Bring back Calories Left estimate on new Fitbit app

[Lindsey1981]

Please can we have the actual, numerical estimate of calories remaining back on the app please? I have been following a sedentary calorie deficit plan since mid August and have lost over half a stone. I was very dependent on this metric to plan my food. Now I'm too scared to have a yoghurt in-case it tips my little pointer into the pink zone!

Moderator Edit: Clarified subject

[Jenergized]

The app is pretty much useless to me when it comes to tracking calories now that this feature is gone.  I hung in there even after they took away groups and FitBit bingo, but this is the end for me.  The calories left is how I planned my evening meal.  It is an essential part of tracking my health and weight and food and activity,  

The website dashboard is the only place I can see it now and I wouldn’t be surprised if they take that from us eventually, too. If the data is still being tracked, as it obviously is on the web site, why can’t they just add it to the app?

I don’t even have the words to describe how much I hate this company now.

[lala.goodtimes]

I just want to see what my predicted goal date is???

[Jenergized]

I just found out they are removing the website dashboard in July.  That is the only place that has this number.  No other fitness tracker offers this number. They need to bring this back to the app before they delete the online dashboard.   They claim everything on the dashboard is on the app, but that is a total lie.  I use this number daily.  

[mama2em]

Oh no—that number won’t even be available online after June???? It’s already a pain but at least it’s a workaround. That truly makes Fitbit useless to me, then. I literally could cry. 

[SunsetRunner]

@LizzyFitbit Can you respond as to the website dashboard going away in July? If this is true, where will we be able to see the Calories Left Estimate on the app? It is really the only feature that has kept me with Fitbit, even after removing it from the app and the hassle of having to go to the website to get it. If the website dashboard is disabled, the last bit of brand loyalty I had is going with it. I'm really disappointed in the absolute silence on this matter for 8 months.

[SunsetRunner]

@LizzyFitbit - Never mind about verifying that the web based dashboard going away. But the question relative to the Calories Left Estimate remains. Where is it on the app? 

[Kristyi22]

This is so messed up!!!! Why aren’t they listening to the people?! Whoever is running this needs a reality check. 

does anyone know what other brand has the calories left? Because it looks like we’re alll going to have to jump ship. Disappointed is an understatement right now. 

[SunsetRunner]

https://community.fitbit.com/t5/Fitbit-com-Dashboard/Fitbit-com-web-dashboard-is-transitioning-to-th...

[wsnarb]

I have been a loyal FitBit user for years. I wrote about needing sleep detail data when this thread began. I just took a free premium trial to see if it has improved since I commented. It has not.

What is the difficulty with providing information that you have in the past provided?

I am on the edge of jumping ship to a Garmin. I already tried the rectangular Galaxy and returned it.

Cut us all a break and put back the old, good, useful sleep detail and for that matter, everything that loyal FitBit users are requesting.

C'mon, really!

[Mackynz]

Any update on this?

Given the web dashboard is being retired with the claim that, "The data and features of the Fitbit.com dashboard are available in the Fitbit app which you can download on Google Play Store and Apple App Store."

That statement is false for this and a number of other reasons.

[coleking21]

It’s the craziest thing. It’s like they’ve stopped even monitoring this
thread. My understanding was that if enough users weighed in expressing
interest in bringing the feature back, they would consider it. But instead,
they seem to be completely ignoring the wishes of hundreds of users for
technology they already have, already gave to us, and then took away.

[ColDick]

Correct!!!
Sent from my iPhone

[Alison2222]

I've been using Cronometer, which is annoying because it's a separate app,
but it is able to sync with Fitbit. It requires tweaking but I now have it
perfectly set to calculate my calories left for the day. That being said, I
was so mad at Fitbit that I got an Apple Watch instead. So I wear the Apple
Watch all day (it also syncs with cronometer) and just wear the Fitbit at
night because it gives the best RHR score.

[Noelleabell]

Please bring this calories remaining estimate back!  Since it’s been removed from the app, I have been using the web based estimate, but now that is going away in July!

[Tbirdy28]

Same experience!! Which ap did you switch to?

[mama2em]

Yes, @Noelleabell , I’d love to know which app you switched to as well; I’m in the EXACT same boat as you! I’d achieved my goal too, but my weight is creeping back up as well because it’s become so difficult having to “predict…”

[SunsetRunner]

Lifesum. But I'm having an issue with the connection to Apple Health for calories burned. For some reason, that figure is only passed half of the time. I'm trying to isolate the problem so I can ask them what I'm doing wrong. Fitbit doesn't send steps to AH or Lifesum, so I have been manually adding steps to Apple Health and then it feeds Lifesum. I went ahead and subscribed for a year so I have time to decide which tracker/watch to switch to that will feed Apple Health and that might lead me to another dietary app. No idea yet, but I know I have to have something workable. There is a free version that may work for others.

The food diary is good. I haven't used the create food, create meal, create recipe features yet, but logging itself is easy. I used the Fitbit app for that almost exclusively before, so this isn't a big change. It has the 'read barcode' feature as well to quickly locate a food, does the nutritional roll up. 

[romancereader]

I've been testing out MyFitnessPal and it shows the calories remaining I have left to eat. I synced my FitBit with it so the exercise calories move over and show up there. I am using the the free version, not the premium version so there are ads but at this point, I don't care. I just want the number. That app lets me use it on my phone AND the computer, which is huge for me. I am having to learn a new environment but after a few days I figured it out. Most everything I eat is in the database and there's an option to add more if I can't find what I'm looking for. You can even calculate calories for homemade recipes and add them to your day. It's not perfect but it's the solution I'm going to have to go with. Hope this helps!

[SunsetRunner]

I hope I can get the activity sync for Lifesum worked out. I just added a widget to my iPhone homescreen that has the calories remaining circle, water and nutritional breakdown (c/f/p) of calories consumed, so super simple to keep tabs w/o opening the app. Tap on the widget and it takes me straight to the app diary. Synced my Wyze scale to AH and that fed Lifesum straight away. The iPad app is not just a blown up rendition of the phone app. It makes use of the larger display area. It was easy to add a recipe and the calories match my own calculations.

All in all, if the AH syncing works out, I'm in. I know it's not the answer for those who need and want a desktop version but for those that are looking for an app, Lifesum is worth a look.

[depepsi]

This is an essential feature, users need the remaining calories for meal planning, or for adding more exercise to their day to compensate.

[ellenannmary]

I've seen that you are getting rid of the web app, with the built in kcals left to eat feature. Why? It was already annoying when you removed it from the app and left us to guess our remaining kcals for the rest of the day!

[Karriday]

@Kristyi22   All of those food tracking apps do that, I think,  I’ve tested Cronometer, MyFitnessPal, Loseit, MyNetDiary (which is what I am using now exclusively) and many many others.  They all work the same way, but never matching the way Fitbit does it.

The adjustment Fitbit makes to account for the calories you will still be burning until midnight is unique to Fitbit.  I have never been able to get an app that gives me the same numbers.  I played around with most of those apps and the numbers never quite lined up.  

While I did have do a tweak in Fitbit to make myself a foot shorter to account for Fitbit's overestimation in exercise calories, I ended up having to do a lot more manipulation in the food tracking apps to get somewhat close to an accurate number.  I would use them side by side with Fitbit and Fitbit’s number always led to the expected weight loss.   So, yes, the food tracking apps are great, but the mechanics they use are not a true replacement right out of the box.  

[Grammy2stasia]

I agree the calories eaten and average calories burned on the app aren't accurate. The web interface is my go to for both. These two pics were taken this morning. For me to get an accurate average calories burned I have to remember to check at the end of the day. The app is useful for some items but it's missing key features. Losing the web app is the final straw for me. I'm leaving fitbit.

[Jenergized]

So, for the math people out there, I figured out how many calories Fitbit is adding to come up with that Calories Left To Eat on the website…and it is accurate within 10 calories or so.  So until they give it back to us in the app (wishful thinking) I will just do the math.

For those interested, you need to find out your hourly calorie burn at rest, according to Fitbit.  I did this by checking the calories burned when I woke up. For example, I woke up at 8am and the app said my Energy Burned was around 368…that means Fitbit is adding 46 calories an hour.

So at 5PM, I will have about 322 more calories to burn.  (At 5PM, there are 7 more hours in the day.  7x46=322)   I then take that number (322) and add it to the “left for the day” number we see in the food section of the app (see below). I have tested this for the past three days against the web dashboard number and it’s usually within 10 calories. (It’s easier when you check on the hour or half hour.). It’s also easier if you make a chart with the numbers left to burn from midnight to midnight.

They are truly a bunch of fibbers telling us that everything on the web can be found in the app.  Adding this simple calculation back in the Food tile seriously won’t ruin the aesthetic.  C’mon Google!  Do better!

[coleking21]

I will never understand how they just don’t care…