Questions about Fitday.com

A

Alibran

New member
Yesterday, I signed up at Fitday.com for their online service, and put in all my exercise and meals throughout the day. I was very happy that it showed I had a deficit of around 850 calories, but there are a couple of things that look strange.

First thing, I put in the walking I did yesterday (1 hour at 3mph - the speed was a guess) and it came up with 153 calories burned. Today, I did the same walk with my new pedometer, and it came up with exactly the same speed (3mph), but told me I had burned 357 calories. Obviously, I am more inclined to want to believe the pedometer, but what do other people think? Fitday has my height/weight at 5'2"/157lb, and the pedometer only records the weight.

Secondly, I ate two items of fruit with my lunch yesterday, and I thought the calories Fitday suggested for them might be a bit out. Apple - 63, pear - 82. That looks quite high to me, for fruit. I know someone who I was talking to a while back who was dieting told me she couldn't have an apple "because there are 10 calories in an apple". I think she was with weight watchers. I've also noticed that apples are listed as a "negative" calorie food in the burn calories by eating celery thread.

I've never calorie counted before, if I've wanted to lose weight I've just tried to eat less. But I'm getting older now, and it's getting harder, so I need something to keep me motivated. But I don't want to be cutting down my food too much, or pushing myself too hard in my exercise just because the system I'm using to record my food and exercise is giving incorrect figures.
 
I usually use this one to compare calories, if I'm not sure about something on Fitday.

As to the calories burned, everyone is different. Your pedometer has no idea how much you weigh, how tall you are, how much effort you're putting into your walk, etc. Neither does fitday. I would assume though, that since you enter your height and weight into fitday, that it would be a little more accurate.
 
The neat thing about fitday is you can go in and change the calories/nutrient values on foods. When the calories are more than 5 +/- from what's on the label on in a food counter book I use, I just adjust on fitday. And, for a small apple (not sure about the pear cause I don't eat enough to remember) that's about the right calorie count. Don't know about the negative calorie thing either cause I count everything.
 
Thanks for your comments.

I was really asking about the fruit because at those figures the recommended 5 fruit and veg a day would add up to a meal's worth of calories. Since I usually eat 5 portions of fruit on top of my normal meals to make sure I get them, that will soon add up. When I've lost weight in the past, I've also dieted on an eat-all-the-fruit-you-like basis because I figured that fruit fills you up without contributing much to your calorie intake. I don't want to feel that there's any guilt attached to having an extra apple.

As far as the walking is concerned, I've cross-referenced on several different sites and got a calorie range of 300 to 487 for 1 hour/3 miles walking at my height and weight, so I think Fitday is doing me out of some calories burned!! I'm going to stick with 300 calories for 1 hour walking, and leave it at that. I figure, as long as I'm eating less and exercising more I'm going to lose weight.
 
I don't want to feel that there's any guilt attached to having an extra apple.
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Just please don't get into the mindset that calories are bad. Empty calories, like pop and chips, are a waste. Calories from fruit are good for you, and full of vitamins. Your snacks should add up to a meal, that's the whole idea...to have snacks to fuel your body.
 
I agree with Dari!

Keep eating the healthy foods, the fruit is really good for you and you can have a TON of it!

Fitday is finicky...I find that the food calories are usually accurate but the activities calories are way off. I use a treadmill that records calories burned and go by that when entering the my activities.
 
Kaitie said:
Keep eating the healthy foods, the fruit is really good for you and you can have a TON of it!
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That's probably how much I eat on a regular basis!!

I think I'm going to work on the basis that fruit is free from now on, and not bother recording it at all. Then I'll stop worrying about fruit calories.

As for the activities, I'm glad you noticed the same thing, Kaitie, and it isn't just me going mad. I was starting to think I should try cycling instead of walking, although I much prefer walking, if I was only going to burn 150 calories in an hour. And besides, the whole uphill/downhill and different speeds bit was confusing me a lot. I just average 3mph over the whole walk, uphills, downhills and on the flat. I try to keep a steady pace, although that's very difficult when you see some of the hills around here.
 
Alibran said:
First thing, I put in the walking I did yesterday (1 hour at 3mph - the speed was a guess) and it came up with 153 calories burned. Today, I did the same walk with my new pedometer, and it came up with exactly the same speed (3mph), but told me I had burned 357 calories. Obviously, I am more inclined to want to believe the pedometer, but what do other people think? Fitday has my height/weight at 5'2"/157lb, and the pedometer only records the weight.
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I weigh about 90 lbs. more than you do, and if I walk for 1 hour at 3 mph, I burn about 400 calories. So it seems to me the real truth is somewhere in between them, say around 300 calories.
 
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