Help understanding calorie information?

[C-Garrett]

So the first thing that confuses me is thing thing comes with default information recorded, showing 1,911 calories burned every day since long before I got the thing. This messes with the information I am now recording, and doesn't really seem to serve any logical purpose.

Then my number of calories burned on the watch itself seems... Really high. It's showing 1,489 calories burned right now and I haven't even walked a full mile yet. Yet my walking information seems accurate, so I don't know where it's getting this information from?

I also don't get how the calories consumed vs burned meter works: I'm "over" but I've supposedly burned more than I've eaten and I haven't eaten enough to reach my daily limit. This whole thing seems extremely confusing for someone new to all of it, and yet there's absolutely nowhere (that stands out) that I can go to have this explained.

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[MakMak]

Let me try to explain the numbers.

To start with, the calories you are seeing are your basal metabolic rate (BMR) calories. Based on the height, weight, age, and gender you enter into your account, Fitbit calculates the calories you burn during the day just by being alive. It sets this to a constant rate over the day by dividing the total by 15 minutes, the segments you would see if you look at a plot of your calories. Then, over the day, it adds these calories on. When you exercise, Fitbit adds those calories burned to your BMR calories. Based on the data from your first day, Fitbit back populates this BMR for about a year to give you a comparison point.

Now, for the calorie values. The first number you have is just your calories "burned." It's on a line that shows what is probably a stretch calorie goal for you. For me, my BMR is around 1400 for the day and the stretch goal is around 2300 calories. This just shows you your total burn for the day.

Second, you have your calories "left." This value will update through the day as you input your steps and food you have eaten. I think it tries to predict what you will do during the rest of the day and update your total accordingly.

Third, you have your "calories in vs calories out." This is just a snapshot in time of how many calories you have eaten vs burned.

Finally, you have your "over, in the zone, under," which, until the end of the day is just another indication of how you're pacing yourself with respect to your activity during the day. At the end of the day, it's an indication of how you did with meeting your goal for the day (calorie deficit). "In the zone" means you met your goal within 40 calories, I believe.

If you set a weight loss goal, say a 500 calorie deficit per day, these numbers will reflect how you're doing toward meeting that deficit.

[C-Garrett]

Thanks! I wish they were a little more clear on what means what.

I kinda' thought the calories burned was something like that, but it still seemed really high to me.

Is there any way to swap that information on the Blaze? I'd much rather know how many extra calories I've burned off or how many I have left for the day at a glance. 

Also I still don't really understand how I was "over" when I still had 200+ calories left over at that time. The number is now 500+ and I'm "under". I set my goal for 500 less but I figured my daily total (which is like 1,770) was the number calculated after that 500 is removed.

Does that mean I'm supposed to be aiming for only 1,270? That seems impossible and unhealthy?

[Rich_Laue]

Let's look at it from a different point.
You have set your goal for 500 less
Let's say it's 1pm you have not been doing much work.
You've burnt, we will pick a number of 1000 calories
Let's say breakfast and lunch that added up to 600 calories.
So 1000 calories out - 550 calories in = 450 calories under.
You told Fitbit you want to be 500 under but you are only 450 under, this makes you over your food budget

It is now 4 pm to have now burnt 1600 calories
You had a snack o,f let's say 300 calories

1600 out - 850 in = 750 less.
Fitbit wants to see 500 less there you are now under budget.

This flip flop is going to happen all day long the important thing is what the numbers are at night.
Don't worry too much, an occasional over won't hurt and be post by the days that are under.
I hope I did not make your understanding worse

[C-Garrett]

I get it now. It's just the way my numbers were at that time made it very confusing... I thought that total was for the entire day, not just at that point in time.

To be honest, I'd rather see for the day since that would help me keep track and stay under better... I know I'm going to have calories free up on their own, but not how much, which makes it difficult to plan accordingly.

[Rich_Laue]

It is hard for the app to give you the whole day if it doesn't know what you are going to eat, or how active you will be. In theory you could tell tyre app what your going to eat for the rest of the day, this might help in figuring how active you need to be.

[C-Garrett]

I believe what I am referring to is the BMR, what is burned without excercise. Fitbit seems to update this number throughout the day and I'd rather that total be added on at the start of the day. This way I'd know exactly how much I need to burn through excercise alone to reach my goal.

As is I don't really get to know how far over/ under I am until the end of the day. Because even after my excercise fitbit is still calculating the BMR as I go.

So right now I'm at 255 over but when I go to bed that number should be different because my body is still burning calories on its own. Either way I'm not reaching my goal today, but I'd rather be thinking now about what I can do to meet my goal tomorrow, rather than having to worry about figuring things out as I go tomorrow.

For someone just starting out on diet and excercise it's easier to manage staying under by the day, rather than by the meal. If I knew exactly what I'd have left for the day (before excercise) I could better plan out my meals and excercise.