Confused about allowable calories

[prairielilly]

TL;dr - I think the total energy expenditure number is too high.

Hi,

I’ve been using my Fitbit Charge 2 HR and the app on my iPhone for about a year and a half, and am happy with both. I understand how Fitbit calculates your daily allowed calories, factoring in BMR etc and adding on calories burned via exercise. No issue with the theory of any of that.

Well mostly. I’ve been using mine to lose - I’ve had it set at a 750 calorie deficit; for me that usually had it recommending I eat around 1500 cals/day. Not a problem. However, at those levels I’ve been maintaining my weight, not losing. So, I recently reset my food plan goal for a 1000 calorie deficit. Ok.

Now, my question: I’m 43, slightly overweight, female, moderately active (I burn 150-300 cal/d with dedicated exercise). 1500 calories/day seems about average to generous for me to eat per day, from those I know and things I’ve read. How on earth is that a 750 calorie deficit? If I were to start eating 2250 calories per day, does Fitbit call that maintenance? I’d gain ten pounds a day doing that.

I use the app (tied into My Fitness Pal) regularly throughout the day and have come to rely on all its numbers. I just don’t see why it’s stating my total energy expenditure (basal metabolic rate plus calories burned w exercise) as around 2200-2500/day, when eating 1500/d seems to keep me maintained. If I’m really in a 750 calorie deficit, why am I not losing in spades?

All height/weight etc info in my profile is correct, and I weigh and measure my food religiously. I’m pretty confident I’m not underestimating my food. I just wonder, what calorie allowance it’ll give me when I get to maintenance. 2250??

Does that make sense? I’ve searched the forums for answers to this, and found lots on what BMR is (yup all clear), how fitbit calculates burned calories (same) but not this. Why are the TEE numbers so high? No one eats that amount to maintain. I’m missing something?

I know this is long 😉 Thanks in advance.

[Dominique]

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@suhelkk wrote:

So Ross decided to go with Fat Decimator 

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I’m afraid the Spam Post Decimator will soon remove your pathetic attempt to inject illegitimate content in our community.

[prairielilly]

I can’t figure out here how to delete my post, so - I think I figured out what the problem was. Much more forum searching w different terms, apparently I’m far from alone with this question contrary to what I’d thought, my numbers make much more sense to me now. Cheers to all

[Emlang1024]

Can you explain how you figured it out? Because I feel like I'm in the same boat. Thanks!! 

[prairielilly]

Hi Emlang1024,

I’d searched on the forums for how fitbit figures out your total energy expenditure and basal metabolic rate....I found a post where someone suggested that in Dashboard, look at your daily calorie burn graph and see what fitbit says you burn when you’re asleep. Each bar represents 5 minutes (if I’m remembering correctly, sorry I didn’t write it down) and so if you have that number you can extrapolate it to see what you burn per hour when you’re sleeping, and then extrapolate further to see what that would be in 24 hours - this is what fitbit thinks is your basal metabolic rate. In my case, that was a number very similar to BMR values I’d calculated elsewhere on the internet, and I had no issue believing it. It was about 700-800 calories lower than my projected burn for the day a la Fitbit...that’s pretty reasonable for daily running around etc. Fitbit was of course adding exercise calories burned on top of all of that.

Why I was ‘maintaining’ at 1500/day? I still have no idea that. I can only think that it was some grievous mis-measuring on my part....or I’ve got a horrifically slow metabolism, or.....I don’t know. Honestly, I gave up on micromanaging my calorie intake at that point - I still look at the Fitbit app to see what I’m burning and my sleep stats and heart rate and all, but I eat something healthy when I’m hungry and stop when I’m full and don’t worry about it past that any more. And, for the first time in years - I’m finally losing.

Hope that helps. Good luck!

[Emlang1024]

Thanks! I appreciate your feedback!

[awolfe]

FYI you're probably maintaining at that large deficit because your metabolism slows down at any deficit (by up to 30%), and then you consequently burn fewer calories (when sedentary AND in a workout). You might also be under tracking calories inadvertently. I'm not a professional, but I'd suggest reducing your deficit, walking vs. doing intense workouts, and when in doubt, over estimating calorie consumption.