Anyone link Fitbit

obLIVIon79
obLIVIon79 Posts: 8 Member
edited November 15 in Success Stories
Hi

Does anyone link their Fitbit to myfitnesspal? If so do you stick to the calorie allowance allocated, or do you allow yourself extra kcals that you burnt off with steps? Thanks

Replies

  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    Yes. I have used a Fitbit Charge HR, now Charge 2, for 1.5 years. I am at maintenance and eat back all of the Calories I earn from the Fitbit adjustment. I am 5'8" 55 147lbs, set at MFP Sedentary level, and maintain by *netting* about 1830 Cals/day. If I net fewer Cals I lose, if I net more Cals I gain.

    Check out and join MFP's Fitbit Users group.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
  • sandicat6
    sandicat6 Posts: 61 Member
    my fitbit is also linked and no i do not eat my extra calories as i am still trying to lose.
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,186 Member
    My fitbit is linked and I eat all of the calorie adjustment.
  • empressjasmin
    empressjasmin Posts: 170 Member
    sandicat6 wrote: »
    my fitbit is also linked and no i do not eat my extra calories as i am still trying to lose.

    Same is true for me.

  • 1PoisonIvy
    1PoisonIvy Posts: 933 Member
    Yes but I try not To eat back, but if I go over but still under may Fitbit amount I am happy
  • Mellonator81
    Mellonator81 Posts: 14 Member
    I do! It's so handy.
    I try not to eat back all of the calories I earn because I'm trying to lose weight still.
    However, if I do happen to go over my normal calorie goal by a little bit and I have those
    to fall back on, I don't feel as if the day was totally ruined and can still stick to my plan :smiley:
  • Elliephantcrossing
    Elliephantcrossing Posts: 338 Member
    Mine is linked but I don't eat the calories back even though MFP keeps telling me they won't publish my diary because the cals are too low. I just got my FB, though, so I'm still learning how it works. I'm more concerned with how it's not logging my exercise.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    edited January 2017
    I have had a FitBit and used it with MFP for about 3 years. I have always eaten back the calorie adjustments, while I was losing, and now that I am maintaining... I lost at the rate I wanted to lose and now maintain pretty effortlessly knowing that my total calories burned on FitBit is a solid estimate of my TDEE so I'm confident in eating to that level.

    For those who say they aren't eating back adjustments because they are trying to lose... do you realize your goal with MFP has a deficit already built in and that any exercise calorie adjustments are meant to be eaten back to keep your net calorie goal the same, losing weight while avoiding too large of a calorie deficit?
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Mine is linked but I don't eat the calories back even though MFP keeps telling me they won't publish my diary because the cals are too low. I just got my FB, though, so I'm still learning how it works. I'm more concerned with how it's not logging my exercise.

    So your calories are under 1000 each day? Why so low?
  • briannayasel
    briannayasel Posts: 1 Member
    I do eat the calories back as well so that I'm not two low with the amount of calories/ energy I need for the day. For example, my calorie goal is 1200 ( to lose weight) , I burn about 400 calories exercising, so I make sure to eat those back. Total, I eat 1600 a day however with my exercise, Im at an even 1200. Hope this makes sense.
  • SleepingSwan
    SleepingSwan Posts: 50 Member
    Yep I eat back calories 'earned' by linking to Fitbit. I've lost 5 stone since beginning of May 2016. I've just put my trust in MFP and Fitbit and it hasn't let me down!
  • ladyreva78
    ladyreva78 Posts: 4,080 Member
    I :heart: my Fitbit. It reminds me to move when I'm lost in a translation and generally made me realize just how horribly sedentary I was. I've now managed to up myself to the lightly active segment, largely thanks to my pretty little friend.

    But it's no longer linked with MFP.

    My problem was more of a psycological nature. I couldn't deal with a constantly moving calorie target and I ended up eating more than I should. I do much better when my calorie target is fixed and I manually enter purposeful exercise (usually I enter less than Fitbit would have given me as the numbers are sometimes a bit off and I haven't yet found how to adjust the settings to make them spot on). It makes me feel as if I were in control of the process and not some nifty gadget on my wrist.
  • Ayunaskam
    Ayunaskam Posts: 32 Member
    I eat back some of my calories. I don't want to eat them all because more often than not I am very full before I would get to all those calories. I eat what my body is telling me that I need to be satisfied, but not overly full. It has worked out perfectly and I am losing at a steady rate
  • kgirlhart
    kgirlhart Posts: 5,186 Member
    I do eat the calories back as well so that I'm not two low with the amount of calories/ energy I need for the day. For example, my calorie goal is 1200 ( to lose weight) , I burn about 400 calories exercising, so I make sure to eat those back. Total, I eat 1600 a day however with my exercise, Im at an even 1200. Hope this makes sense.

    This is exactly how mfp is designed to work.
  • RandiNoelle
    RandiNoelle Posts: 374 Member
    My Charge HR is linked. On hard workout days, I eat back some of my exercise calories if I'm hungry.
  • AmandaLawter
    AmandaLawter Posts: 55 Member
    ladyreva78 wrote: »
    I :heart: my Fitbit. It reminds me to move when I'm lost in a translation and generally made me realize just how horribly sedentary I was. I've now managed to up myself to the lightly active segment, largely thanks to my pretty little friend.

    But it's no longer linked with MFP.

    My problem was more of a psycological nature. I couldn't deal with a constantly moving calorie target and I ended up eating more than I should. I do much better when my calorie target is fixed and I manually enter purposeful exercise (usually I enter less than Fitbit would have given me as the numbers are sometimes a bit off and I haven't yet found how to adjust the settings to make them spot on). It makes me feel as if I were in control of the process and not some nifty gadget on my wrist.

    Same here! I can't even tell you how many times I've linked my Fitbit to MFP to give it another try, and it just does not work for me. It is DEFINITELY psychological! I push the button on my Fitbit to time my workouts, and then I manually enter those exercise calories into MFP after I sync. So far, that has been the best fit for me! That's the beauty of this whole journey, you have to find what works for YOU! :)
  • LillysMomma09
    LillysMomma09 Posts: 272 Member
    I don't think I understand exactly how the calorie adjustments work on Fitbit.
    It will say I have X amount of calories left to eat, then if I eat them the little graph thing says I'm over for the day. I don't think I understand what I'm reading yet.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    I don't think I understand exactly how the calorie adjustments work on Fitbit.
    It will say I have X amount of calories left to eat, then if I eat them the little graph thing says I'm over for the day. I don't think I understand what I'm reading yet.

    Log food in MFP, let the Fitbit track all step-based activity, for non-step-based exercise, such as cycling, swimming, rowing, log the activity in either MFP or Fitbit, but not both.

    If you are logging food in MFP, I would recommend ignoring the Fitbit's Calorie In Calories Out Tile Display and rely on the MFP Fitbit Calorie Adjustment - that is what I do. If you stop moving a few hours before midnight, your MFP Fitbit Calorie Adjustment could decrease as it approaches midnight, so leave about 15 Calories per hour cushion to account for the decrease.

    https://myfitnesspal.desk.com/customer/en/portal/articles/1084232-what-is-the-calorie-adjustment-in-my-exercise-diary-
  • danipals1
    danipals1 Posts: 16 Member
    I am just starting to. I have my activity set at sedentary and then eat back most of what fitbit adds. Ends up being around 1500 calories total a day. I am recovering from a back injury so not getting any other exercise (UGH!) Trying to at least get back to 10,000 steps per day.
  • nihilissa
    nihilissa Posts: 3 Member
    I do, but I don't eat my calories burned unless it's a special occassion (birthday, holiday, special work event). I feel like working out, then eatting what you just burnt defeats the whole purpose. It can be hard. At 5 even and 130-135 i get 1200 a day.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    nihilissa wrote: »
    I do, but I don't eat my calories burned unless it's a special occassion (birthday, holiday, special work event). I feel like working out, then eatting what you just burnt defeats the whole purpose. It can be hard. At 5 even and 130-135 i get 1200 a day.

    If you are using MFP to set goals that's exactly how it's supposed to work though. The 1200 cal goal has your deficit built in, so when you exercise and don't eat them back you are netting below the recommended minimum calorie target of 1200.


  • obLIVIon79
    obLIVIon79 Posts: 8 Member
    Thanks all think I'm going to try not eating the burnt awarded calories except for treat dates. I was using these but not losing. I've up daily allowance from 1200 to 1400 (I'm 5ft 5 and 161 lbs) hopefully this will allow me to not go hungry but lose weight. 1200 wasn't enough for me :(
  • rnedwbt
    rnedwbt Posts: 57 Member
    CyberTone wrote: »
    If you are logging food in MFP, I would recommend ignoring the Fitbit's Calorie In Calories Out Tile Display and rely on the MFP Fitbit Calorie Adjustment - that is what I do. If you stop moving a few hours before midnight, your MFP Fitbit Calorie Adjustment could decrease as it approaches midnight, so leave about 15 Calories per hour cushion to account for the decrease.

    It would be nice if we could manually set the time at which the new day begins, to avoid going over at the last minute/hour. (ex 10pm instead of midnight). Do you know if this is possible?
  • wizzybeth
    wizzybeth Posts: 3,578 Member
    I did but it just got too confusing for me. I add my exercise calories manually.
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    rls1321 wrote: »
    CyberTone wrote: »
    If you are logging food in MFP, I would recommend ignoring the Fitbit's Calorie In Calories Out Tile Display and rely on the MFP Fitbit Calorie Adjustment - that is what I do. If you stop moving a few hours before midnight, your MFP Fitbit Calorie Adjustment could decrease as it approaches midnight, so leave about 15 Calories per hour cushion to account for the decrease.

    It would be nice if we could manually set the time at which the new day begins, to avoid going over at the last minute/hour. (ex 10pm instead of midnight). Do you know if this is possible?

    You can try setting both MFP and Fitbit to a couple times zones to the west of where you live - that will make both apps start an hour or two later. You also might need to turn off automatic time zones in your mobile device if that device overrides individual app settings. I've never tried this, but I have heard some users who work swing shifts choose another time zone setting at it works for them.
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