Please explain the calories that show up on MyFitnessPal

[SamanthaJo]

Hi,

I've had my Fitbit for just over 2 weeks now and it's been synced with My Fitness Pal. I just don't understand the calories that show up on MFP.

My Fitbit shows that today I have burned 1800 calories but once synced to MFP it shows only 111? I'm really confused! This is everyday, the calories on MFP are always less to that on Fitbit? Is this normal?

I am entering my foods onto MFP but these are not syncing across to Fitbit either. If there are no foods logged in MFP, there is no calorie adjustment in there from Fitbit, even if I've been very active?

Also I dont like it that as soon as I wake up, i've already burned calories, I would rather my calorie tracker start as soon as wake, not while i'm alseep. Is there anyway at all to change the settings on this?

I'm so confused by all of this!! Can anyone help?

Thanks 🙂

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[SunsetRunner]

@SamanthaJo 

No clue about myfitnesspal, personally don't use it.

Regarding the calories burned..

A new day starts at midnight. Our bodies require energy even when resting (using calories/body fat when all energy from food is used).

The calories burned are from midnight 'till the current moment. The food plan however estimates the total food to eat for the day, and updates dynamically depending on activity. It's not possible to change when a new day starts.

[wtksk8r]

@SamanthaJo MFP uses the calories for food tracking so it calculates things differently.  The 111 is the total calories expended above the BMR.  MFP help page has description of how the calories are calculated:  http://myfitnesspal.desk.com/

I suggest you use one site or the other to minimize the confusion.  

[NancyN]

The fact that your food that you enter in MFP isn't showing up on your FitBit dashboard is a problem that you probably want to fix. (I don't really know how, but I'd try disconnecting and reconnecting the two apps.) The other things aren't really problems, you just need to understand what you're seeing and maybe adjust some settings.

Your FitBit will always show that you've burned calories while you're asleep. There is a simple reason for this - your body burns calories while you are asleep. Your FitBit is trying to estimate total calories burned for the day, not just calories from activity. That makes sense because you want your calories in (the food you eat) vs. your calories out (total calories your body burns) to match your goals (in<out for weight loss, in=out for maintenance, in>out for weight gain).

Then there is the calorie adjustment that MFP shows from your FitBit. MFP and FitBit take a somewhat different approach to things, which is probably where your confusion comes in. MFP estimates how many calories you're going to burn each day, based on the activity level you told it (sedentary, lightly active, etc.) and then divides that out evenly over the day (but you don't see that part directly). Then, it gets the data from FitBit and compares the number of calories FitBit says you've burned with how many MFP expected you to burn. If it is less, then you get a negative calorie adjustment (which is where mine usually is first thing in the morning) and if it is more, you get a postive exercise calorie adjustment. My experience is that in the morning, MFP and FitBit differ wildly in their estimate of how many calories I can eat that day but by bedtime they're pretty close in their estimates of how many calories I have left.

[steven7x]

Just my theory Sam, I think MFP guesstimates your calories needs based on your activity level. You have to make sure you check the "enable negative adjustments" tab in your setings. The more active you are, (more calories burned) the more calories MFP allows you to eat. It's different every day for me.  Sometims mine will say "you've earned 121- calories, and as the day goes on, something like you've earned 274 calories. It's very confusing, and I still don't fully understand how it works, but I do I agree, we burn calories when we sleep.

[tsabella1981]

Need help. I've synced myfitness pal with fitbit, it worked fine day one, but today under my daily food dairy in myfitness pal, it no longer shows the fitbit calorie adjustment? On the main page it's showing my steps for the day...any help would be appreciated.