Should I be eating more?

[SunsetRunner]

Alright, so I’ve been trying to lose weight for a while and I lost about 45 lbs over about 5 months 263=>220. Recently (basically over Christmas) I put about 15 of it back on. I got a FitBit for Christmas so I started tracking my calories on MyFitnessPal to help. I basically followed (roughly) the same diet as I had when I lost the weight and I usually eat right around 2,000 calories a day. With that being said my Fitbit is saying that I’m averaging close to 4000-4500 calories burned per day. And I know a 2500 calorie deficit definitely isn’t the healthiest thing and I do know that the calorie counter can definitely be a bit wrong, but there’s no way it could be off by more than 500-1000 calories. So even with a lowball of 3500 calories I’d still be eating under by 1500.

I was thinking of bumping up my intake to roughly 2500 or maybe even 3000 calories a day, but eating 3000 calories a day to lose weight just seems ridiculous.

How accurate is the Fitbit (Charge 3) calorie burn calculator?

My main question really is should I bump up the amount I eat? And if so by how much?

Other info:
Age: 22
Height: 6’0”
Current weight: 234lbs

Fitbit stats:
Avg. steps per day: 15,000 
Avg. distance traveled per day: 7 miles
Avg. active mins per day: 150

I work out 6 days a week for about 1-1.5 hours which attributes to my active mins.

If there’s any other info needed, please just let me know.

[jamiebeez]

Honestly, 2000 calories sounds like a lot... but it all depends on how you feel.  I don't really take into account what fitbit versa says i burn during the day, i only take into account what I burn during my workout. That said, I tend to eat between 1200-1400 calories and so far in january i have lost 3.1 pounds.

It all depends on you, and your activity level and goals. back when i was 220 pounds even then i didn't eat 2000 calories.... maybe try 1500 calories?

[SunsetRunner]

Bump it up! You will hit a brick wall if you continue to have a large deficit like that.

[Dominique · Accepted solution]

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@SunsetRunner wrote:

How accurate is the Fitbit (Charge 3) calorie burn calculator?

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The best way to tell (for someone wearing a Fitbit, logging their intake and weighing themselves regularly) is to compare the predicted change in weight to the actual change on the scale. You’ve only had your Fitbit for a bit less than a month, which may be a bit short, but you should have a rather good picture after another 3-4 weeks.

Note that the equation used by Fitbit is for someone your age/your gender/your size who has maintained their weight for some time. You, OTOH, lost 17% of your starting weight in 5 months: that’s a lot, and it has likely impacted your metabolism. In other words, your BMR is not that of a person your age/your gender/your size, but is likely less than that.