Fitbit Calories vs MyFitness Pal Calories

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hlbabin
hlbabin Posts: 7 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Those of you who use Fitbit as well as My Fitness Pal. I have both apps set to lose 2lbs a week. They are linked together so everything gets linked together. Fitbit is always showing 200 fewer calories allowed to eat according to what is being put in. Does anyone have this problem and if so which app do you follow for calorie intake... Fitbit or My Fitness Pal

Replies

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    I think the only time it should do that is if MFP sets you to 1200 calories, which is their default minimum to ensure adequate nutrition. Fitbit doesn't have a minimum intake, so it would give you a lower amount for the same goal. You'll probably be better off changing your goal to 1.5 pounds, or even 1 pound a week.
  • zahra59
    zahra59 Posts: 55 Member
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    I know my fitnesspal lies as *kitten* so I don't eat back my calories that I burnt
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    I use MFP calories because that's where I enter what I eat. I've adjusted my activity so the two apps are usually pretty close for me anyways, within 100 cals
  • hlbabin
    hlbabin Posts: 7 Member
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    I tried not eating my extra calories for a month and lost no weight. That was following a strict diet and working out. Someone told me I wasn't eating enough and that's why I wasn't losing. So I decided to up my calories based my activity level that day. I'm just having trouble losing weight
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    hlbabin wrote: »
    I tried not eating my extra calories for a month and lost no weight. That was following a strict diet and working out. Someone told me I wasn't eating enough and that's why I wasn't losing. So I decided to up my calories based my activity level that day. I'm just having trouble losing weight

    How are you measuring your food intake, do you use a food scale to weigh all of your food or do you use cups, spoons or eyeball measurements?
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    hlbabin wrote: »
    I tried not eating my extra calories for a month and lost no weight. That was following a strict diet and working out. Someone told me I wasn't eating enough and that's why I wasn't losing. So I decided to up my calories based my activity level that day. I'm just having trouble losing weight

    That wasn't it. It's impossible to not lose by not eating enough.

    How are you measuring your intake? What are your stats?
  • hlbabin
    hlbabin Posts: 7 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    hlbabin wrote: »
    I tried not eating my extra calories for a month and lost no weight. That was following a strict diet and working out. Someone told me I wasn't eating enough and that's why I wasn't losing. So I decided to up my calories based my activity level that day. I'm just having trouble losing weight

    That wasn't it. It's impossible to not lose by not eating enough.

    How are you measuring your intake? What are your stats?

    I measure what I can when I can, and eyeball the rest. But it's mainly been salads and carb balance sandwich wraps that I have been eating. I haven't really strayed from that.
  • hlbabin
    hlbabin Posts: 7 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    hlbabin wrote: »
    I tried not eating my extra calories for a month and lost no weight. That was following a strict diet and working out. Someone told me I wasn't eating enough and that's why I wasn't losing. So I decided to up my calories based my activity level that day. I'm just having trouble losing weight

    How are you measuring your food intake, do you use a food scale to weigh all of your food or do you use cups, spoons or eyeball measurements?
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    hlbabin wrote: »
    I tried not eating my extra calories for a month and lost no weight. That was following a strict diet and working out. Someone told me I wasn't eating enough and that's why I wasn't losing. So I decided to up my calories based my activity level that day. I'm just having trouble losing weight

    How are you measuring your food intake, do you use a food scale to weigh all of your food or do you use cups, spoons or eyeball measurements?

    I use the scanner a lot, from the barcode of what I eat that way I know I am logging the right thing. I measure what I can, but I do eyeball somethings.

  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    hlbabin wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    hlbabin wrote: »
    I tried not eating my extra calories for a month and lost no weight. That was following a strict diet and working out. Someone told me I wasn't eating enough and that's why I wasn't losing. So I decided to up my calories based my activity level that day. I'm just having trouble losing weight

    That wasn't it. It's impossible to not lose by not eating enough.

    How are you measuring your intake? What are your stats?

    I measure what I can when I can, and eyeball the rest. But it's mainly been salads and carb balance sandwich wraps that I have been eating. I haven't really strayed from that.

    If you don't have one, I would suggest purchasing a food scale and weighing everything. By measuring/eyeballing, you're most likely eating more than you think.
  • LessthanKris
    LessthanKris Posts: 607 Member
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    Fitbit does not sync up correctly half the time for me so I just follow MFP. Right now I have over 10k steps for today and my adjustment was -333. I keep trying to fix it but I never ate the calories back from it anyway so I kind of just ignore it. I will eat exercise calories back but I either use my polar HRM or estimate a low amount for strength training days.
  • hlbabin
    hlbabin Posts: 7 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »
    hlbabin wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    hlbabin wrote: »
    I tried not eating my extra calories for a month and lost no weight. That was following a strict diet and working out. Someone told me I wasn't eating enough and that's why I wasn't losing. So I decided to up my calories based my activity level that day. I'm just having trouble losing weight

    That wasn't it. It's impossible to not lose by not eating enough.

    How are you measuring your intake? What are your stats?

    I measure what I can when I can, and eyeball the rest. But it's mainly been salads and carb balance sandwich wraps that I have been eating. I haven't really strayed from that.

    If you don't have one, I would suggest purchasing a food scale and weighing everything. By measuring/eyeballing, you're most likely eating more than you think.

    It's just so frustrating to me. I went from eating fast food 3-4 times a week (sometimes more) and absolutely no exercise to eating a lot healthier and workout 5 days a week and no results. I salads and carb free wraps daily. I cut back all soft drinks. I only drink water. I just feel like even if my measurements were off on some of my meals I should have seen better results just from the drastic change within a month.
  • ACSL3
    ACSL3 Posts: 623 Member
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    I definitely agree with the above regarding measuring food intake. In answer to your fitbit vs. mfp question, the reason they are sometimes different is because fitbit gives you calories as you go throughout the day to include your bmr calories. We all burn calories just by existing right? mfp gives you those calories at the beginning of the day and will add calories only for exercise (for you from your fitbit). When you first wake up, fitbit is only giving you your calories for existing from midnight to whenever you woke up. It then adds your calories for existing + activity calories throughout the day.

    I find that if I compare fitbit and mpf for one day on the next day (or midnight if you're up that late), they're pretty much same - maybe different by just a handful of calories. Earlier in the day they're different by 200 because mfp knows you're going to burn at least 200 by just existing until midnight, but fitbit hasn't given you those calories yet. Does that make sense? I feel like I'm terrible at explaining this.
  • figureitout87
    figureitout87 Posts: 126 Member
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    I use fitbit to calculate my calories for the day. I walk a lot so I find the fitbit gives me an accurate representation and I manage to lose weight as expected.

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