Fitbit Calories Burned

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kzooyogi
kzooyogi Posts: 121 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I have a question about the calories my Fitbit tells me I'm burning. The total calories for the day includes the exercises that I log. I burn about 2100 calories per day, and eat about 2000 total per day, which puts me at a 100 calorie deficit. However, my net calories in, after exercise, are 1580, and I'm losing about a pound and a half per week. When I look at my Fitbit, I'm comparing total calories in versus total calories out. I don't feel like that aligns with how much weight I'm losing per week. Any insight? Where am I doing my math wrong that the numbers don't line up? I'm assuming I do total calories out (per Fitbit) minus total calories in (per MFP). If I were to do total calories out, per Fitbit, minus net calories per MFP, which already include exercise, I'd be accounting for my exercise twice.

Replies

  • tracymayo1
    tracymayo1 Posts: 445 Member
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    Set your calories to ALLOW NEGATIVE.
    This will solve your issues.
    Eat back 50% if you are hungry for the adjustment it gives you.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    If your fitbit is synced to MFP and you are allowing negative adjustments all the math will get done for you here.

    I had to play with it to find a formula I like. I've found logging food here and activities through fitbit most accurate. I eat based on what this site gives me for my fitbit adjustment.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    Start by eating back 50% of your adjustments, you can increase or decrease depending on your weight loss. Losing too quickly (pffft this has NEVER happened to me) then eat back more, losing less than your expected rate, eat back less. It's all trial and error in the end.
  • adamyovanovich
    adamyovanovich Posts: 163 Member
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    I don't trust my fitbit adjustment, i just use it to show me how lazy i am being and get more active.
    I have my calories set to 2000 a day, yesterday my fitbit gave me an adjustment of 1393 calories!!! WTF. That would put me at 3400 calories, and all i did was hit 7k steps, just walking no exercise. That would put me in the weight gain ranges. So... not sure whats wrong there.
  • louise5779
    louise5779 Posts: 82 Member
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    I log food on here but only eat the calories stated in my Fitbit app. I don't follow the adjustments on here otherwise I would be over eating. Your Fitbit app show tdee eat a deficiet of that as that's your actual calories burned MFP is based on your assumed level of activity or a level you get it, not actuals.

  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    louise5779 wrote: »
    I log food on here but only eat the calories stated in my Fitbit app. I don't follow the adjustments on here otherwise I would be over eating. Your Fitbit app show tdee eat a deficiet of that as that's your actual calories burned MFP is based on your assumed level of activity or a level you get it, not actuals.

    I've noticed that mfp's and fitbits numbers closely match at the end of the day. This is as long as they are set with the same info.
  • cappri
    cappri Posts: 1,089 Member
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    Christine_72 wrote: »
    I've noticed that mfp's and fitbits numbers closely match at the end of the day. This is as long as they are set with the same info.

    Mine are closely matched at the end of the day as well.

  • rcktgirl05
    rcktgirl05 Posts: 87 Member
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    For me, I totally ignore the Fitbit calories in vs out function because it is mystical and updates strangely. I find that when my Fitbit syncs to MFP, it accounts for exercise pretty well. When I burn 700 calories playing hockey, MFP will add a couple hundred to my allotment. Just walking without any other exercise it won't add any calories even if I hit 10,000 steps. I'm not sure what Fitbit in vs out is doing but I find it impossible to get in the green range intentionally. Ever.

    Doing it this way, I've lost about 35 pounds in three months or so. Now if only I could get my Fitbit exercises to show up as workouts in MFP, I'd be perfectly happy!
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,565 Member
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    rcktgirl05 wrote: »
    For me, I totally ignore the Fitbit calories in vs out function because it is mystical and updates strangely. I find that when my Fitbit syncs to MFP, it accounts for exercise pretty well. When I burn 700 calories playing hockey, MFP will add a couple hundred to my allotment. Just walking without any other exercise it won't add any calories even if I hit 10,000 steps. I'm not sure what Fitbit in vs out is doing but I find it impossible to get in the green range intentionally. Ever.

    Doing it this way, I've lost about 35 pounds in three months or so. Now if only I could get my Fitbit exercises to show up as workouts in MFP, I'd be perfectly happy!

    Calories in vs. out is within 50 calories of your intake goal. But if you're logging food on MFP, don't worry about it.
  • rcktgirl05
    rcktgirl05 Posts: 87 Member
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    malibu927 wrote: »

    Calories in vs. out is within 50 calories of your intake goal. But if you're logging food on MFP, don't worry about it.

    But it changes throughout the day based on your activities and calories burned, or doesn't change sometimes. The way it syncs is odd and inconsistent to me, which makes it tough to plan as far as planning meals and snack calories go. I don't worry about it bc MFP logging works better for me. I just thought it was worth mentioning that they can work together well if you know what to look for.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,624 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Your calories in and out are estimates.

    Use spreadsheet; calculate approximate error for your personal logging.

    Error rates could change over time so I would suggest monthly-ish tracking and comparissons to previous time periods to get a good sense of where you are.

    Body composition changes make things even more interesting!

    https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ucO4uhbr_FhLUv-wbtqnSkcAv1C1YQyl4OgUioysSZE/edit?usp=drive_web
  • adamyovanovich
    adamyovanovich Posts: 163 Member
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    rcktgirl05 wrote: »
    For me, I totally ignore the Fitbit calories in vs out function because it is mystical and updates strangely. I find that when my Fitbit syncs to MFP, it accounts for exercise pretty well. When I burn 700 calories playing hockey, MFP will add a couple hundred to my allotment. Just walking without any other exercise it won't add any calories even if I hit 10,000 steps. I'm not sure what Fitbit in vs out is doing but I find it impossible to get in the green range intentionally. Ever.

    Doing it this way, I've lost about 35 pounds in three months or so. Now if only I could get my Fitbit exercises to show up as workouts in MFP, I'd be perfectly happy!

    Calories in Calories out on Fitbit doesn't even work for me, since i set a custom goal of 2000 (3 lbs/week or %1) it wont register it, it only works if i select the 2 or 1 pound a week settings within the app.

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