Fitbit calorie deficit
ckasap
Posts: 60 Member
Hello all! Is there anyway to keep my Fitbit and MFP synced but NOT have Fitbit add calories I've earned by exercising? It is messing me up and I'm afraid of overeating - I'm trying to keep those calories as a deficit. I go in my diary and remove them but I'd like a more permanent solution.
Thanks!
Thanks!
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Replies
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I am curious of this as well. Or how to permanently disconnect! I’m having to go in several times a day to delete the exercise!0
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No...because that's one of the points in linking them. It's telling you that your actual activity exceeds the level of activity you set in MFP...making a big deficit even bigger by seriously under-feeding your activity is not the best idea in the world.11
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If you go to your settings and uncheck "Enable Negative Calorie Adjustments" it should do just that.
However, while I have since backtracked- I lost most of my weight using my old fitbit with a HRM (that I no longer have) and eating back my calories when I felt like it. I found it to be really accurate and I still lost at a rate I was happy with (and I'm a bit greedy).
Not my beeswax at all, but I hope you don't deprive yourself of them. You can feel like a failure when you're over your cals but still hungry, not realizing you've burned quite a few. Maybe keep an open mind to having them available if you need them.5 -
I dont have mine synced and then manually enter my exercise calories. I only eat back 50% of what my fitbit says I burn during exercise. I have mfp set to lightly active because of my daily step count before exercise. I've lost about 53lbs now0
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I mean, you COULD just not link the two, but I’m wondering why you’re so certain you shouldn’t be eat those calories. I have my Fitbit synced with negative calorie adjustment enabled and it seems to be pretty accurate. Some days I may not eat all of my calories, but I balance that out with a higher calorie day here and there.4
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I don't have mine sync. I go off of the calories I burn with my Fitbit and changed my calorie intake on MFP.
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Aint2Proud2Meg wrote: »If you go to your settings and uncheck "Enable Negative Calorie Adjustments" it should do just that....
Not that is not what that feature is for.
The disallows "negative calories adjustments" as it states...for example when you wake up in the morning it could say -150 calories earned...because you haven't moved much..
To the OP why do you have them sync'd if you don't want the calorie adjustment.
That is the whole point of that particular feature...so you don't have to add in the exercise calories you earned?
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You are supposed to eat back your exercise calories (or at least half) that's how MFP works. the calorie goal is for the requested lose rate WITHOUT exercise. you shouldn't add a larger deficit.
but if you really don't want to see the info then unlink the two apps.0 -
Having my FitBit synced with MFP is one of the best features of the two systems and when it’s not working it drives me crazy!
I’m curious why you wouldn’t want to have that feature enabled to add in the calories adjustments?
Maybe you don’t understand what the adjustments represent? It’s the difference between what MFP thinks you would burn for NEAT (non Exercise) based on the stats you provided, and what FitBit projects you will burn based on your actual activity (exercise and NEAT).
Eating back calories from exercise is important as it ensures you are properly fueling your activity and that you don’t have too big of a calorie deficit which can have some adverse effects.
If you are concerned about inflated numbers, do you have negative calorie adjustments enabled? That helps keeps MFP in check if you have a less active day than normal.
I’ve had MFP and FitBit synced for about 5 years, and I’ve trusted and eaten back the adjustments the whole time. I’ve lost the weight I set out to lose and am currently a few years into maintenance.
That said, there are other things you can do to make sure the tools work well, build your confidence and provide the best results for you.
Are they set up with the same goals and stats?
Is your weight loss goal reasonable for the amount of weight you have to lose? If it’s less than 50 lbs it shouldn’t be more than 1 lb/week. If less than 20 lbs, then 0.5 lb/wk
Is your activity level set to represent your real activity? Many people set themselves to Sedentary when their step count and activity would suggest higher. That can lead to big adjustments and a distrust of the numbers.
Are you logging your intake accurately? Using a food scale? Making sure you’re being accurate with the CI side of the CICO equation helps identify areas of concern on the CO side for further attention.6 -
If you have your Fitbit synced with MFP then you shouldn't record your exercise in MFP...is that correct? I just got a Fitbit Versa and when I had it synced it seemed to be double dipping my exercise calories. Also, I have MFP synced with Strava so when I did a bike ride and it uploaded to Strava, then it synced with MFP, it would once again double dip if my Fitbit sent MFP exercise calories...clear as mud?
I think if you don't have MFP synced with anything else and you don't input your exercise to MFP, then the Fitbit in theory should measure correctly or close thereabouts.0 -
If you do enter an activity in MFP because it’s not a Fitbit measured activity (like water aerobics), be sure to enter the correct start time and minutes. That way, it will override any Fitbit activity for that time and won’t double count it.2
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Not that is not what that feature is for.
The disallows "negative calories adjustments" as it states...for example when you wake up in the morning it could say -150 calories earned...because you haven't moved much..
I just double checked bc I haven’t had a Fitbit in a while and didn’t want to be giving incorrect info.
It does both what you said and what I said.I just unchecked mine and it removed my earned calories from manually entered exercise.
I do remember getting negative calorie adjustments on my lazy days when I had my Fitbit!
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Aint2Proud2Meg wrote: »
Not that is not what that feature is for.
The disallows "negative calories adjustments" as it states...for example when you wake up in the morning it could say -150 calories earned...because you haven't moved much..
I just double checked bc I haven’t had a Fitbit in a while and didn’t want to be giving incorrect info.
It does both what you said and what I said.I just unchecked mine and it removed my earned calories from manually entered exercise.
I do remember getting negative calorie adjustments on my lazy days when I had my Fitbit!
I have a Fitbit and it doesn't do what you originally said.1 -
Aint2Proud2Meg wrote: »
Not that is not what that feature is for.
The disallows "negative calories adjustments" as it states...for example when you wake up in the morning it could say -150 calories earned...because you haven't moved much..
I just double checked bc I haven’t had a Fitbit in a while and didn’t want to be giving incorrect info.
It does both what you said and what I said.I just unchecked mine and it removed my earned calories from manually entered exercise.
I do remember getting negative calorie adjustments on my lazy days when I had my Fitbit!
I have a Fitbit and it doesn't do what you originally said.
Well guys I apologize. I was so certain that was how it worked, but I should have deferred to you all! For my added exercise it takes away cals I've earned back ( I really did test it!), but I suppose it makes sense that it might not let you if you're syncing the two. I appreciate the correction; I finally got my mom on board with mfp+fitbit and I don't want to tell her wrong!1
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