Overbudget with calories left in budget

[gujacq]

I've seen this question before with the answer being that there are still calories left to be accounted by the end of the day. However, I waited until Sunday passed and retroactively added more calories to the food tracker to test. Why would it still say I'm over budget with X number of calories left in my budget after the day's over and accounted for? Doesn't make sense.

It makes less sense when synced with Myfitnesspal, too. Should I follow Fitbit or MFP's calorie estimates? Just want to make sure I'm not over- or under-eating and losing weight at a healthy pace.

[niknac]

It could be you are eating into the deficient amount of calories. For me -  it will show me as over if I am not at the 1000 negative goal because my calories went over a tad and so my negative is 900 rather than 1000 so i went over by 100.  Also, I was eating the calories FITBIT said I had left and the scale was going up NOT DOWN!  I read others post that there is an issue with this on FITBIT and it has yet to be resolved. Because of these 2 things I use Loose IT or MFP for counting the calories going IN and only FITBIT for the count of calories going OUT.  Hope this helps you.

[CruiseChick-LOL]

I am new to my fitbit, and LOVE  it, but I am worried  about how much Im eating......I notice the more I walk around the more calories it wants me to consume........but eing 40 and having the metabolism of a sloth.....I am stressing at the thought of eating more.    I have just finished dinner, and my food log says I should eat almost 700 nmore calories....even though I have eaten 3 healthy meals and 1 snack.  Losing this weight is so important to me.....and this honestly is my last shot, I have done so many diets, and even though I am a stickler abiut following the plan to the letter....plus wazlking 3 miles a day....my weight does not come down!!!        And I just know there are tiny little bikinis just waiting for me to fit into them!!!   LOL   😉

Cheryl

[Heybales]

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@gujacq wrote:

I've seen this question before with the answer being that there are still calories left to be accounted by the end of the day. However, I waited until Sunday passed and retroactively added more calories to the food tracker to test. Why would it still say I'm over budget with X number of calories left in my budget after the day's over and accounted for? Doesn't make sense.

It makes less sense when synced with Myfitnesspal, too. Should I follow Fitbit or MFP's calorie estimates? Just want to make sure I'm not over- or under-eating and losing weight at a healthy pace.

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Don't follow 2 roads to the same destination - just asking for frustration and confusion.

MFP for food and diet amount, Fitbit for fitness goals and logging.

Here are the why's on some of that.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-a...

As to current confusion - which tile exactly are you looking at, and what exactly was the test you did?

Because correctly prior day's foods on MFP should indeed cause correction to Fitbit for calories eaten.

If the syncing is going smoothly. Which it doesn't sometimes.

Also, this becomes a moot point by following MFP for food and diet intake side aspects.

[Heybales]

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@CruiseChick-LOL wrote:

I am new to my fitbit, and LOVE  it, but I am worried  about how much Im eating......I notice the more I walk around the more calories it wants me to consume........but eing 40 and having the metabolism of a sloth.....I am stressing at the thought of eating more.    I have just finished dinner, and my food log says I should eat almost 700 nmore calories....even though I have eaten 3 healthy meals and 1 snack.  Losing this weight is so important to me.....and this honestly is my last shot, I have done so many diets, and even though I am a stickler abiut following the plan to the letter....plus wazlking 3 miles a day....my weight does not come down!!!        And I just know there are tiny little bikinis just waiting for me to fit into them!!!   LOL   😉

Cheryl

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700 calories left to eating goal.

And eating goal was I'm betting already 1000 less than what you burned daily.

So you are eating 1700 less than you burn.

I'm betting too by your words that you don't burn more than 3500 calories daily for that to even be about eating 50% less than you burn. So you are likely eating even a bigger % less than you burn.

I hope eating less than half of what your body would like to burn sounds scary - it should. It's that kind of setup to stress out the body, cause it to adapt, that causes about 20% muscle mass loss as your weight lost, causes difficulty in reaching goal weight as body adapts, and causes failure in maintenance as the eating level MUST be so low coupled with exercise MUST be so high.

So, the question is - do you repeat what you've done in the past, just to have the same future again?

Oh sure, it worked in the past perhaps so some degree to lose the weight - but to keep it off?

There are so many women in their 50-60's tired of their yo-yo diet life being wasted away with terrible relationship with their bodies and food, just miserable.

And want off that train.

And repeating past methods is the same train.

[Jennyjenn79]

Asked my husband about this the day and he explained that the key to losing weight is finding that perfect balance between cals in vs cals out. If you are doing X amount of activity and steps you want to make sure you are eating the right amount of calories to sustain your self through out the day. If you are as Fitbit says "under target" then your body will go into starvation mode and hold on to your fat stores. If you go over target then youre over eating. So you have to stay within the "green target zone" for the best results. I find following that is a great tool to make sure I dont over eat and if i do go over I know to try to get more steps in. 

[PamelaHazelton]

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@CruiseChick-LOL wrote:

I am new to my fitbit, and LOVE  it, but I am worried  about how much Im eating......I notice the more I walk around the more calories it wants me to consume........but eing 40 and having the metabolism of a sloth.....I am stressing at the thought of eating more.    I have just finished dinner, and my food log says I should eat almost 700 nmore calories....even though I have eaten 3 healthy meals and 1 snack.  Losing this weight is so important to me.....and this honestly is my last shot, I have done so many diets, and even though I am a stickler abiut following the plan to the letter....plus wazlking 3 miles a day....my weight does not come down!!!        And I just know there are tiny little bikinis just waiting for me to fit into them!!!   LOL   😉

Cheryl

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When you set your goal, it created a daily deficit. Let's say that defecit is 500. That means you're plan is to burn 500 more than you take in. If you burn more, it's going to adjust the recommended intake. 

I'm over 40, and my metabolism has always been slow. The thing is, when you burn more than you eat, you lose, regardless of your metabolism. That being said, I often wind up under budget, but that is only because I will eat if I'm hungry. I will never not eat if I'm hungry, though, so if you're under budget, that's not necessarily a bad thing - so long as your body is getting what it needs to survive. If you're hungry - EAT!

[CruiseChick-LOL]

Thanks Jenny!!!!  🙂

I really want to lose this weight but I want to do it properly and in a healthy manner. 🙂  Thank you so much for the support and input!!!

🙂  Cheryl

[CruiseChick-LOL]

Thanks so much Pamela,

I am just trying to figure this all out, and look forward to enjoying life, my friends and fasmily as long as possible!!!  🙂 

There have been so many diets that have made amazing promises.....and I lose a few pounds but nothing substantial.  And after my last run with weight watchers (4 months, of eing strict on diet and working with a personal trainer 3 days a week.....i lost less than 5 pounds) I got discouraged and ate EVERYTHING I could get my hands on, even when I was not hungry.......so here I am now up over 200 pounds and I feel gross......BUT, Im not feeling sorry for myself, I am moving forward and making a change ....and I think Fitbit may just be the tool that allows me to finially understan what my body needs.....and what it does not need. 🙂

Thanks again for your kind support, and I look forward to becoming a healthier me, right salong with the rest of you!!! 

🙂  Cheryl

[CruiseChick-LOL]

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@PamelaHazelton wrote:

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@CruiseChick-LOL wrote:

I am new to my fitbit, and LOVE  it, but I am worried  about how much Im eating......I notice the more I walk around the more calories it wants me to consume........but eing 40 and having the metabolism of a sloth.....I am stressing at the thought of eating more.    I have just finished dinner, and my food log says I should eat almost 700 nmore calories....even though I have eaten 3 healthy meals and 1 snack.  Losing this weight is so important to me.....and this honestly is my last shot, I have done so many diets, and even though I am a stickler abiut following the plan to the letter....plus wazlking 3 miles a day....my weight does not come down!!!        And I just know there are tiny little bikinis just waiting for me to fit into them!!!   LOL   😉

Cheryl

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When you set your goal, it created a daily deficit. Let's say that defecit is 500. That means you're plan is to burn 500 more than you take in. If you burn more, it's going to adjust the recommended intake. 

I'm over 40, and my metabolism has always been slow. The thing is, when you burn more than you eat, you lose, regardless of your metabolism. That being said, I often wind up under budget, but that is only because I will eat if I'm hungry. I will never not eat if I'm hungry, though, so if you're under budget, that's not necessarily a bad thing - so long as your body is getting what it needs to survive. If you're hungry - EAT!

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Thanks so much Pamela,

I am just trying to figure this all out, and look forward to enjoying life, my friends and fasmily as long as possible!!!  🙂 

There have been so many diets that have made amazing promises.....and I lose a few pounds but nothing substantial.  And after my last run with weight watchers (4 months, of eing strict on diet and working with a personal trainer 3 days a week.....i lost less than 5 pounds) I got discouraged and ate EVERYTHING I could get my hands on, even when I was not hungry.......so here I am now up over 200 pounds and I feel gross......BUT, Im not feeling sorry for myself, I am moving forward and making a change ....and I think Fitbit may just be the tool that allows me to finially understan what my body needs.....and what it does not need. 🙂

Thanks again for your kind support, and I look forward to becoming a healthier me, right salong with the rest of you!!! 

🙂  Cheryl

[AprilM1989]

I am new to fitbit and was hoping someone could help me out... I have tracked my calories for a week now (weighed in last wednesday) and I followed the calories my fitbit says I should be eating... it said I should be eating around 1500 to 1600 a day with my workouts I do... which I thought was alot to be eating but I just went with it anyway. I weighed in this morning and gained 1.7 pounds which I know could be muscle but I am just nervous that the fitbit is way off and is letting me eat WAY more than I should. It says to stay within 50 calories of your daily allowance but it also sometimes says I have x amount left for the day and that I am over budget???? Is that maybe because I log my lunch and dinner in the morning before I leave for the day and I haven't "burned" enough to eat all that??? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I really want to loose weight and am nervous using this system to follow it.

[Heybales]

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@AprilM1989 wrote:

I am new to fitbit and was hoping someone could help me out... I have tracked my calories for a week now (weighed in last wednesday) and I followed the calories my fitbit says I should be eating... it said I should be eating around 1500 to 1600 a day with my workouts I do... which I thought was alot to be eating but I just went with it anyway. I weighed in this morning and gained 1.7 pounds which I know could be muscle but I am just nervous that the fitbit is way off and is letting me eat WAY more than I should. It says to stay within 50 calories of your daily allowance but it also sometimes says I have x amount left for the day and that I am over budget???? Is that maybe because I log my lunch and dinner in the morning before I leave for the day and I haven't "burned" enough to eat all that??? Any help would be greatly appreciated. I really want to loose weight and am nervous using this system to follow it.

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Sorry - it can't possibly be muscle.

It's impossible to gain muscle that fast. Even if you were a male doing progressive weight lifting routine eating in surplus.

People's common comments that "perhaps you gained muscle" has led to some exaggerated expections for possible muscle growth.

But did you just started exercising?

Exercise by itself causes weight gain, especially when starting it. Many reasons for water weight increase.

So while the first week of a diet most people lose a big amount of water weight, if you actually start a big difference in exercise, you can gain more water.

Also, were both weigh-in days valid to actually do math with, to minimize expected known water weight fluctuations?

Morning after rest day eating normal sodium levels, not sore from last workout.

If you were lower sodium last weigh-in compared to this time, water weight.

And that's not a lot of calories at all, I'm guessing you selected a 1000 cal deficit, and your Fitbit said you actually burned 1000 more than you ate.

Unless you logged what you use to eat that got you in to trouble, you likely have no idea of what calorie levels are for gain or loss or maintenance for you. And even if you did, that was prior to exercise it sounds like.

Forget that fuel guage graph, it's about useless - use the eating goal tile that says how much burned for the day estimated, and how much eaten to your goal.

Pre logging meals is great idea actually, lets you plan on an average expected amount, and then if you end up doing more, you can have a treat to meet your goal.

The issue comes if you miss that workout after work say, and have to lighten up dinner to still meet goal, but you are hungry.

[AmandaL]

Keep in mind, everything with Fitbit is only an estimate.  I've gone to both extremes: eating a lot less than the calories they've allotted me and eating the exact amount they've allotted me.  It wasn't until I saw a nutritionist and discussed how many pounds I'd like to lose (we also discussed other health goals) that I was able to really figure out how many calories I should be eating (I was given a range for heavy active days, moderately active days, and rest days), how often I should be working out, and even how often I should have a "cheat meal".  Come to find out Fitbit was allotting me far too few calories on rest days and far too many on active days.  I love my Fitbit, don't get me wrong, it's great to keep me motivated and keep track of what I'm eating, but I definitely recommend speaking to a professional who can assess you as an individual and your unique needs.  It's really worth the 1-time cost!

[almost2crazy]

I am starting to understand the 2 widgets... and why they can show different things... (I think)...

The "Calories Left to Eat" widget is basicly a guide to how much you can eat before you hit your food plan daily calorie intake (for the current day ONLY)... 

Calculated like this (from how i understand it):

• Left to Eat = (calories burned so far) + (estimated calories burned now to midnight) - (plan deficit) - (calories in so far)

The "Over / Under Budget" widget is a WEEKLY (dial) + Daily (in/out) guide...

The DIAL seems to track over or under for the entire week - Sunday to Saturday.

While the IN vs. OUT numbers, below the dial are showing current day stats.

They can show conflicting things.

EXAMPLE: Let's say, on a Friday...

1.  the "Left to Eat" widget shows 'XXXX' calories left to eat.
2.  the "Over / Under Budget" widget shows you as OVER.

This is because, while you may not have eaten anything yet for the day (XXXX calories left to eat), your total allowed calories for the WEEK is over budget.

Again this is how i am understanding the widgets so far.... PLEASE correct me if im mistaken. Thanks 😃

[SebringDon]

@almost2crazy

Sorry, but the In/Out gauge is a daily "Eatometer" showing you only if you're eating ahead of or behind your daily budget. Here's a bit I wrote about that.

Why the Daily Calorie Estimate and Calories In vs Calories Out Tiles Disagree

One of the most often asked questions I've seen concerns the difference between these two tiles. The Daily Calorie Estimate is an estimate of the total calories you can eat for the whole day, taking your BMR, activity calories, Food Plan deficit, and whether you're on a Personalized or Sedentary plan into account. The Calories In vs Calories Out gauge, on the other hand, is specific to the current time of day, and includes the fraction of your Food Plan deficit that you should have earned by that time of day as well as the calories you've actually burned in the same time period. If you think of the Calories In vs Calories Out gauge as an "Eatometer," showing how fast you're consuming your daily calories, it may make understanding the difference easier.

For example, consider someone who eats a big breakfast early in the morning. Even on the Sedentary plan, they may already have a Daily Calorie Estimate of 1300 calories or more first thing in the morning, reflecting their entire daily BMR, so eating a 1000-calorie breakfast would show that they still had 300 calories left to eat for the day.

The Calories In vs Calories Out gauge, however, only gives credit for calories actually burned so far for the day. At 6AM, they may have burned only a few hundred calories BMR while sleeping, plus a few activity calories for stumbling to the bathroom, brushing their teeth, and making their way to the breakfast table. In addition, since it's 6AM, 25% of the day is gone, which means that the gauge needs to hold 25% of their daily deficit in reserve. If they're on the 500-calorie deficit plan, that's another 125 calories to be accounted for. So it's quite reasonable for the Daily Calorie Estimate to show 300 calories left to eat for the day, while the "Eatometer" is WAY over in the red zone, shouting "Slow Down, you're eating too fast!" Early in the day, that's not a problem; later in the day, you should be paying close attention.

To summarize, the Daily Calorie Estimate will often tell you that you have more calories available to eat, even if you're "over budget" at the current time. It's okay to be "over budget" early in the day, since it's better to eat earlier rather than later, but be careful about running over the Daily Calorie Estimate for the day unless you have a lot more exercise planned.

Also remember that the Daily Calorie Estimate will increase throughout the day as activities burn calories, so that 1300 morning estimate may turn into 2500 or more by the end of the day. Don't assume that the first number you see in the morning is your final daily food budget, unless you're planning to lay in bed all day.

You can read a whole four-part series that includes the tidbit above at the following link.

Fitbit's Food Plan Demystified

[almost2crazy]

Great info! Makes perfect sense.

I have found an issue! (which mislead me to how the widgets worked)

In the screenshots below:

The 'over/under budget' on the android app dashboard is showing correct: "IN THE ZONE"

The fitbit.com dashboard it is showing incorrect: "UNDER"...

All the other data between the dashboards match up great.

Could this be a problem more people are seeing, and causing the confusion on why it shows conflicting info??