Calorie discrepancy between Fitbit and MFP

ZForce915
ZForce915 Posts: 23
edited December 2024 in Fitness and Exercise
Look at the two screenshots, the fitbit tells me I've burned 3000+ calories and MFP only accounts for -1216. What am I missing with these stats?

MFP
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/42/capture2kzp.png/

Fitbit
http://imageshack.us/photo/my-images/267/captureidc.png/

Replies

  • mccarol1956
    mccarol1956 Posts: 422 Member
    Sorry I can't load those. You might want to check your fitbit settings. Usually my fitbit gives me far fewer calories than MFP.
  • badgranola
    badgranola Posts: 67 Member
    My fitbit has been taking its sweet time synching with MyFitness Pal lately. Maybe that is the case?
  • alexandrahrah
    alexandrahrah Posts: 25 Member
    I have a fitbit too, and what I believe it's doing is estimating your TDEE, it counts you burning calories during non-exercise periods, like even when you are sitting watching TV your fitbit counts calories burned. it then counts up and send to MFP the calories on top of what would have been burned if you were just sedentary (so any time you were active it sends those cals burned to MFP).
    I generally burn about 2100 on fitbit but only get about 700-800 off my MFP, bc the rest is just my BMR-ish.

    hope that helps :)
  • JadeRabbit08
    JadeRabbit08 Posts: 551 Member
    ..
  • TurtleRunnerNC
    TurtleRunnerNC Posts: 751 Member
    ^^^^ this ^^^^^
    The calories that don't switch over to MFP you would have burned sitting on the couch during that time.
  • realme56
    realme56 Posts: 1,093 Member
    Exactly, it is giving you calories above the basics. Fitbit does have delays where I have had to link and unlink the device, even had to uninstall the software once cause the device would not sync with the fitbit site either. Technical stuff gets complicated.

    The only thing I log on fitbit for exercise is where I have to take off the device....swimming, marathon dog bathing(that IS exercise!)

    Everything else is logged on MFP. I follow my calorie recommendations for MFP, always underestimate burns and over estimate food in.
  • 2Bgoddess
    2Bgoddess Posts: 1,096 Member
    My fitbit has been taking its sweet time synching with MyFitness Pal lately. Maybe that is the case?

    this issue is driving me nuts. kinda tough to eat back exercise calories when you have no idea how many it is! can take up to 36 hours lately! grrr:mad:
  • LovingLisa2012
    LovingLisa2012 Posts: 775 Member
    Look at the two screenshots, the fitbit tells me I've burned 3000+ calories and MFP only accounts for -1216. What am I missing with these stats?

    MFP
    capture2kzp.png

    Fitbit
    captureidc.png

    *checking to see if MFP allows png

    sorry can't help :(
    but I would think fitbit is more accurate ??
  • ZForce915
    ZForce915 Posts: 23
    Thanks for the responses everyone. I think I may have found the direct answer in the FAQs (missed the first time around).

    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/help/faq/341-why-are-my-remaining-food-calories-different-on-fitbit-com-and-mfp

    Fitbit just has three goals: lose weight, maintain weight, gain weight. Your calorie "Goal Zone" on fitbit.com is based on these goals.

    The weight goals on MyFitnessPal are more specific: lose a pound a week, gain 1/2 a pound a week, etc. So the calories recommended by each site may not match.

    As long as the information you have entered for height, weight, etc are the same on both websites you should go by our net calorie goal, and let the Fitbit data update MyFitnessPal via the fitbit calorie adjustment. We use your burned calories from fitbit.com to determine whether you need a calorie adjustment to stay in range of your MyFitnessPal weight management goal.

    In essence, MyFitnessPal is "in charge" of monitoring your "calories in" and fitbit.com is "in charge" of monitoring your "calories out." Then the two reconcile, resulting in any necessary calorie adjustment on MyFitnessPal.
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