Fitbit accuracy
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Does anyone in this thread use a Heart Rate Monitor at the same time as their Fitbit, or take of their Fitbit when doing workouts it can't track and use the HRM instead? If so, what's the best way to add these extra calorie burns:
1) so that they aren't counted twice and
2) so that you get to add in more accurate calorie burns for some types of workouts.
I have a Polar FT7 which is currently out of action (waiting for new batteries) but when I get it up and running again I want to be able to use it in addition to the Fitbit.
I use a polar ft4 for workouts
I have done it both ways and leave my fitbit on now, then you log the HRM calories as a workout (although I normally knock them down as I do cardio, plus weights and it's only really accurateish for steady state cardio) and put in the time
I just use a simple calisthenics log and overwrite the calories ...I know what I'm doing so it doesn't matter what I log, but you could choose any exercise
This overwrites fitbit steps logged during those times, providing your time zones are the same in MFP and fitbit0 -
It's not quite that simple. It compares the motion pattern detected from the 3d accelerometer to databases of activity data and picks the closest match. Then it applies the METS value (google it, if needed) for that activity to your BMR for that moment. It does that all day. So it'd be like you logging each moment of your day in an activity database.I got a Fitbit Flex about 3 weeks ago and have been wearing it, but I haven't linked it to MFP. So far, it's been overestimating my calorie burns by about 10-15% compared to observed real-world results. But I'm going to give it a bit more time and see if that stays that way or if it levels out.
Remember that Fitbit is really just a glorified pedometer. It can't assess calories burned from non-step exercise. And even for steps, it's just using a formula to convert steps into calories, and that formula is only as good as any other formula out there on the web, in other words, it may need to be adjusted a bit for your body.
If the Fitbit gets you moving more than you otherwise would have, great. If you're counting on it to be 100% accurate on calorie burns? Nah. Not meant for that.
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WalkingAlong wrote: »It's not quite that simple. It compares the motion pattern detected from the 3d accelerometer to databases of activity data and picks the closest match. Then it applies the METS value (google it, if needed) for that activity to your BMR for that moment. It does that all day. So it'd be like you logging each moment of your day in an activity database.
Yeah, but all of that is still based on a formula. It's a complex formula, granted. But it's still a formula.0 -
Does anyone in this thread use a Heart Rate Monitor at the same time as their Fitbit, or take of their Fitbit when doing workouts it can't track and use the HRM instead? If so, what's the best way to add these extra calorie burns:
1) so that they aren't counted twice and
2) so that you get to add in more accurate calorie burns for some types of workouts.
I have a Polar FT7 which is currently out of action (waiting for new batteries) but when I get it up and running again I want to be able to use it in addition to the Fitbit.
When you log the exercise on MFP it will ask you for the amount of time you did it, calories burned and the time you started. It communicates with the Fitbit so the Fitbit will count your steps during the workout, it will take the calories you entered as your burn and remove its calculations for that time. Basically as long as you log the exercise on MFP and include the start time it won't double your calories
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rabbitjb firstly where do you log the workouts? Do you do it on the Fitbit App/website or MFP and how does it know what time you've done the workouts? For example if I do a workout using my HRM but don't put in the workout manually until an hour or so later (when I have a chance) how can it tell?
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I see! Thanks for your help. I think I was confused about how it could work because the time option for workouts on MFP wasn't showing before (at least I never noticed it before I got the Fitbit). Now I can see that where I go to log workouts it asks me to put in the time I started and finished.
I'll make sure my settings for both MFP and Fitbit are in the same time zone and hopefully it will come out correctly.0 -
WalkingAlong wrote: »
I think he/she means it doesn't count stairs.brightsideofpink wrote: »Could anyone offer some advice as to which Fitbit is suitable for estimating burn/steps, but doesn't cost the earth? I've been looking at buying one, but I don't do full-on workouts that need 100% accuracy (I usually just walk, jog, ride or use wii fit).
The zip is the most affordable. It doesn't count steps, but unless thats a big part of your day, I wouldn't worry about it.
Hahaha. Oops. Yes. Stairs. Thanks for the faith in me
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When I was using my Fitbit in that way (eating back exercise and adjustments, logging it), I kept track of its calculated monthly deficits vs. my actual losses and it was pretty much right on. It gave me the confidence to eat the adjustments too.
I'm not doing that now since I don't log exercise, but the TDEE number I started with was based on my Fitbit numbers (cross checked with my own calculations and the calculators just to see if anything looked weird).0 -
Does anyone in this thread use a Heart Rate Monitor at the same time as their Fitbit, or take of their Fitbit when doing workouts it can't track and use the HRM instead? If so, what's the best way to add these extra calorie burns:
1) so that they aren't counted twice and
2) so that you get to add in more accurate calorie burns for some types of workouts.
I have a Polar FT7 which is currently out of action (waiting for new batteries) but when I get it up and running again I want to be able to use it in addition to the Fitbit.
I use a polar ft4 for workouts
I have done it both ways and leave my fitbit on now, then you log the HRM calories as a workout (although I normally knock them down as I do cardio, plus weights and it's only really accurateish for steady state cardio) and put in the time
I just use a simple calisthenics log and overwrite the calories ...I know what I'm doing so it doesn't matter what I log, but you could choose any exercise
This overwrites fitbit steps logged during those times, providing your time zones are the same in MFP and fitbit
This is similar to what I did. I overwrote the Fitbit results for running (step based, but my HRM and Runkeeper were pretty much on target with each other so I'd use Runkeeper--also easier to keep track of the miles from specific runs and I was doing a training program) and for things it couldn't deal with, like biking and weights. It's just important to have precise times if you are doing that.0 -
Could anyone offer some advice as to which Fitbit is suitable for estimating burn/steps, but doesn't cost the earth? I've been looking at buying one, but I don't do full-on workouts that need 100% accuracy (I usually just walk, jog, ride or use wii fit).
I have a Flex. I especially love it because it is water resistant so I can wear it when swimming and taking my water aerobics class. It is a little higher price than the Zip ($99) but the water part is worth it to me. I also like the 24/7 wearing it. I have a bad habit of forgetting things so the possibility of leaving it on my clothes or throwing it into the wash are high for a clip-on.
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Does anyone in this thread use a Heart Rate Monitor at the same time as their Fitbit, or take of their Fitbit when doing workouts it can't track and use the HRM instead? If so, what's the best way to add these extra calorie burns:
1) so that they aren't counted twice and
2) so that you get to add in more accurate calorie burns for some types of workouts.
I have a Polar FT7 which is currently out of action (waiting for new batteries) but when I get it up and running again I want to be able to use it in addition to the Fitbit.
I use both and keep both on while running or at the gym. I then log my burns on fitbit which the fitbit then incorporates into my daily burns. Its not like having a set calorie goal and then adding exercise calories on top.
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Does it matter whether you log the burns on Fitbit or MFP or does it still end up showing the same?
Doing it the way you are debrag12, doesn't MFP still add the calories onto your goal or is your Fitbit not linked to MFP? If so, what do you set your MFP calories to?0 -
The only thing I have noticed as far as inaccuracy is when I am in the pool. Fitbit counts about 75% of the steps I take when I am jogging in water. I am guessing that the buoyancy of the water lessens the impact of each footfall so not all of them register. I tested this out a couple of times by counting my steps then checking the recorded steps.
For burn, it doesn't matter because I log my water aerobics into MFP so it overrides any calorie burn Fitbit gives me for the steps taken at the time.0 -
Does it matter whether you log the burns on Fitbit or MFP or does it still end up showing the same?
Doing it the way you are debrag12, doesn't MFP still add the calories onto your goal or is your Fitbit not linked to MFP? If so, what do you set your MFP calories to?
Log them into MFP only.
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Does it matter whether you log the burns on Fitbit or MFP or does it still end up showing the same?
Doing it the way you are debrag12, doesn't MFP still add the calories onto your goal or is your Fitbit not linked to MFP? If so, what do you set your MFP calories to?
My calorie goal is TDEE - 20%. My goal increases/decreases throughout the day with how active I've been.
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rabbitjb firstly where do you log the workouts? Do you do it on the Fitbit App/website or MFP and how does it know what time you've done the workouts? For example if I do a workout using my HRM but don't put in the workout manually until an hour or so later (when I have a chance) how can it tell?
On MFP
It asks for the length and the the time you started and calories ..this is all displayed on your polar watch data files ...you can enter it any time you want0 -
the same on fitbit, you add start time, duration, distance/intensity, calories etc0
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Oh I agree. Sometimes people think it shows them their ACTUAL calorie burn. No. But it's not as primitive as some think either. Some think it does like "step count times x = calories" or "<5000 steps = sedentary, therefore calories are 1.2 times BMR".WalkingAlong wrote: »It's not quite that simple. It compares the motion pattern detected from the 3d accelerometer to databases of activity data and picks the closest match. Then it applies the METS value (google it, if needed) for that activity to your BMR for that moment. It does that all day. So it'd be like you logging each moment of your day in an activity database.
Yeah, but all of that is still based on a formula. It's a complex formula, granted. But it's still a formula.
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WalkingAlong wrote: »Oh I agree. Sometimes people think it shows them their ACTUAL calorie burn. No.
Exactly. I mean, I think most people who stop and think about it would realize that no $100 gadget can measure your actual calorie burn, and that it has to be extrapolated from some data points.
But I've seen a lot of people who treat their Fitbits like magic. And, moreover, who expect their Fitbits to be able to estimate calories from things that it was not designed for, like strength training or non-step cardio exercise.
Calculators, fitness trackers, formulas and algorithms are good for getting to a starting number. But it's just a starting number. The only way to see if it's accurate is to eat at that number for a while and see how much weight actually comes off.
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