SO Confused About Fitbit's Calorie Calculations & "Goals"

[calicass83]

I am a new Fitbut user..this is my 3rd day. So, on my dashboard Fitbit has come up with a number 2842 as my caloric "daily goal". However, in my Log, my Food Plan says I can eat 2540 calories. My "zone goal" says I've burned 2804 calories, eaten 1205 calories and can eat only 444 more to be "in the zone" - that would put me at 1649 calories eaten to meet this goal. What's the deal with these 3 different numbers???

Can anyone explain the caloric "daily goal" vs. the "zone goal" vs. "food plan goal"??

[Heybales]

Zone goal ("Calories In vs Out") is only up to that point in the day, what have you burned and eaten - I find it pretty useless as my next meal will take care of showing yellow, if I've planned well. It's only 50 cal range.

Hover over the "i" icon for more info on it.

Food Plan has a magnifing glass to tell you what those stats are based on.

The setting icon there determines what the day is assumed to be, either based on historic stats of past days, or assume sedentary and you build on that with activity.

That pop-up shows that daily burn assumption minus your self-selected weight loss deficit amount and remaining calories to eat is result in food plan, along with how much of them you have eaten.

If your actual daily burn goes above assumed, the math is adjusted.

Daily Goal calories was during your setup, when you selected how active you were planning to be with exercise - rough estimate, it can be adjusted by you. Merely goal to try to reach with activity.

For instance, if you want 1 lb weekly loss, you took 500 cal deficit.

Perhaps through experience, you know you'll only stick to calorie goal if you can eat at minimum 2000 calories - so you set goal Daily Goal burn to 2500 calories. So after the 500 cal deficit, you get to eat the amount you know you'll adhere to.

The Food Plan info though took sedentary view if you picked that option, and figures you'll burn 2200 for the day, with eating goal of 1700 then.

As you move above 2200 then, the eating level increases.

And during the day your Zone goal will report how close to 50 calories you are to your goal eating and burning at that point in time.

Hope that helps.

And that daily burn assumption, many don't like using historic or personal option, but start at sedentary and let the activity increase it. Which makes the Zone goal a tad worthless because it's not aware.