Fitbit ?'s - About calories remaining

mystasia · February 2012

Hi,

Not sure where to put this thread.

I've gotten a fitbit. I have it synced with MFP. It appears that MFP also syncs with fitbit.com and my profile there…so it tells them how much I've eated based on what I log on MFP.

I'm wondering what calorie number to go by for eating.

On both profiles MFP & Fitbit I've selected to lose 2lbs a week.

Now for example yesterday, I got home and synced late, at about 9pm.

It told me on MFP that I had 280 calories remaining for the day…with my daily goal being 1532 calories per day

But Fitbit says I had 674 calories remaining for the day with my daily goal being 1830-2022….

Both MFP and Fitbit have my heigh and weight recorded so I'm wondering why the difference and WHICH to go by….

Anyone else come across this or come up with what works?

I don’t want to eat too few or too much….

Oh..I should add that I'm NOT putting any exercise into MFP log...since I'm getting an adjustment put in there from Fitbit... is that right? I don't want to double track exercise.

CCulshaw · February 2012

I don't have an answer, but I'm curious, as well. I've recently gotten a Fitbit and have wondered the exact same thing! Hopefully there is an answer to the discrepancy...

alecta337 · February 2012

I would go by the MFP numbers, I trust this site and lots of people have used it to lose weight.

cygnetpro · February 2012

I must admit that this is why I did not sync my fitbit to MFP yet. I think the fitbit is pretty accurate a lot of the time (e.g. when I do a focused exercise or workout). But the other day I got up at 6:00 am, came downstairs, got onto fitbit, and it said that I had already burned 520 calories for the day. Even if I'm doing zumba as I sleep, that can't be right. Maybe it's somehow calculating basal/resting calorie burn?

Not sure. But I am using the MFP calorie counts as my goal, since by the end of the day, just by walking around a bit at the office, I seem to burn enough calories to eat a pizza, according to the fitbit.

Kevww1982 · February 2012

Fitbit records what activities you have done and it adjust your calories to match that. If you put the calories burned in MFP it should mesh. Thats just a guess since I dont have a Fitbit but I have researched them a bit.

Cathyvil · February 2012

The Fitbit website has been overestimating for a couple weeks now. I just use MFP.

xbabyblueyez21x · February 2012

I think this is the reason:

MFP uses the activity level you entered as a factor in determining how many calories you can eat each day.

Fitbit uses the actual activity level you are doing based on your steps, etc. that it is tracking.

So often Fitbit will give you many more calories simply because you are more active than you entered into MFP. This is when a Fitbit adjustment will show up on MFP which allows you more calories.

If you aren't entering exercise into MFP then your calorie allowance will be lower than on Fitbit since MFP will give you an allowance based on not working out and Fitbit is factoring in working out.

I use the stopwatch on my Fitbit when exercising but I also log the exercise into MFP. It will ask you for the start time and duration and then it will sync with Fitbit so that it doesn't double up. I just click on my activity record on the Fitbit site to find the start time.

If you start entering exercise into MFP then I think your numbers will be closer together. I hope I helped.

xbabyblueyez21x · February 2012

I must admit that this is why I did not sync my fitbit to MFP yet. I think the fitbit is pretty accurate a lot of the time (e.g. when I do a focused exercise or workout). But the other day I got up at 6:00 am, came downstairs, got onto fitbit, and it said that I had already burned 520 calories for the day. Even if I'm doing zumba as I sleep, that can't be right. Maybe it's somehow calculating basal/resting calorie burn?

Not sure. But I am using the MFP calorie counts as my goal, since by the end of the day, just by walking around a bit at the office, I seem to burn enough calories to eat a pizza, according to the fitbit.

Yes, the Fitbit calculates your basal/resting calorie burn as well as when you are active. Even if I laid in bed all day doing nothing I'd still burn about 1,600 calories so with my activity my Fitbit says I usually burn around 2,300 or so.

mystasia · February 2012

Thanks! So is anyone eating the daily goal it gives you on MFP or Fitbit? Are you able to lose weight?

I think this is the reason:

MFP uses the activity level you entered as a factor in determining how many calories you can eat each day.

Fitbit uses the actual activity level you are doing based on your steps, etc. that it is tracking.

So often Fitbit will give you many more calories simply because you are more active than you entered into MFP. This is when a Fitbit adjustment will show up on MFP which allows you more calories.

If you aren't entering exercise into MFP then your calorie allowance will be lower than on Fitbit since MFP will give you an allowance based on not working out and Fitbit is factoring in working out.

I use the stopwatch on my Fitbit when exercising but I also log the exercise into MFP. It will ask you for the start time and duration and then it will sync with Fitbit so that it doesn't double up. I just click on my activity record on the Fitbit site to find the start time.

If you start entering exercise into MFP then I think your numbers will be closer together. I hope I helped.

LuciaLongIsland · February 2012

I use the Fitbit to record the stairs and steps. As I don't eat exercise calories and try not to go over 1000 a day. I would rely on MFP. The fitbit does not have a large database for food.

xbabyblueyez21x · February 2012

Thanks! So is anyone eating the daily goal it gives you on MFP or Fitbit? Are you able to lose weight?

Most days I eat close to or only a hundred or so under my normal daily goal not counting exercise calories. If I am still hungry then I will "eat back" some of my exercise calories, if I'm not hungry then I don't. I don't "eat back" the fitbit adjustment calories, only the actual exercise calories I enter. I have lost 9lbs since Jan 1st

Fitbit ?'s - About calories remaining

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