A question on MFP and Fitbit working together

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TigerLily100
TigerLily100 Posts: 81 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
Hi all,

I am confused about how these 2 work together.

So a few days ago I got a Fitbit Charge 2 and have linked it to MFP.

I now get a fitbit calorie adjustment - which I understand is based on my activity levels and I no longer log exercise in MFP.

Here is the bit I don't get:

I currently have myself set as sedentary in MFP, now considering that the daily calories for maintenance is significantly higher than those given for BMR, I am presuming that the sedentary profile includes a certain amount of steps.
Does Fitbit take this into account? I am only on just over 2000 steps this morning and already fitbit is giving me a calorie adjustment for my activity so far today?
I am worried that these steps are in affect being double counted which would mean my calorie deficit would be a false number?

I hope this makes sense and that someone familiar with the MFP and Fitbit setup knows how it works.

Thanks :)

Replies

  • MoveitlikeManda
    MoveitlikeManda Posts: 846 Member
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    fit bit adds and takes away through out the day depending on how active you are being.
    from what iv read in the fitbit group it only adjusts up if you have exceeded what mfp expected you to have done by then
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
    edited May 2017
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    The Fitbit will give you positive Calorie adjustments if your actual daily activity is greater than the estimated daily activity you chose when you picked your MFP Activity Level when setting your MFP goals. If you chose Very Active in MFP, but only take enough steps for a Sedentary setting, you will not get a positive Fitbit Calorie adjustment based on your actual steps as recorded by Fitbit. Or, in reverse, if you chose MFP Sedentary, and then take thousands of steps beyond the Sedentary MFP Activity Level setting, you will get a rather large Fitbit Calorie adjustment.

    For me, I start getting a positive Fitbit Calorie adjustment for the day at about 2400 steps total. Since that is the total for the day, that equates to 100 steps average per every hour of the day. When I wake up at 7 a.m. I have 0 steps and I am at a negative Fitbit Calorie adjustment, by 8 a.m. if I get 800 steps, that adjustment will start turning positive, by 9 a.m. 900 steps, by 10 a.m. 1000 steps, etc. The Fitbit Calorie adjustment changes every time MFP and Fitbit sync.

    I would recommend reading through the first three posts in this thread on the MFP Fitbit Users group...

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users​

    Edited to add: Right now at 7:15 a.m. I have 15 steps and a negative 98 Fitbit Calorie adjustment.

    Edited to add: Now at 8:05 a.m I have 803 steps and a negative 14 Fitbit Calorie adjustment, after making breakfast and cleaning up the kitchen. Some of those steps were more of a shuffle, so I am not quite at a positive adjustment yet.

    I am 55, 5'8", 150 lbs, in maintenance at 1820 net Calories, have a Fitbit Charge 2, and have MFP set at Sedentary.
  • TigerLily100
    TigerLily100 Posts: 81 Member
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    Thank you for the responses, it all now makes perfect sense!!

    I have changed settings to allow a negative calorie adjustment so I can see a true reflection of that time of day.

    A negative adjustment will just make me move...like the fitbit that says: take me for a walk :)



  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
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    I hate the way MFP and Fitbit sync. You'll get a calorie adjustment depending on your calorie burns (not just steps) and your MFP activity level but typically MFP overestimates by 200 calories for me, so if I followed MFP I'd wipe out my deficit every day (it's a small deficit).

    So give yourself a 200 calorie buffer at the end of the day (or just follow Fitbit, it tells you how many calories you have left for the day and that's accurate).
  • TigerLily100
    TigerLily100 Posts: 81 Member
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    Francl27 wrote: »
    I hate the way MFP and Fitbit sync. You'll get a calorie adjustment depending on your calorie burns (not just steps) and your MFP activity level but typically MFP overestimates by 200 calories for me, so if I followed MFP I'd wipe out my deficit every day (it's a small deficit).

    So give yourself a 200 calorie buffer at the end of the day (or just follow Fitbit, it tells you how many calories you have left for the day and that's accurate).

    Thanks. I plan to follow the Fitbit. I bought it as my weight loss has stalled and I thought it would help me figure out why.
    Whether it does is another matter, but it's certainly got me moving a lot more which can only help
  • CyberTone
    CyberTone Posts: 7,337 Member
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    How long is your stall? If it has been fewer than two weeks, it may be just a normal fluctuation of weight loss.

    Are you weighing all solids and using measuring cups and spoons for all liquids? Are you verifying all food and drink entries with the Nutrition Facts labels or other web sites? Are you having cheat meals or cheat days on a regular basis? Any of these could result in underestimating Calories In.

    The other thing is that you posted this in Maintaining Weight message board, so I was under the impression that you are maintaining. You may want to start a new thread in the General Diet and Weight Loss Help message board, which tends to get more traffic.
  • StaciMarie1974
    StaciMarie1974 Posts: 4,138 Member
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    MFP estimates how many calories you should burn in a day based on your activity level and stats. Lets call this X.
    Fitbit estimates how many calories you burn based on actual movement and your stats. Lets call this Y.

    IN general, if Y is greater than X: you earn additional calories. If X is greater than Y you will either see a 0 adjustment or a negative number if you have negatives enabled. Each time you sync, the adjustment will change.

    For those mid day adjustments: MFP assumes you will burn the same amount each hour, because it really cannot compute that you are sleeping some hours and moving around others. HEre is a numerical example:

    Assume MFP expects me to burn 1800 per day, and that is an average of 75 per hour. My BMR is 1200 per day, which is 50 per hour.

    I wake up at 5:00 am. I was not active at all thru the night, so Fitbit shows my burn is about 250, which is my BMR. MFP expected me to be at 75 x 5 or 375, so if I sync now MFP will show I'm at a -125 adjustment.

    I do normal getting ready for the day stuff from 5 til 6am. At 6am my Fitbit shows I have burned 325 so far. I am still behind by 125 according to MFP.

    I go for a run between 6am and 7am. At 7am Fitbit says I have burned a total of 725. MFP expected me to be at 525, so now I'm +200.

    I commute and work, mostly sitting, from 7am til 5pm. At 5pm Fitbit shows I am at 1325 burned. MFP expected 1275 so now my adjustment is +50.

    I do errands, make dinner, fit in a workout in the evening. At 9pm I head to bed. Fitbit says I am at 1800 burned, MFP expected 1500 so now the adjustment is +300. But remember, MFP expects me to burn 75 per hour until midnight, but I won't. I'll burn 150 or just over it rather than 225. So when I sync the next morning, Fitbit says my today burn is a total of 1950, adjustment is +150. *

    *Your adjustment will always decrease between the last sync of hte day and the first sync of the next day unless you remain active/moving until midnight. The severity of the adjustment will be greater if you are active vs sedentary (setting in MFP) and if you sync earlier in the day.

    ~~~~~~~~~~~

    If you're still with me, the main thing to keep in mind is that Fitbit awards calories as you burn them. The over night adjustment update is annoying but if you know about it, you can plan for it.

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