calories burned

[5NZK3Z]

I've lost 28 pounds since I began my relationship with FitBit Alta HR - my goal was loss; the recommended calorie burn was 2307. Burning those calories was easy. My goal now is to maintain my current weight; the calorie burn remains at 2307, but reaching that is now difficult. Would there be an automatic adjustment since my weight and goal has changed?

[Dominique]

Welcome to the community, @5NZK3Z, and congrats for your weight loss!

When you set up your account for the first time, the goal for calories burned is the same for everyone (based on age, gender, height and weight), whether or not you intend to lose weight. The calories goal is quite challenging: it usually takes more than the standard 10k steps goal to reach it.

Fitbit won’t adjust the calories goal over time, even if you lose a significant amount of weight (as in your case). It won’t adjust it as you become older either: for instance, I still have the same calories goal after five years of gravitating in the Fitbit universe.

You could also argue that as you become lighter and older, it takes more effort to burn the same amount of calories. OTOH, if you are lighter and fitter, it becomes easier for you to produce the same effort: less weight to carry around and you’ve become more efficient too (fitness aspect). However, if you feel the calories goal initially set by Fitbit can no longer be realistically reached, you can set it lower. Fitbit won’t automatically do it for you.

[Baltoscott · Accepted solution]

@5NZK3Z - To be honest, I’ve almost always ignored the calories burned goal.  

As @Dominique explained it is set when you set up your account.  With Fitbit premium (no longer available), it used to change based on a 12 week training program you could set up.  And you can change manually (like other goals) as explained here.

The reason it is harder to hit now is because your lighter body doesn’t burn as many calories at rest so you have to up activity to make up the difference.  

But I just don’t find it to be a useful metric outside the context of the old premium membership’s Fitness plan.  I never understood how Fitbit came up with the goal it set in the first place and it often seems unacheivable — (according to Fitbit I’m more active than 98% of users, yet I don’t hit the calorie burned goal fitbit set for me; thankfully I can change it if I don’t like it).  Better metrics to follow now that you are in maintenance mode are activity goals and calories consumed goals if you track what you eat, and making sure weight on the scale stays within 5 lbs of so of your goals weight.

[5NZK3Z]

Thank-you!