Fitbit question?

Im set to sedentary and 1lb loss rate. Im only 24lbs from goal (80 lost) :D

Ive started wearing my fit bit, my activity is all over the place some days i struggle to hit 5000 steps, some days im 13/14k when my days are 13/14 this include my run (twice weekly) usally 3mile.

So today ive been glued to my desk, and im only on 5000 steps, but fitbit has sync and mfp is saying i have 200 calories from "exercise " (just walking around/living) no purposeful exercise so do I eat these? On run days i will eat roughly half of what i burned on the run (run only cals not total day) should i be eating my normal day to day extra it gives me?

Sorry hope this makes sense! Im confused, dont know what to do for best!
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Replies

  • MzManiak
    MzManiak Posts: 1,361 Member
    edited May 2017
    Because you are set to sedentary any activity you do should result in an increase in calories. It is up to you whether you want to eat them or not. (Taking into consideration what your calorie goal is set at to begin with, how hungry you feel, and what your weight loss has been like in the past.)
  • RobBasss
    RobBasss Posts: 65 Member
    Same as you I have a desk job, my steps can be anywhere from 3000-14000, I set MFP to Sedentary and let my vivosmart estimate what my burn will be for the day. I eat back some, it really depends on how I feel hunger wise, but I stick to 2000 cals max regardless of what is added back.
  • amyepdx
    amyepdx Posts: 750 Member
    Be sure to enable negative calorie adjustments too
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    I do the same thing. It adds calories on to my goal and I eat them sometimes, sometimes I don't. Depends how hungry I am.
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    You walked two and a half miles (roughly). Of course that uses energy. I'm not really sure what a good argument is for pretending it doesn't.
  • loulouowens
    loulouowens Posts: 103 Member
    amyepdx wrote: »
    Be sure to enable negative calorie adjustments too

    I didnt think i would get a negative adjustmentnas im set to sedentry?

  • RobBasss
    RobBasss Posts: 65 Member
    Quick Google search, not sure what MFP uses though.

    Tudor-Locke's research established these categories for healthy adults based on the steps per day they logged.

    Sedentary Lifestyle Index: Under 5000 steps per day is an indicator of being inactive and sitting too much, which raises health risks.
    Low Active: 5,000 to 7,499 steps per day is typical of daily activity excluding sports and exercise and might be considered low active. The average American walks 5,900 to 6,900 steps per day, putting the majority in the low active category.
    Somewhat Active: 7,500 to 9,999 steps per day likely includes some exercise or walking (and/or a job that requires more walking) and might be considered somewhat active.
    Active: 10,000 steps per day indicates the point that should be used to classify individuals as active. This makes it a good daily goal for healthy people who want a quick indicator they are getting in their daily exercise.
    Highly Active: Individuals who take more than 12,500 steps/day are likely to be classified as highly active.
  • hesn92
    hesn92 Posts: 5,967 Member
    Wow I am confused. You all are saying sedentary includes a few thousand steps but mine starts adding calories even after a thousand (or less). I guess I don't understand how this thing works.
  • loulouowens
    loulouowens Posts: 103 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Wow I am confused. You all are saying sedentary includes a few thousand steps but mine starts adding calories even after a thousand (or less). I guess I don't understand how this thing works.

    Me neither! :(
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
    Mine is all over the place too. I wake up with a negative adjustment. Some days I only get 5000-8000 steps and a 200-300 calorie adjustment. On days I go to boxing class and hit my steps I can get an extra 800-1000. I eat most activity calories depending on how hungry I am.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,393 Member
    edited May 2017
    Assuming the both mfp and Fitbit are setup using the same parameters (not custom goals, different heights, ages or other tweeks), mfp assigns BMR x 1.25 to every minute of the day.

    Fitbit is more variable and can assign BMR during periods of no activity detection. When it does detect activity I believe it tends to average in five minute increments and assign a premium to mid level movement. The averaging of all that yields pretty good results for many people. People who are extremely active are more likely to be overestimated than people who are in the sub 15k step levels. At least based on what I've seen

    Another complication is that Fitbit does not have a 1200 floor but mfp does.

    What I do is pick the setting closest to reality for MFP activity level (with 5000 I would pick sedentary or lightly actice), with 14k active or very active), set things so that adjustments happen automatically (which means enabling both positive and negative adjustments) eating most if not all of your adjustment and evaluating your progress by comparing your trending weight (www.trendweight.com connected to fitbit.com) and spot weight actual results to your expected results based on (believed) achieved deficit after a period of several weeks and adjusting based on that....
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Wow I am confused. You all are saying sedentary includes a few thousand steps but mine starts adding calories even after a thousand (or less). I guess I don't understand how this thing works.

    Are you positive? I start getting positive adjustments from 2000 steps. I'm set at sedentary.

  • lionessNV
    lionessNV Posts: 136 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    I do the same thing. It adds calories on to my goal and I eat them sometimes, sometimes I don't. Depends how hungry I am.

    I do this too

  • RAinWA
    RAinWA Posts: 1,980 Member
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Wow I am confused. You all are saying sedentary includes a few thousand steps but mine starts adding calories even after a thousand (or less). I guess I don't understand how this thing works.

    Are you positive? I start getting positive adjustments from 2000 steps. I'm set at sedentary.

    I start getting positive adjustments at around 2000 also and am set as sedentary.

    I did learn that my fitbit thinks my BMR is 1310. I was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago and didn't have my fitbit for 2 days and both days it said I burned 1310.
  • gophermatt
    gophermatt Posts: 129 Member
    RAinWA wrote: »
    hesn92 wrote: »
    Wow I am confused. You all are saying sedentary includes a few thousand steps but mine starts adding calories even after a thousand (or less). I guess I don't understand how this thing works.

    Are you positive? I start getting positive adjustments from 2000 steps. I'm set at sedentary.

    I start getting positive adjustments at around 2000 also and am set as sedentary.

    I did learn that my fitbit thinks my BMR is 1310. I was in the hospital a couple of weeks ago and didn't have my fitbit for 2 days and both days it said I burned 1310.

    Identical for me with Fitbit / calorie adjustments, I'm set to sedentary as well.

  • loulouowens
    loulouowens Posts: 103 Member
    Thanks for all the replies. Still not sure lol I've walked today and upto 9900 steps, now usually I wouldn't eat these because it's just me walking about my everyday life and not purposely exercising. So I would be okay to eat these and still lose my 1lb?
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,970 Member
    Yes it's ok to eat those, as long as you really did walk them. (Sometimes a Fitbit can be fooled by driving. Etc.)

    It takes X energy to move Y weight Z distance. Your walking around for no particular purpose steps burn as many calories as your going for a walk ones. Your body doesn't know why your leg muscles are demanding energy, it just supplies it. You really do burn calories walking to the bathroom or kitchen or whatever. (That's one of the things I've learned through this journey, so, now, when I'm making a phone call, I tend to pace, might walk a mile and burn 75 calories while I'm on hold.)

    When you sign up here at MFP, you fill out a profile with a goal and it sets a calorie level for you to lose weight, it expects some walking of you but you've gone above that. Which means you have a larger deficit than you signed up for, and can get away with eating a bit more and still lose weight at the 1 pound per week rate you wanted.
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
    I unsynced by fitbit from mfp for that reason. I don't need it telling me I can eat more just from daily activity. If I walk for exercise rather than just what the fitbit shows from walking around daily then I will add that in manually.