Calorie intake goal way too high

[SunsetRunner]

I started using the food tracker in the app yesterday, and I've noticed that it is WAY off. Using other online calculators, I get a number around 1600 for maintaining my weight. At a deficit of 750, the app is say I should be eating 1800 calories. That suggests it's estimating my BMR at around 2500? For a woman of average weight?

I know from using other trackers in the past that the 1600 number is accurate and that I absolutely gain weight if I eat 1800 calories per day. 

My settings are all put in correctly. Is there anything I can edit to get this number to fix itself? I like the convenience of having it all in one app, but these numbers are wild.

[JohnnyRow]

You can see what Fitbit is using for your BMR.  Look at your calorie burned chart for overnight when asleep and read off the calories burned per 15 minutes when it is at its lowest.  If that BMR does not seem reasonable to you, check you personal data is entered right, particularly weight.

[SunsetRunner]

As I said, the settings are all correct. I've checked and re-checked absolutely everything while trying to find some way to edit the goal manually. Even read numerous other threads and already tried calculating BMR using the calories burned during sleep (only 14.5/fifteen minutes, a full 1000 lower than the number the calorie counter is implying!) Even checked to make sure the units were correct. Everything looks perfectly fine and comes out with the right numbers. I even tried changing the diet plan several times. All of them added back up to ~2300 when I added the calorie intake and decficit together. 

And now today the intake and deficit add up to 2100 instead? I changed absolutely nothing while sleeping, so I have no idea why it's dropped 200, either. 

I don't know. Maybe it's going crazy because I just started using the calorie counter. I'll give it a week and see if it continues to drop to more accurate numbers, I guess. 

[Heybales]

First - if the difference between eating 1600 and 1800, eating a mere 200 cal extra, causes ANY weight gain more than 1 lb slowly over the course of 18 days, then it isn't fat gain that is occurring.

Only water weight is that fast, plus the fact you may have more food in your gut.

Second - it appears you are thinking of what BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) is wrong, that's your sleeping rate of burn, not your TDEE you seem to be doing math up to. TDEE is the Fitbit Daily Burn you may see somewhere.

There is also a daily burn goal, that is a static figure you can change.

Third - the eating goal is based on the activity Fitbit sees you doing and a TDEE figure from that - which may be different than you guessing from what, 5 different levels of exercise and no choices for daily activity from online calc? Perhaps you are guessing incorrectly.

So that's why it's going to change as the day goes on.

You have 2 options in your Food diary as to how Fitbit estimates the rest of the day for calorie burn from the data it has already - Historical (which you have none of) for weekdays and weekends, or Sedentary which is not the same Sedentary on those other TDEE calculators but rather barely above sleeping level.

Fitbit takes the estimate of what you've burned already, the projection, comes up with a daily burn, subtracts your selected deficit - bam! there's your eating goal.

Obviously it's going to change as the day goes on, it has to, because what you have burned changes, the future projection changes.

Each day is likely to be different, because it's unlikely you do exactly the same thing daily.

Fitbit is trying to teach a life lesson regarding weight management:

You do more you can eat more.

You do less you sure better eat less. (that's usually the kicker!)

In a diet a tad less in either case.

2000 daily burn is considered average for average Sedentary female.

Are you sedentary, no exercise, no kids/pets/household duties keeping you busy?

Now - there are tweaks to help Fitbit estimate your daily burn better. Which means your eating goal will end up more realistic.

And it indeed needs to learn you for about 2 weeks to help with workout calorie burn estimates.

Daily burn is based on steps and more importantly the distance they take you - wrong distance wrong burn.

BMR is the basis for all that.

[SunsetRunner]

I understand that you're trying to help and appreciate your answer, but I'm not new to calorie counting. All you've said are things I know (and some things that aren't accurate for women, but I'm not here to argue). I know what my body needs, and I know that the fitbit app is way overestimating it.

All I want to know is how to override the goal to be more accurate. I don't really have an interest in why it's wrong. You've said there are ways. How? I've searched the app up and down and have found absolutely no place where I can edit my activity level or override the goal.

[Heybales]

Sorry about bad assumption of being new to the whole thing.

When I see terms being used wrong I assume too much sometimes.

From the web account (may allow you to find it in the app but easier to read here I think):

Log - Food

Food Plan / Plan Summary section - Plan Summary - Edit Plan

Next to Food Plan tab where you selected your Plan Intensity (or speed of loss) - Set my own calorie target