Not necessarily, since MFP uses the math of assumptions to calculate your baseline burn level and the exercise adjustment. Fitbit also uses math, but it has more information about you and your activity so it has more data to work with. I personally use MFP for tracking food and the community here, but track all activity and calories in vs. out on Fitbit side, there's a pretty handy view under "food".

MFP is taking the Total Calorie Burn (TDEE) from Fitbit (or any tracker that works correctly) with timestamp and that is the calorie burn so far.

It then takes the time left in the day until midnight and estimates a rate a burn based on your selected MFP Activity level.

Your exercise goals on MFP don't matter, Fitbit goals, Fitbit daily burn estimates, ect - none of that matter in the math.

MFP Activity level rate of burn for rest the day is used.

If you selected a high activity level, like matching what Fitbit may end up at anyway, and you just worked out but will now be sedentary rest the day - the initial adjustment will be high, but with more syncs from Fitbit it'll adjust down.

If you selected sedentary as suggested, then rest the day will likely not cause extra big adjustment, just whatever you happen to do above sedentary.

As to comparing them - forget it.
As mentioned - they use different estimates for rest the day.

Fitbit has 2 options - historical (weekend or weekday separate) or sedentary (which doesn't match MFP level rather barely above sleeping BMR rate).

But don't follow 2 roads to the same destination (since they will be the same by end of day), as that is just full of confusion and aggravation.

MFP for food logging and goals.

Fitbit for activity logging and goals.

Mundaqwe wrote: »

Hi, my daily caloric goal on here is 2100, I used 1843. You’d think I’d have calories left over, especially since I exercised which was tracked via Fitbit. Instead it looks like this: 2110 - 1843 - exercise 288 = -21 calories!! How am I in the negative? Shouldn’t my exercise be added to look like 2110 - 1843 + 288= surplus of calories?

Please help

You weren't as active in your day outside of the exercise as MFP estimated you'd be.

Meaning:
MFP estimated you'd burn say 2600 at whatever activity level YOU selected.
Minus 500 deficit = 2100 eating goal.

You logged a workout on MFP for some odd reason of 288 cal perhaps, or looking at the non-useful screen.

MFP now expects you to burn 2888 for daily activity and exercise it knows about.

Fitbit comes in and reports you burned 2800 total calories, which we'll hope includes the same 288 exercise calories, though perhaps your manually logging it caused it to overwrite a better estimate by Fitbit.

Anyway:
Fitbit 2800 daily burned - MFP 2888 expected = neg 88 calories.

Means that outside the exercise - you weren't as active as MFP estimated you'd be.

You could have picked too high a level on MFP for activity level.
The workout could have wiped you out and you were a lot less active than your activity level.

I get negative adjustments all the time because I'm less than sedentary outside of my exercise.
Overall I burned more, but my daily was still less.

Oh - the adjustment in your case is neg 21.
Your eating goal still should have had exercise added on, and adjustment taken off if neg.

You should really look at your Exercise Diary if you want to actually know what is going on.
Tap and hold on the Adjustment as several of the prior comments in this topic say to do.