CaloriesCounting and Fitbit

I get wonky numbers from time to time, but for the most part my FitBit jives pretty close with my own data. You also have to remember that it's not just giving you calories for the exercise, but also the calories you would have otherwise burned sitting on the couch. Also, if you have it synced, you will only get an adjustment on MFP for calories in excess of what is already included in your activity level.

I have my fitbit Alta (non hrm) sync with mfp and have found the calories pretty accurate

You're making a few common Fitbit/MFP assumptions that may not be what's actually happening.

Here is the Fitbit group here on this site, lots of info in the FAQs in that group.

Nysportsred wrote: »

kimny72 wrote: »

I have my fitbit Alta (non hrm) sync with mfp and have found the calories pretty accurate

Ugh why are mine so off lol. MFP says 230 and Fitbit said 325 on Fitbit. I checked because I thought maybe the weight of my height was different on each when I listed it but it’s the same.

Mines linked but it seems to update on MFP when it feels like it lol. I have to log out of Fitbit 2-3 times for it to actually sync.

The exercise in MFP says 230, Fitbit adjustment says 180, and Fitbit itself says 325.

Apparently I burned 750 by sleeping last night. That sounded odd to me, but I’m new to using the Fitbit regularly.

Your Fitbit is measuring calories you burn all day long including while sleeping, breathing, being alive, etc. so yes, you probably did burn 750 calories while sleeping (you burn calories all the time as long as you’re alive).

And I think it’s important to understand that your Fitbit calorie adjustment is the difference between what Fitbit things you burned for the entire day (including sleeping, breathing, being alive, all your regular daily activity, exercise, etc) and what mfp thinks you burned for the entire day (which is determined by your height/weight/gender/activity setting on mfp).

So your Fitbit calorie adjustment probably won’t ever exactly match a workout burn (whether the number is from Fitbit or mfp) because that’s not what the adjustment is. The adjustment is the difference in your total calorie burn for the entire day.

During the day, that “total calories burned for the day” number is estimated by Fitbit based on what you’ve done so far, your normal patterns of activity, etc. That number changes throughout the day.

Also-you can sync your Fitbit 7000 times but it generally only transfers over to mfp if you have a new step count. So try just walking around a bit and sucking again. Also-if you’re manually logging exercise (which you likely don’t need to do (unless you have The One model which they don’t sell anymore)), that’s further complicating the syncing (and the calculations).

Just to build on what shadow2soul said, since I have my Fitbit set up differently...

I have both Fitbit and MFP set to sedentary. I wake early and go to bed early, so doing my settings this way avoids a large end of day negative adjustment based on an earlier predicted burn due to my high activity level.

Anyway, to my main point... I find my Fitbit to be pretty spot on. In fact, at the end of the day, it gives me less calories (TDEE) than MFP (with the adjustment) does. Not many, just about 90 or so.

So the idea that Fitbits are overly generous always makes me giggle.