Help with fitbit and my fitness pal adjustment!

CristinaCalifri1103
CristinaCalifri1103 Posts: 10 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am so lost with my ftbit charge and mfp.

I have mfp set to sedentary, so I get a 1200 calorie allowance.

Then I make sure I walk or go on the eleptical after doing weights to get my 10,000 steps.

So then I get my calorie adjustment and I eat it back. But my ftbit dash says I'm over budget. Am I not suppose to eat the adjustment back? How am I over budget?

Help please.

Replies

  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    Fitbit assumes you will consistently eat throughout the day.

    So, say Fitbit shows your burn as of 5pm is 1600 calories, and you have MFP and Fitbit set for a 0.5lb/week deficit, which is -250 cals.

    As of 5pm Fitbit would expect you to have eaten no more than 1350 calories, so you would be at that -250 cal deficit.

    But most people don't really eat that way. And, since you're constantly burning calories, eventually you would either be on target or under budget.

    You can ignore if Fitbit says you're over budget. Follow cals on MFP.

    ~Lyssa
  • aliem
    aliem Posts: 326 Member
    There will be a little bit of double counting with the steps, because sedentary doesn't mean 0 steps. Not sure what MFP would consider sedentary, but I would guess its less than 5k. Also, calorie burns for workouts are also estimates. Both probably use slightly different estimates. Overall, I generally see between a 100-200 calorie difference (MFP giving me more calories than the Fitbit). I would not eat back all of your extra calories anyway (a lot of people do half, I personally don't even do that much because I know I am double counting some of those steps.) Pick one and stick to it. If you aren't losing weight, make adjustments. Good luck!
  • KWlosingit
    KWlosingit Posts: 122 Member
    MFP linked with fit bit does not give you step credit until you pass the sedentary mark. In fact when I get up in the morning MFP has removed calories from my sedentary allowance and gradually adds them in as a walk. I use the MFP numbers for my calories but by midnight they are pretty close to fitbit number.
  • aliem
    aliem Posts: 326 Member
    KWlosingit wrote: »
    MFP linked with fit bit does not give you step credit until you pass the sedentary mark. In fact when I get up in the morning MFP has removed calories from my sedentary allowance and gradually adds them in as a walk. I use the MFP numbers for my calories but by midnight they are pretty close to fitbit number.

    Maybe you have a different setting than I do. Mine starts adding calories with less than 50 steps. Very strange.
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    KWlosingit wrote: »
    MFP linked with fit bit does not give you step credit until you pass the sedentary mark. In fact when I get up in the morning MFP has removed calories from my sedentary allowance and gradually adds them in as a walk. I use the MFP numbers for my calories but by midnight they are pretty close to fitbit number.

    Mine does this too.

    @aliem, it sounds like yours might not be working correctly?

    I'm pretty short and light (5 feet tall, 115 pounds) and I'll get a positive adjustment around 2k steps some days. I have MFP set to Sedentary/not very active.

    ~Lyssa
  • aliem
    aliem Posts: 326 Member
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    KWlosingit wrote: »
    MFP linked with fit bit does not give you step credit until you pass the sedentary mark. In fact when I get up in the morning MFP has removed calories from my sedentary allowance and gradually adds them in as a walk. I use the MFP numbers for my calories but by midnight they are pretty close to fitbit number.

    Mine does this too.

    @aliem, it sounds like yours might not be working correctly?

    I'm pretty short and light (5 feet tall, 115 pounds) and I'll get a positive adjustment around 2k steps some days. I have MFP set to Sedentary/not very active.

    ~Lyssa

    Strange. I have similar settings. (5'2'', 130 pounds) and set at sedentary. I know mine starts counting immediately. I saw it this morning!
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    aliem wrote: »
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    KWlosingit wrote: »
    MFP linked with fit bit does not give you step credit until you pass the sedentary mark. In fact when I get up in the morning MFP has removed calories from my sedentary allowance and gradually adds them in as a walk. I use the MFP numbers for my calories but by midnight they are pretty close to fitbit number.

    Mine does this too.

    @aliem, it sounds like yours might not be working correctly?

    I'm pretty short and light (5 feet tall, 115 pounds) and I'll get a positive adjustment around 2k steps some days. I have MFP set to Sedentary/not very active.

    ~Lyssa

    Strange. I have similar settings. (5'2'', 130 pounds) and set at sedentary. I know mine starts counting immediately. I saw it this morning!

    Might be worth double-checking your profile on MFP and Fitbit, make sure things are the same. They tend to go wonky just for fun.

    ~Lyssa
  • aliem
    aliem Posts: 326 Member
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    aliem wrote: »
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    KWlosingit wrote: »
    MFP linked with fit bit does not give you step credit until you pass the sedentary mark. In fact when I get up in the morning MFP has removed calories from my sedentary allowance and gradually adds them in as a walk. I use the MFP numbers for my calories but by midnight they are pretty close to fitbit number.

    Mine does this too.

    @aliem, it sounds like yours might not be working correctly?

    I'm pretty short and light (5 feet tall, 115 pounds) and I'll get a positive adjustment around 2k steps some days. I have MFP set to Sedentary/not very active.

    ~Lyssa

    Strange. I have similar settings. (5'2'', 130 pounds) and set at sedentary. I know mine starts counting immediately. I saw it this morning!

    Might be worth double-checking your profile on MFP and Fitbit, make sure things are the same. They tend to go wonky just for fun.

    ~Lyssa

    I checked both. Nothing pops out as incorrect. Everything syncs up correctly. Either way, I really don't see more than a 100-200 calorie difference between the two apps and I don't eat back all of my calories so I am good to go!
  • macgurlnet
    macgurlnet Posts: 1,946 Member
    aliem wrote: »
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    aliem wrote: »
    macgurlnet wrote: »
    KWlosingit wrote: »
    MFP linked with fit bit does not give you step credit until you pass the sedentary mark. In fact when I get up in the morning MFP has removed calories from my sedentary allowance and gradually adds them in as a walk. I use the MFP numbers for my calories but by midnight they are pretty close to fitbit number.

    Mine does this too.

    @aliem, it sounds like yours might not be working correctly?

    I'm pretty short and light (5 feet tall, 115 pounds) and I'll get a positive adjustment around 2k steps some days. I have MFP set to Sedentary/not very active.

    ~Lyssa

    Strange. I have similar settings. (5'2'', 130 pounds) and set at sedentary. I know mine starts counting immediately. I saw it this morning!

    Might be worth double-checking your profile on MFP and Fitbit, make sure things are the same. They tend to go wonky just for fun.

    ~Lyssa

    I checked both. Nothing pops out as incorrect. Everything syncs up correctly. Either way, I really don't see more than a 100-200 calorie difference between the two apps and I don't eat back all of my calories so I am good to go!

    Agreed - as long as what you've been doing is working, you're good to go :)

    ~Lyssa
  • airforceman1979
    airforceman1979 Posts: 94 Member
    I personally only eat back about half the exercise calories I get and I find that works good and then some days if it comes to nothing says I've done so much there's no way I can eat as many calories as it wants me to not unless I go eat a couple Whoppers.
  • KWlosingit
    KWlosingit Posts: 122 Member
    I think I might have confused you all with the way a stated it. Yes it starts adding calories but those calories at first just get me back to what FP would have called sedentary. For example sedentary for me is 1500 calories but when I get up in the morning FP has taken 135 calories away from that making my total 1365 as I walk during the day the total works back up to the 1500 and then continues to add calories to the 1500 getting sometimes to over 2000 depending on my activity level.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,111 Member
    My fitbit adjustments were wonky until I rest MFP to allow negative adjustments. Now I wake up and have -200 calories on here most days, as I move the number changes to positive. I average 8-10k steps a day set at sedentary and typically earn 300-500 extra calories by bedtime. The two sites are pretty close now give or take 100 calories.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
    edited October 2016
    When I look at my Fitbit app for days past it often says I am overbudget when I am NOT. Ignore it. I don't know why it does this. For example I am set to 'maintain' officially on both MFP and Fitbit.

    Sunday Fitbit shows I burned 1849 and logged 1514. So in reality I ate ~335 below maintenance. Fitbit says I have 4 left.

    Saturday I did a half marathon, Fitbit shows I burned 2789. I logged 2235. Fitbit says I am 717 over when really I was 554 under.

    There seems to be no rhyme or reason to it. MFP (also set to Maintain) takes the Fitbit adjustment and their end of day over/under is more useful. Showing me with a 291 deficit Sunday, 510 on Saturday.

    Note: Fitbit does not seem to have this glitch on the current day. Just when I look back to a day already in the past.
    CristinaCalifri1103 wrote: »
    I am so lost with my ftbit charge and mfp.

    I have mfp set to sedentary, so I get a 1200 calorie allowance.

    Then I make sure I walk or go on the eleptical after doing weights to get my 10,000 steps.

    So then I get my calorie adjustment and I eat it back. But my ftbit dash says I'm over budget. Am I not suppose to eat the adjustment back? How am I over budget?

    Help please.

  • jkal1979
    jkal1979 Posts: 1,896 Member
    Make sure that your Fitbit has the same deficit as MFP does. That may be what is causing the difference. For example I'm set to lose 1 pound a week on MFP and made sure that Fitbit is set at a 500 calorie deficit.

    That being said it still may not be accurate. With a calorie goal at 1200 you may not be able to lose the amount per week that you chose. I know for me if I choose to lose 2 pounds a week I get a goal to eat 1200 but I'm told I'll only lose 1.6 a week on that. I'm not sure if Fitbit has a minimum like MFP does.
  • Gena575
    Gena575 Posts: 224 Member
    Fitbit often has me under target yet over budget for calories. No clue why or how it gets this way, but I just ignore it. Yesterday I ate 1750, total fitbit burn was 3000. I'm set for 1.5lbs/week loss. I was over budget by 200 calories yet under target. I think I had around 500 left in my budget according to mfp after Fitbit's adjustments. It's all crazy lol. But trial and error has taught me that right around 1800 is where I need to eat currently to lose in the 1-2lb per week range.
  • SashEdwards
    SashEdwards Posts: 78 Member
    Since I started using my fitbit a few weeks ago, I was noticing that it was adjusting my calorie allowance here on MFP counting it as exercise. I personally don't allow myself those extra calories, so when I exercise through MapMyRun, I'll allow those calories to stay, but I zero out any "adjustment" made - I basically ignore it.

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