Fitbit vs MFP for calories

getskinny1973
getskinny1973 Posts: 73 Member
edited November 25 in Health and Weight Loss
When calculating how many calories you have remaining to use up, I usually use my fitbit app to track this as it's always a larger amount than MFP.

Does anyone else use the fitbit app to calculate your calories remaining and do you find it to be accurate?

Note: I log all of my calories in the MFP app and it automatically carries to the fitbit app which tracks my exercise.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    I honestly ignore all my Fitbit calorie information. I got it for the activity adjustments back to MFP and I quickly realized I would find it too confusing to have two different sources to track my calorie intake.
  • getskinny1973
    getskinny1973 Posts: 73 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I honestly ignore all my Fitbit calorie information. I got it for the activity adjustments back to MFP and I quickly realized I would find it too confusing to have two different sources to track my calorie intake.

    But the difference between the two is so big.
    MFP says I earned 35 exercise calories and fitbit says I've earned almost 200.
  • Meelisv
    Meelisv Posts: 235 Member
    I'm always confused by these threads. That's probably a configuration issue. I haven't used a Fitbit with MFP, but with my Garmin MFP adds exactly those activity calories which Garmin reports. If those are too optimistic or not is another topic.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    getskinny1973 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I honestly ignore all my Fitbit calorie information. I got it for the activity adjustments back to MFP and I quickly realized I would find it too confusing to have two different sources to track my calorie intake.

    But the difference between the two is so big.
    MFP says I earned 35 exercise calories and fitbit says I've earned almost 200.

    Yep, because MFP is doing an adjustment based on your activity level. This is to prevent you from double-dipping into the calories they're already assuming you're going to burn for the day based on your activity level.

    So you might burn 200 calories in a given session, but MFP "knows" that it already assumed you burned 165 of those just due to daily life. So it limits your adjustment so that you don't wind up eating more than you planned.

    At the end of the day, I don't think it matters which one you choose as long as you're consistent. I just prefer the (relative) security of knowing that I'm not double-dipping into my calories.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Meelisv wrote: »
    I'm always confused by these threads. That's probably a configuration issue. I haven't used a Fitbit with MFP, but with my Garmin MFP adds exactly those activity calories which Garmin reports. If those are too optimistic or not is another topic.

    It would be too optimistic if you were moving less, in a given day, than MFP would have estimated given your activity level. The activity level is how MFP provides you with your original starting calorie goal. If you're simply adding all exercise calories to this without factoring in days where you might be moving less than your activity level would estimate, then you have the potential to wind up eating more than MFP would have intended.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    getskinny1973 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I honestly ignore all my Fitbit calorie information. I got it for the activity adjustments back to MFP and I quickly realized I would find it too confusing to have two different sources to track my calorie intake.

    But the difference between the two is so big.
    MFP says I earned 35 exercise calories and fitbit says I've earned almost 200.

    Yep, because MFP is doing an adjustment based on your activity level. This is to prevent you from double-dipping into the calories they're already assuming you're going to burn for the day based on your activity level.

    So you might burn 200 calories in a given session, but MFP "knows" that it already assumed you burned 165 of those just due to daily life. So it limits your adjustment so that you don't wind up eating more than you planned.

    At the end of the day, I don't think it matters which one you choose as long as you're consistent. I just prefer the (relative) security of knowing that I'm not double-dipping into my calories.

    Exactly...
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,383 Member
    So are you logging your exercise calories on MFP, and doing a Fitbit calorie adjustment? Sounds like you're doubling your results. When you use the Fitbit adjustment, you don't need to log any exercise on MFP OR the Fitbit - the Fitbit calculates your adjustment for you and updates your MFP calorie goal.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    getskinny1973 wrote: »
    janejellyroll wrote: »
    I honestly ignore all my Fitbit calorie information. I got it for the activity adjustments back to MFP and I quickly realized I would find it too confusing to have two different sources to track my calorie intake.

    But the difference between the two is so big.
    MFP says I earned 35 exercise calories and fitbit says I've earned almost 200.

    Yep, because MFP is doing an adjustment based on your activity level. This is to prevent you from double-dipping into the calories they're already assuming you're going to burn for the day based on your activity level.

    So you might burn 200 calories in a given session, but MFP "knows" that it already assumed you burned 165 of those just due to daily life. So it limits your adjustment so that you don't wind up eating more than you planned.

    At the end of the day, I don't think it matters which one you choose as long as you're consistent. I just prefer the (relative) security of knowing that I'm not double-dipping into my calories.

    This.


    Also, more conceptually... when you start trying to merge 2 different methods of tracking, you're bound to increase your chance for error. If you're logging in MFP, then follow MFP's recommendations. If you're not, don't. But don't try to mix MFP with something else. MFP is a good tool - use it as it's meant to be used.
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