Hi everyone

I think your best bet is to go to the Fitbit forum. There is a fellow MFP-er named "Kimsied" there who is super-knowledgeable and helpful. She really knows her stuff when it comes to Fitbit and the syncing between Fitbit and MFP.

Here's a bit of what I know:

Regarding calorie goals. The number displayed on your Fitbit would be your TDEE (on the first day it may be higher than expected because it also includes your BMR & sedentary activity burn since 00h00 that day, not since you "switched it on"). On the fitbit website you can set certain weight loss goals (the typical lose a pount = 500 cal a day deficit), so the website will give you a calorie target depending on the goal that you have selected.

I have found that I needed to change my MFP activity level because I was getting some very high fitbit adjustments on MFP even on days I didn't exercise. And I have also found that my calorie burn was a bit higher than scooby estimates for moderate activity (which I thought I was). But it is so much easier to see your actual TDEE. Once you have worn your Fitbit for a while you can get a daily average which will be a better TDEE to use to calculate your cut value.

[Edit to add: I would definitely suggest only logging food and exercise on MFP and linking MFP and Fitbit. You actually don't need to use the stop / start function for exercise where you measure with a HRM. When you have done the linking you also record a start time for the activity on MFP, then Fitbit will over-write its recorded burn with what MFP tells it you burned during that time]

Enjoy!

I actually unlinked mine for now. I am going to use both separately for a week to see my numbers first. Then I will try to link them again.

So are you going to logg your exercises on the FitBit site?

Is this forum on their site? Trying to get prepped to set up best friends.

Thank you!

Thanks Heidi! I will look for that. Hers is expected to arrive Thursday.

I just got mine and am patiently (well, sort of patiently) waiting for it to finsih charging.

Setup was super easy and it seems to sync well with MFP!

I just got mine and am patiently (well, sort of patiently) waiting for it to finsih charging.

Setup was super easy and it seems to sync well with MFP!

Mine took no time at all to fully charge...less than 20 mins I think!

Mine is charged and resting comfortably on my bra. Hey, does anyone know if boob bounce will throw off the numbers? I'm pretty busty!

What I would like to know is how will you use your Fitbit on EMTWL.

If I do 7,500 steps - my calorie burn in 24 hours is around 2150.

If I multiply that by 7, and add on the calorie burn from my workouts (I wear a HRM), then deduct the amount I'm eating (1950) it leaves me with a deficit of 400 a day. This is higher than Scooby thinks I'm doing. It could also mean that on exercise days I'm below my BMR, as normally I just watch my exercise calories - but if I'm doing that much movement, that in itself is clearly burning calories if its taking me 150 calories higher than Scooby thinks I would do.

Hope that makes sense!

What I would like to know is how will you use your Fitbit on EMTWL.

If I do 7,500 steps - my calorie burn in 24 hours is around 2150.

If I multiply that by 7, and add on the calorie burn from my workouts (I wear a HRM), then deduct the amount I'm eating (1950) it leaves me with a deficit of 400 a day. This is higher than Scooby thinks I'm doing. It could also mean that on exercise days I'm below my BMR, as normally I just watch my exercise calories - but if I'm doing that much movement, that in itself is clearly burning calories if its taking me 150 calories higher than Scooby thinks I would do.

Hope that makes sense!

Since my HRM exercises are logged on MFP and then synced to Fitbit I didn't add those workouts to my TDEE. I think the problem is if you add it it may lead to double counting (say you exercised from 07h00 to 08h00 one day, then Fitbit would have also calculated your BMR and movement for that period, maybe not as much as the HRM if the activity was lifting, but still). That's one of the reasons I prefer syncing as Fitbit then replaces its own count for the time period with what you logged on MFP.

But the rest of your method is the same as what I did. Only I used a longer time period (about two months' worth of data) to calculate my average TDEE for the period.

Regarding netting below BMR, I only deduct real exercise from my calorie consumption to check what I am nettng. But that is just how it made sense to me, not based on anything factual.

Yes, I do deduct 90 calories for resting which is what I get approx on Fitbit & HRM for an hours rest.

I don't log my exercise calories at the moment anywhere but in my diary / note section on here, as my diary is set manually for 1950 everyday - and it gets too confusing when everything is changing all the time!

I just keep an eye out that I don't burn more than 500 as then I would need to eat some back to meet BRM.

I will just carry on as I am doing I think? -If I didn't have the gadgets I would be none the wiser that my TDEE is perhaps a little low.

So did you decide on your TDEE cut from 2 months worth of data, rather than by using Scooby? x

So did you decide on your TDEE cut from 2 months worth of data, rather than by using Scooby? x

100%. Scooby is a generic estimate but my Fitbit data is specific to me

Sounds like you have worked out a method that will work well for you!

Tempted to do this but if I stick with Scooby at the 1950 cut which I think is low, and take an average over a month, my bodys going to be use to 1950 and I'm not being very consistent if I change then! :-(

I think my daily burn is around 2350 (going from estimates of previous months using Fitbit etc)! So should eat around 2050 a day for my -300 defecit rather than 1950.

Got them this morning. Will the indicator say fully charged or just continue to stay high? Thank you!