calories over budget explanation

[jojomontyjohn]

newbie to this and not getting why it consistently tells me im over my calorie budget at the same time as it says i have a couple of hundred calories left?my output is way over my input too.any thoughts?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[SunsetRunner]

Welcome to the Community @jojomontyjohn! The budget is based on your food and weight loss plan. If you set it for a pound a week, then it subtracts the 500 calories on the daily total for your intake. You can be over budget (within the 500 calorie deficit) but still have calories left to be at neutral.

I hope this clarifies your concern.

[SilviaFitbit]

@jojomontyjohn Hope you're doing well!  I noticed that @SunsetRunner has offered a suggestion to help resolve your issue with the amount of calories that you were getting. Was that the information you were looking for? If so, I invite you to mark @SunsetRunner's post as the solution. Marking posts as solutions is a great way of thanking another community member while also highlighting their solution so that it may be discovered more easily by other community member's facing the same questions or issues as you. You can read more about Accepted Solutions here.

If this didn't resolve your question, or you're still unclear on this, let us know and we'll be happy to work through it with you.

[Writinginmyhead]

I'm confused by the explanation. If I set it fit a pound a week, then it gives me 1500 cals to eat for the day, does that mean I will be within my budget as long as I eat no more than 1500 cals, or do I have to eat no more than 1000 cals to be within my budget. Because right now I have eaten about 1200 cals for the day and have expended about 1400 cals, but it's still saying I'm over budget. It says I have over 600 cals left for the day. I'm using the android app.

[SilviaFitbit]

@Writinginmyhead It's nice to have you here! The Food Plan tile will show you how many calories you're allow to eat and how many you have left. The amount of calories that you're allow to eat are based on the Food Plan intensity that you chose and the calories that you burn daily. If you feel that the amount of calories eaten is too hard for you, you can change it check this article

The Food Plan will work like this: The calorie deficit will be deducted from the amount of calories burned and those will be the calories that you're allow to eat. 

So, even though you have 1400 calories burned and 1200 calories eaten it will depend in the calorie deficit that you have. 

Hope this helps. 

[tawneeannee]

This does not help. Obviously something is wrong. Mine says I'm over budget and I've had 0 calories in and 175 calories out. How can I be over budget when I haven't eaten anything? My fitbit is synched so that's not the problem. Please explain what's going on. Thank you.

[TTC425]

I agree. I am not getting this either. ....

[SilviaFitbit]

@tawneeannee Welcome to the Community! You shouldn't be seeing over budget in your Food Plan tile because if you haven't logged anything, the tile should show under. I would like you to provide me with a screenshot of what you're seeing and I'll investigate it. 

@TTC425 It's nice to have you here! Please provide me with more details about what are you seeing? Are you getting over budget when you haven't logged anything? 

You can learn more about Food Plan here. 

Keep me posted. 

[tawneeannee]

I don't babe a screen shot right now but as soon as it happens again I'll send it because it's happening every day. Right now it's not accurately reflecting calories out vs calories burned. They usually match and today they don't despite the fact it has synched and refreshed 3 times. I have 3 screen shots for this...and it's showing me overbudget even though my cals in are only 618 and my cals out are 1200

[MuShuYo]

The Calories In/Out/Budget is simply not user friendly - fitbit should consider revising it. I have tried to use it but cannot get a simple, understandable answer as to why it reads over budget when there are 100 or more calories left.  When the response directs one to the Nutrition/Food Plan section there is nothing helpful there. Otherwise, the rest of the dashboard features make sense.

[tawneeannee]

I figured out why it's saying overbudget. It is based on your deficit that you set when you set up your fitbit. So for example I set up a 1000 cal deficit so I could lose 2lbs per week. My calorie plan is 1400 per day and my BMR is 1700. I would need to make sure I burn an extra 700 calories for a total of 2400 for the day to stay in the zone or else I'll be over budget. The extra cals that it says you have are what you're allowed to still have a deficit. You can change your deficit at any time 😊

[TTC425]

I'm just confused as to the calorie counts.    I count my calories : I burn calories.    Is the gadge of 'under' and 'over budget' what I need to follow to lose weight?
Should I stay 'under budget'?  Or 'in the zone'? 
Is 'over budget' meaning in going to gain weight? 
I'm so confused.   

Sent via the Samsung Galaxy Note® 4, an AT&T 4G LTE smartphone

[JMHaro]

Something that I did (and a fitbit moderator can say if this is correct or not).  I recorded my calories burned value at a specific time each evening like right after dinner (if I wasn't going to do any particular workout) as long as it is at the same time each day.  Then on the following day, I recorded the total calories burned by the end of the previous day.  Doing this several times I then calculated an 'average' of the difference for each day recorded which gives me an idea on how many calories my body will continue to burn for the rest of the day, so lets say this comes out to around 600 calories from 6pm to midnight.

Then after I eat my final meal of the day and my calories eaten have been entered, and usually I get the over budget indicator, I can take my current calories burned and add the average calories I normal burn (600) to it and see if that gives me my desired deficet in calories.  If it's under the desired deficet, that may give me an incentive to work a little harder during an evening workout.  If this needs to be explained a little easier how about this:

Doing a 1lb a week weight loss goal giving me a desired 500 calorie deficet per day.

Lets say from 6pm to midnight I find that I normally burn on the average 600 calories (just loafing around the house).

Right after dinner I enter my calories in and it shows I've consumed 1500 calories and burned 1700 calories.  Which currently shows as an 'Over Budget' Red.

I then add the 600 calories to the 1700 calories giving 2300 calories.

Subtracting my consumed calories 1500 from the 2300 calories gives me a 800 calorie deficet.  So at this time I know I should be in the zone if not under budget.

I don't know if this would help anyone.  It would be nice if the Fitbit could do this all automatically by 'learning' how many calories you normally burn as a base rate at body rest and figure this into the Budget range to actually know your budget rating.

[JoanSand]

I still don't understand either. My calorie count tells me I have 194 calories left of my allowed but my meter tells me I am over budget.  Which is right?

[JMHaro]

One thing I've also learned with mine is that the meter displays a level at the current moment which is based on the time of day.

If you have a 500 calorie deficet goal:

• At 6AM, it calculates you in the Zone if you currently have a 125 calorie deficet +/-50 to what you have currently burned at that moment.
• At Noon, it calculates you in the Zone if you currently have a 250 calorie deficet +/-50 to what you have currently burned at that moment.
• At 6PM, it calculates you in the Zone if you currently have a 375 calorie deficet +/-50 to what you have currently burned at that moment.
• At Midnight, it calucates you in the Zone if you currently have a 500 calorie deficet +/50 to what you have currently burned at that moment.

So that's why the Below/Zone/Above meter rage varies through out the day even if you haven't eaten anything since a previous meal.  The calories left is strictly the remaining max calories provided for you for your given plan but has nothing to do with the meter display.

[ERussin28]

I understand the confusion and I think I just realized what is happening. I am pretty sure that the calorie counter and the meter, as you called them, are not supposed to tell us the same things although it looks like they are. I'll use what my dashboard says right now as an example. In my calorie counter, it says I have eaten 1232 / 2095 calories for the day. The 1232 calories is what I have actually eaten but the 2095 is just an estimate of how many calories I can eat all day. This estimate is taken according to my usual activity. The meter currently says that I have eaten 1232 calories and burned 1752 calories so far today. But it says that I am over. I am pretty sure this says that I am over because I have not yet reached the 1000 calorie deficit that I have set to reach my weight goal. I have only reached a deficit of around 500 calories so far. It won't say that I am on track or under until the amount of calories burned is actually 1000+ more than what I have eaten. 

In your post, you may have 194 calories left to eat but only according to the estimated amount that the dashboard allowed you for the day. If you were less active that day, you may not reach your calorie deficit and the meter will say that you are over. 

[Steph1018]

This explanation actually makes more sense.  I agree with the others, though, that Fitbit needs to revamp this particular dashboard item.  It's really confusing for newbies like myself.

[tawneeannee]

The explanation makes sense but not only is it confusing to some it's also really negative. I'm already dealing with too much trying to diet and I just don't need the negativity. I agree Fitbit needs to revamp this area to make it more understandable and also more positive. Positive reinforcement is a way better method of keeping everyone on track with their diet and exercise plan.

[Denise0318]

I think the issue is the many ways the data is presented... the Samsung app lists calories in/calories out and then next to the food icon the calories left... but pressing on any of this takes the app to the chart and then those numbers that tell you whether you are over budget or not keep changing.  The confusing part to me is that I have not eaten for 4 hours and naturally the cals out number increases... all fine up until this point.  However, as the cals out number increases, so does the number over budget... this makes no sense.  The number of calories over budget should DECREASE as I am not eating but am still moving around, going up and down stairs, typing this message.

Is this a known issue that is being fixed with an upgrade to the app?  It is very confusing and frustrating.

[ericbitfit]

Hi folks. I am having the same issue, see below. Despite the explanations from the very helpful moderators, this is very confusing. Either the graphic on the left is incorrect and it should show under, or the graphic on the right should not tell me I have 406 calories left to eat. We are looking to the dashboard for guidance. I do suspect this is a bug or something that should be adjusted to make it clear how many calories we have left to eat for the day. Thank you!