Calories in vs calories out

[Jemrockstar]

Hello, 

I am still pretty new at this fit bit stuff, I have only had mine for about a week and I some questions that maybe someone can answer, sorry if they are dumb questions but I really want to understand this.  First how come in the section where in says calories in vs calories out it shows that I am over but it also says I have calories left to eat? I thought over meant that I spent all my calories.  Also I was wondering why do some people eat the calories they burned? Isn't the point to burn as many calories as you can for weight loss, if I eat them back can I still lose weight? 

[ThatGreen]

I'm gonna try to explain this in detail cause I know no other ways, so bear with me.
The calories left to eat are based off your expected burn for the day, which is either based on your basal metabolic rate (BMR) - this is pretty much what you burn just by being a living, breathing human being and is based off your height, weight, age and sex - or your total daily energy expenditure (TDEE) - your BMR multiplied by an activity factor (like sedentary, lightly active, etc.). 

I'm not actually sure which it is. But this is why you wake up and have burned several hundred already.

I believe the reason you're shown that you're over your calories is because you simply haven't burned all your calories yet. For example if you're done eating for the day and log it at 7pm, the average american 40 year old woman (we'll call her Amy) would still burn over 300 calories during the remainder of the day even if all she did was sit and watch tv or go to sleep (because BMR).
If Amy had a goal of being in a 500 calorie deficit, the Fitbit would say she was over on calories for the day, since she's technically only in a 200 calorie deficit at 7pm.

The same can happen any time during the day. If Amy woke up at 5am and had a 300 calorie breakfast, she would technically have eaten roughly the same amount of calories as she has burned on that day (since days reset at 00.00).

The Fitbit knows she'll burn more that day, so it will say that she's over her budget, but still has more left to eat.

Many people generally eat some of their exercise calories back because they have a planned deficit and not doing so gives them a bigger deficit. Exercise can also make you more hungry cause the body wants food, because food is fuel.

Eating too little is a very real concern if you work out a lot too, because a bigger deficit is not always better. I think the general rule of thumb I've seen around is that you should eat at least your BMR. Not eating enough can also cause your body to lose muscle as well as fat and that's not a good thing.

You can absolutely eat back exercise calories if it fits in your plan.

Hope that helps

[JenniferinFL]

The reason for the discrepancy is that one box is showing how many calories you're estimated to burn and the other box is only showing what you've burned so far. I prelog my lunch in the morning before I go to work and that box shows over, but, usually by the time I get to actually eat the lunch I'm back in the zone. 

Everyone eats the calories they burn to some extent. Even if you stayed in bed all day, you still burned calories and so if you eat at all you technically eat back calories you burned.. But, that is splitting hairs a bit isn't it? lol

You really do not want to create too big of a deficit. Because I'm a larger person, everything I do burns more calories than it would for a smaller, more efficient person. I'm set for a 1000 calorie deficit per day which is considered a high deficit for fast weight loss. You really do not want to be losing weight at more than a 1000 calorie deficit because you will likely screw up your metabolism and become demotivated because a deficit greater than that is stressful to maintain and so on. Some people do manage it, but, it's usually more the realm of professionals under the supervision of a physician (actors, bodybuilders..etc) or those who have undergone gastric bypass.

Back to your question, Fitbit often starts my day by predicting that I can eat 1700 calories to maintain my 1000 calorie deficit. However, because of activity requirements throughout my day, by the end of it I may have 2100+ calories available. Now, because I already have my deficit set to the highest recommended level, I will eat the 2100 calories. Why? Because having too large a deficit can easily trigger overeating the following day. It also totally zaps your energy and makes it hard to make yourself exercise the next day.

My Fitbit Blaze seems to be dead on for me. I have lost exactly what my deficit indicates I should have lost and haven't been really tired or ravenously hungry in the 3 weeks I've been using the fitbit. So, I'll keep following the recommendations until they don't work for me and then I'll adjust as needed.

But, yeah, that's why I eat my extra activity calories. I've done it the other way and only made it about a month.. lol  

[emili]

I think you have the answer to the first part of your question.. the second is really up to you. The idea is that at the end of the day you are in a deficit to allow for fat loss to happen. So if you burn off 500 calories but eating 200 back will still leave you in a deficit for the day, eat them back. If you know the next day you will be eating out and need to "store" up some calories, don't eat them back. Or if you want to be in a greater deficit just because its not 100% accurate and you rather be under than over- don't ever eat them back. I fall into the last scenario. Sunday through Thursday I do not eat back any calories and I make sure there is a decent margin between in and out. Just so that when the weekend comes, I can enjoy myself without any fear. I am also in maintenance, I am no longer losing. Let us know if you are good with your questions...