Fitbit vs MFP

Naomi_7
Naomi_7 Posts: 3 Member
in Getting Started
Hey, I linked my fitbit to MFP, they both have the same fitness plan and calorie budget but my fitbit give me substantially less calories left at the end of the day. According to MFP I'm under allowance but FitBit says I'm over. Which should I trust?

Replies

  • zebasschick
    zebasschick Posts: 1,067 Member
    neither.

    calorie burn on fitbit, MFP and pretty much any fitness watch or exercise machine or app is a generalization - it has to be. your own fitness level, age, and some other factors mean that everyone's burn is different. and on MFP, the level in the exercises i do is light, very light, moderate, vigorous and very vigorous, but that's not very specific. what seemed like light effort to me based on heart rate and how i felt while i worked out recently had me losing weight faster than i wanted to, so i had to either up my calories, or log the workouts at a higher level or workout less vigorously.

    maybe it's best to judge by how much weight you lose, gain or if you stay the same weight.
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,841 Member
    Your Fitbit calorie goal came from where? Does it change or not when you are more active?

    MFP gives you a goal based on your selected activity level and zero exercise, but if Fitbit tells MFP that you were more active than your selected activity level and/or exercised, it will give you extra calories to stay at the weight loss rate you selected.

    I'm guessing that's why your numbers aren't the same. Which one to follow? Hard to tell without knowing more about your activity level, your selected weight loss rate, your estimated calorie burn according to Fitbit, etc.
    Fitbits can overestimate wildly or be quite accurate, so the best thing is to choose one method and stick to it for at least one month/ menstrual cycles and then adjust (if necessary) based on actual weight loss results.
  • Rockmama1111
    Rockmama1111 Posts: 262 Member
    I am nerdy and have a spreadsheet with 6 months of data. My estimated Fitbit burn is about 150 calories lower per day than what my MFP calculations show (based on the pounds I’ve lost and the calories I’ve tracked). Of course, I could be overestimating calories a bit when I log.

    I keep track of food in MFP only, and use the extra calories given from Fitbit as a cushion.
  • pmsunlight
    pmsunlight Posts: 2 Member
    I can understand having the food diary add calories because of exercise, but what is the subtraction all about?
  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,841 Member
    pmsunlight wrote: »
    I can understand having the food diary add calories because of exercise, but what is the subtraction all about?

    If your tracker tells MFP you were less active than your selected activity level, then MFP will subtract calories from your allowance (provided negative calorie adjustments are activated).
  • apressler3
    apressler3 Posts: 24 Member
    Naomi_7 wrote: »
    Hey, I linked my fitbit to MFP, they both have the same fitness plan and calorie budget but my fitbit give me substantially less calories left at the end of the day. According to MFP I'm under allowance but FitBit says I'm over. Which should I trust?

    Either should be good enough as an estimate, but they will be different because they use slightly different proprietary formulas based on calories burned by people with similar body composition in similar activities. I find that as long as my stats and goals are current in both MFP and my wearable, I get similar results, usually within 150 calories by end of day.

    Really, the only way to tell which is better is to review at the end of each week and figure out which one came closer to estimating your actual weight change. Alternately, eat to the MFP level and see if you are losing your goal. If not, try eating to the Fitbit level.
  • martiparolin
    martiparolin Posts: 3 Member
    I am unable to link my Fitbit to MFP. I do see where to go it etc but it has a box I can't untick. So am getting frustrated. Any ideas or has this happened to others,? I do have my Bluetooth, location and wifi on plus Fitbit app is logged in and I have my Fitbit on my wrist at the time.

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