Fitbit calories and losing weight

Hi so I currently weigh 8.13 and trying to get down to 8st. I'm eating 12000 calories which is cool but I'm working in McDonald's so I do a lot of steps usually about 20,000 a day according to my Fitbit and it also tells me I burn around 2500-3000.

So my question is should I be eating some of these calories? I just don't think I should because it's just part of my general day to day of working and not excercise???

Thanks!

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    How tall are you? And yes, you should be eating some, if not all, of those calories back. Your Fitbit is telling MFP that you're burning more calories than they expect you to, and therefore you should be eating more to fuel your body. When my Fitbit was connected I usually got 10-15,000 steps a day from working in a department store and I lost eating the majority of my Fitbit calories back.
  • Annahbananas
    Annahbananas Posts: 284 Member
    edited June 2016
    You mean 1200 right :p.

    Remember, Fitbit also includes your resting calories burnt too so just tailor that with what you're doing now.

    In all honesty, I have a Fitbit too. It's not a very accurate tool at all for calories burnt. I've seen this with folks with higher than normal heart rates (this is how Fitbit includes the extra calories burnt above the resting calories) so I don't really look at calories burnt at all on my fit bit in general.

    The only calories burnt I look at on Fitbit is when I exercise. I look at those and that's all...and even those I take with a grain of salt because the Fitbit hr isn't the most accurate heart rate monitor. My one hour jog could be off anywhere from 100-190 calories on my Fitbit when I use a chest hr at the same time
  • kane413
    kane413 Posts: 33 Member
    Feel free to add me as a fitbit buddy
    kane413@charter.net
  • shancourcy16
    shancourcy16 Posts: 49 Member
    I don't eat all of my calories back, but I do eat some. I think my Fitbit gives me too many calories to eat back.
  • shed77f
    shed77f Posts: 41 Member
    With Fitbit (like a lot of this stuff) it's a bit of trial & error. How much are you aiming to lose per week & are you roughly losing that amount over time? If not eat less extra calories back & if you're losing more than your goal you'll be fine to eat more.

    I started off eating back half of the additional calories from my Fitbit. Then readjusted after a month or so when I was consistently losing more than my 0.5lb per week goal. (I was lucky for some it's the reverse!)

    I know it's tempting to lose as fast as possible but losing at a slower pace is ultimately more sustainable as it gives you time to acquire good habits & also means you lose less lean body mass. Good luck!
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    You can adjust your MFP activity level. When I was averaging 10k steps a day I set mine to active because it changes your calorie needs. Then I ate back most of any additional calories it gave me but not all. I was also doing Insanity 3-4 days a week. I lost 8lbs in 2 months that way. Now I'm recovering from a torn meniscus so I changed my activity level to sedentary. Just play with your settings and find what works for you