How do I figure out how many calories I should burn each day?

[Mel_S]

I am really confused about the calories burned setting on my dashboard. I'm still fairly new to FitBit (Just over one month) and when I originally set up everything I put in a target weight goal, and started with a 10,000 step a day goal, but moved it up to 15,000 to challenge myself more. With the weight goal I thought FitBit configured my target calorie burn, since the In-Out numbers fluctuate and with it the amount of calories I can eat changes as I update it. But on the Calorie tile on the dash I never hit the target goal. Looking at it, it is set to 3,000. And looking at the graphs I have never even hit that on days that I put in the most activity and forget to input my food! Is the 3,000 a completely obscure number that needs to change? Or is that a calculation based on my weight loss goal?

Since I have gotten my FitBit and have been consistently more active and watching what I eat, I have lost 5 pounds. So, I'm on pace with my goals... I just can't hit that one number and don't really understand why.

Thanks for any input you have. The FitBit Community rocks! 🙂

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

@Mel_S 

Didn't figure that out yet though until now. @Colinm39 has posted a a explanation in the following thread. Hope it helps. Welcome to the community.

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Fitbit-com-Dashboard/What-is-the-explanation-of-the-CALORIES-tile/m-...

You rock to.

[Mel_S]

Thanks. I'm still confused, but what I gather from that is that the Calorie tile stands alone from the Calories In vs Out tile. Similar to how even if you change your step goal, your mile goal stays the same... even though it would make sense for them to incrument together. Meanwhile the Food Plan and Calories In vs Out tiles ARE linked together and changing one affects the other. 

[slysam · Accepted solution]

I think it is just a goal--just like your 10k steps, 5 miles, 30 very active minutes, etc. All the goals are self contained and don't directly effect the other tiles (well meeting or exceeding them might only because you may end up burning more calories. If you meet your current calorie burn goal, it would likely change your allowance since it would mean a higher burn than you usually meet). If you have a premium subscription, it is based on your trainer goal + your BMR. Otherwise, unless you changed it, it is just a default goal. I would suggest changing it to something more meaningful to you (not an option if you have premium though). One possibility is to look at a day where you were happy with your activity and set it to whatever you burned that day.

[Mel_S]

Oh! *lightbulb* Thank you! That puts the answer @SunsetRunner linked in perspective! I don't have a premium account, so I don't have a trainer goal; I was confusing that with the calculation the site gave me for my weight goal via the food plan.

Thank you both. It all makes sense now.

[Heybales]

The best way to look at that goal, which is all it is, besides showing what you have currently burned too.

Say you selected a 500 cal deficit for 1 lb weekly.

Say you have logged your foods and realize you are really happiest when you get to eat at least 2000 daily.

So you set your goal to 2500 to burn daily. Less the deficit of 500.

You get to eat your 2000 and lose 1 lb weekly.

Doesn't change your other goals, but something to reach for to know you get that glass of wine or cup of ice cream.