and your guess of activity level?
But you won't trust Fitbit's estimate of your daily burn using BMR and actually seen movement?
Those adjusted calories that MFP shows are part of your TDEE or daily burn, no matter what they happen to be from.
MFP is increasing it's estimate of your prior non-exercise daily burn to include them, so basically it is starting with TDEE now.
Then it takes a deficit.
Now, for simplicity, what MFP actually does is add that difference on to on already deficit eating level - same effect.
Read the FAQ in the stickies, 2nd half, if curious about the math and how that works.
After I have corrected workouts my Zip will get wrong for calorie burn - it's trusted and works right.
But since the eating is the other side of equation and even more prone to error - confirm food is logged by weight for accuracy.0 -
heybales is right - why have a Fitbit if you're not going to trust its calorie burn estimate? It is bound to be better than MFP's. If your weight loss is stalled, look at other factors. For instance - is 2 lbs a week a realistic number? My understanding is that a realistic goal is 1/2 pound per week for every 25 pounds you have to lose. The closer you are to goal, the slower you will - and should - lose. So, 2 pounds per week is for motivated people with over 75 pounds to lose. (I started in that range, but I've always aimed for 1/2 pound per week and over time that is what I've achieved.)
Another factor is accurate food logging. I'm the first to admit I'm not always diligent in this area, but I accept a slower loss as a result.
You can test how accurate your Fitbit is for you by logging your food very accurately over 30 days while maintaining a reasonable deficit. At that point, use the calories in vs. calories out numbers shown on your Fitbit profile page to calculate expected weight loss and compare it to actual weight loss.0 -
A long as your food logging is as close to accurate as possible, then you shouldn't have a problem eating back your fitbit calories.
If I'm hungry I eat back my exercise calories, if not I leave them there for another day.0 -
Thanks for the responses! It is not that I don't trust Fitbit, however, I was curious as to whether others were successful eating back the calories Fitbit affords. I have over 75 pounds to lose so I suppose I feel like I should be losing faster or more, at least. Sometimes I eat back a lot of the calories, especially if I ran that day, while other days I am woefully under calories. I will try to be even more mindful of my tracking and reasses. Thanks so much!0
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That's what is interesting though - and you are hardly the first to express those concerns.
Vast majority would probably be hard pressed to explain how MFP used by itself came up with it's eating goal.
If they knew it came from an estimate of daily burn, still probably little idea how that was arrived at.
But here's the Fitbit giving stats on steps and stairs (which aren't used for calorie burn but usually that's unknown) and HR and intensity level - and so usually a better idea that it must be basing calorie burn on activity level, even if not fully understood possible limitations or mistakes or how.
And yet there are many that trust MFP more. Based on nothing more than they started MFP first probably.
Much like many will say the exercise database is wrong for calorie burn because their HRM gave different results for a workout. As if different means more accurate, then again - that depends on how you look at it since each is different than the other.0 -
I usually eat back all of my Fitbit adjusted calories. Recently I adjusted my Fitness profile from lightly to highly active and my fitbit adjustments were reduced a good bit. Even with "Highly active" I burn more than MFP expects me to, and this is without even logging non-step related workouts. Interestingly my calorie goal with the new adjustment is lower than it was with the higher adjustment.
I was noticing similar issues with not really losing much for a while. My deficit was just to slim. With the adjustment to my settings, I have started to drop weight again. However I also noticed when I looked in the mirror last night that while my weight has not changed significantly the contours of my body have.0 -
I eat them, but not the same way others do. I set MFP and Fitbit both to sedentary maintaince and eat less some days and more other days. I check the weekly net left over in the nutrition tab and make sure I have 3,500 calories left over at the end of the week so that I will lose 1 lb.3
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I'm sorry, I'm a little confused - when you say "eat back calories" are you talking about where it tells you what you've " earned" from exercise on MFP or are you talking about the difference between MFP & FITBIT? Right now my MFP says I have 700 calories left for the day - my Fitbit says that I have 500 but I know that increases as the day goes on and I am more active....What should I be following calorie intake wise for best results? Thanks.0
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@tisha_rae : "eating back calories" refers to eating the "Fitbit Calorie Adjustment" or other exercise calories in MFP.
Most of us follow MFP for calorie intake goals and I, for one, do "eat back" my Fitbit adjustment (I never log exercise in MFP, only in Fitbit).
I'd recommend that you read the FAQ found in the stickies for a detailed explanation. Here's a handy link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy/p11 -
I'm sorry, I'm a little confused - when you say "eat back calories" are you talking about where it tells you what you've " earned" from exercise on MFP or are you talking about the difference between MFP & FITBIT? Right now my MFP says I have 700 calories left for the day - my Fitbit says that I have 500 but I know that increases as the day goes on and I am more active....What should I be following calorie intake wise for best results? Thanks.
MFP without the benefit of Fitbit syncing means you log your own exercise when done.
MFP has an eating goal for days of no exercise - when you do more you eat more - in essence eating back your exercise calories to keep the same deficit as you had before.
There is either a misunderstanding about how this works, or claims it doesn't - or as many have shared - claims it works just fine.
Throw in Fitbit, and to keep MFP math simple, it throws the correction MFP makes under exercise to handle it right, even though it may not be exercise at all.
So you follow what MFP says you have left to reach your daily goal.
Like any goal - it's to be reached - not missed purposely.
Who would miss their goal weight by 20% and say that's close enough and stop?
As above, Follow MFP. Don't try to follow 2 roads to same destination - gets confusing and could get aggravating.
Sadly when MFP is acting up with the syncing (when the man is driving), you can get lost and may need to rely on Fitbit.
End of the day they'll be the same.0 -
So, I do not need to actually "eat back" or calculate anything? Just eat whatever MFP is telling me to eat to be within my goal? THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!! I don't know why I couldn't get this - I'm blaming my "mommy brain" and lack of sleep!
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MFP eating goal has correctly added back in the exercise and Fitbit calorie adjustment to it's estimate of what you'd burn. You are in regular MFP terminology, essentially eating back exercise calories.
So indeed as simple as eating what it says to eat as goal.
You burn more, you eat more.
You burn less, you eat less.
Life lesson there too when maintaining.
As anyone that has reached goal weight, eaten at maintenance, and slacks up on the exercise will realize.
You must always eat appropriately for your level of activity, slightly less to lose fat weight.0 -
Yay for eating.0
