01-30-2016 16:08 - edited 01-31-2016 04:16
01-30-2016 16:08 - edited 01-31-2016 04:16
Table of Contents
Part 1: Fitbit Food Plan Basics
Part 2: Fitbit's Food Plan In-Depth
Part 3: Fitbit's Food Plan Tracking Tools
Part 4: Tips for Fitbit Weight Loss Success
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Tips for Fitbit Weight Loss Success
The first key to success is sensible eating. Learn a little about the difference between carbohydrates, fats and proteins and how those three macronutrients should be balanced. There are many different approaches, and you'll want to find the one that works for you.
Secondly, everybody is a little different. The Food Plan is dead-on for my metabolism, but it may not be for yours. Watch your results for a week or two, and if you find you're losing weight faster than you expected based on the plan, either adjust your plan downward to the next easier level or eat a little more than the plan allows. If you're losing weight slower than expected, either notch your plan up a level or leave some calories on the Daily Calorie Estimate each day. After a few weeks you'll find the right combination to consistently hit your weight loss target.
Next, step away from the junk food. I discovered very quickly that if I kept filling up with empty calories like carbonated drinks, fatty processed foods, alcohol, candy and other sweets, I was hungry all the time if I tried to stay on my budget. After I started shifting my diet to more nutritous foods, I found I was rarely hungry, sometimes left food on the plate, and had far more energy to spend burning activity calories, which meant I had even more to eat. It was a positive circle to be trapped in, rather than the negative one I experienced with unhealthy foods.
One thing to remember is that proteins and carbs contain about 4 calories per gram, while fat contains about 9 calories per gram. That means that ounce for ounce, an ounce of fat takes more than twice as long to work off as an ounce of protein or carbs. Something to keep in mind when you're reaching for that candy bar. (ETA: As @Dominique pointed out in a comment, alcohol, at 7 calories per gram, and with almost no nutritional value, is also well worth keeping in mind.)
Another tip concerns the ever-popular "cheat" days or meals. My advice: Don't. One day of cheating can mean a week or more of healthy eating to make up for it. Instead, I practice what I call "earning my cheats." If I want to take my wife out to dinner, or munch down on a pizza one evening, I start early in the day working to burn off enough activity calories that I can properly log whatever I'm planning to eat that evening and still stay within my deficit budget. I recently spent a weekend at an RV show, munching on midway vendor food during the day, including a corn dog, and feasted on pizza one night and dinner at Outback the next. But I kept my feet moving, hard, both days, and ended both days within budget. It can be done, and the long-term benefits are worth it. I may not have eaten the healthiest foods those days, but neither did I overeat a bunch of calories that ended up on my waistline.
My final tip is a nicer one. Some days you'll find it getting late in the day with a lot of calories left to eat. I'm not a fan of eating much at night, so I'll occasionally log something I don't eat on one day and leave myself a "gift card" allowing me to eat that food the next day without logging it. I don't do it for garbage, though. Generally I leave myself something like a banana or a protein bar. I find it a nice way to reward myself occasionally for not eating all I'm allowed, and over the two days it evens out in total calories consumed anyway.
Well, that's it; Fitbit's Food Plan, Demystified. There's still a lot to be learned about logging food and activities, but you've got the basics for how to set up and maintain a healthy weight loss program using your Fitbit and the Fitbit Dashboard.
Happy Fitbittin'!
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Table of Contents
Part 1: Fitbit Food Plan Basics
Part 2: Fitbit's Food Plan In-Depth
Part 3: Fitbit's Food Plan Tracking Tools
Part 4: Tips for Fitbit Weight Loss Success
Charge HR, Flex | Windows 10 | Android | iPad
Take a look at the Fitbit help site for further assistance and information.
01-30-2016 16:23
01-30-2016 16:23
Thanks to @ErickFitbit and the Fitbit team for reviewing this to make sure I had the basics down pat.
Charge HR, Flex | Windows 10 | Android | iPad
Take a look at the Fitbit help site for further assistance and information.
01-30-2016 20:37
01-30-2016 20:37
Great information Don - thank you. I am new with my fitbit Charge HR and really appreciate the overview and tips. Have an awesome day!
01-31-2016 03:42
01-31-2016 03:42
@SebringDon wrote:One thing to remember is that proteins and carbs contain about 4 calories per gram, while fat contains about 9 calories per gram.
Thanks again, @SebringDon, great post!
Another thing you may want to mention is alcohol (7 calories per gram, hardly any nutritional value).
Dominique | Finland
Ionic, Aria, Flyer, TrendWeight | Windows 7, OS X 10.13.5 | Motorola Moto G6 (Android 9), iPad Air (iOS 12.4.4)
Take a look at the Fitbit help site for further assistance and information.
01-31-2016 04:15
01-31-2016 04:15
Thanks again for your comments. I've inserted an ETA: (Edited to Add) noting the problems with alcohol to that paragraph.
Charge HR, Flex | Windows 10 | Android | iPad
Take a look at the Fitbit help site for further assistance and information.
02-04-2016 14:33
02-04-2016 14:33
Thank you SebringDon for the detailed expanation and tips. Also, congrats on your wieght loss!
02-07-2016 10:53
02-07-2016 10:53
Thank you very much for the detailed info you provided! Really helped me to understand, as I was struggling understanding the "Calories In vs. Calories Burned" graphs & tracking tools! And I've been using a fitbit since 2012! Now let's see if I can make some adjustments and get better results!
02-12-2016 06:54
02-12-2016 06:54
Fantastic explanation! Thanks for taking the time to do this
02-16-2016 06:03
02-16-2016 06:03
Great post! Thanks for taking the time to write all this up.
I really like your "gift card" idea and thoughts on cheat days.
PS I did not know alcohol was 7 cal/gram... I thought it counted as a carbohydrate and scored it 4 cal.
Wishing you continued success on your plan!
02-16-2016 07:27
02-16-2016 07:27
Thanks @SebringDon
Wendy | CA | Moto G6 Android
Want to discuss ways to increase your activity? Visit the Lifestyle Forum
03-15-2016 09:58
03-15-2016 09:58
This was excellent. I had so many questions and this just answered every one of them. I love fitbit I have tried so many diets and nothing has worked and now it is working it helps keep you on a healthy path!
03-17-2016 20:57
03-17-2016 20:57
03-25-2016 08:33
03-25-2016 08:33
wow thank you for taking the time to write all of this really useful info. brilliant
07-01-2016 07:10
07-01-2016 07:10
10-19-2016 06:49
10-19-2016 06:49
10-19-2016 08:22
10-19-2016 08:22
10-19-2016 08:27
10-19-2016 08:27
12-10-2016 06:34
12-10-2016 06:34
Thank you @SebringDon
As a new owner of a Fitbit Charge 2 the food plan makes much more sense to me now i have read your guidance and tips.
01-08-2017 09:23
01-08-2017 09:23
Thank you Don for this info. I just got my first Fitbit (Charge 2) yesterday. I've been food tracking with MyFitnessPal for some time, and wanted to consider changing over to the Fitbit tracker, but right away, the calories in vs. calories out were making me confused. As an Accounting Professor, I was really bothered how the numbers don't seem to add up. This has helped. Thank you.
01-27-2017 14:03
01-27-2017 14:03
I just love your "gift card" tip. Thanks for sharing!