Step Counter

davidjordo

i surely can't be the only one that thinks the step counters calorie burned estimate is completely off. I walk a lot at work but it says I burned almost 1200 calories today. I mean... Cmon.

Protranser

I've been eating my below my weekly suggested calorie burns and have been steadily losing weight. Some people aren't getting the same results though, so i don't know if the fault lies in faulty CO reporting or my faulty CI logging.

shadow2soul

I'm not sure what you're using to count steps or where the 1200 number is that your talking about. For that reason, I'll offer a few different scenarios:

1) the device you are using includes your BMR. So, like Fitbit for example, takes your BMR and divides it by the minute across your day. If you look at noon, the calorie burn on the Device will be 12 hrs worth of your BMR + any daily activity.

2) your looking at an adjustment on MFP. In which case the amount of your adjustment will depend on your activity level and time of day. The lower your activity level the higher your adjustment will be at the end of the day. On the other hand, if your activity level is set high, then mid day your adjustment might be temporarily high, but has the potential to decrease as the day goes on and your activity decreases.

3) your device is faulty

4) your device overestimates for you

davidjordo

shadow2soul wrote: »

I'm not sure what you're using to count steps or where the 1200 number is that your talking about. For that reason, I'll offer a few different scenarios:

1) the device you are using includes your BMR. So, like Fitbit for example, takes your BMR and divides it by the minute across your day. If you look at noon, the calorie burn on the Device will be 12 hrs worth of your BMR + any daily activity.

2) your looking at an adjustment on MFP. In which case the amount of your adjustment will depend on your activity level and time of day. The lower your activity level the higher your adjustment will be at the end of the day. On the other hand, if your activity level is set high, then mid day your adjustment might be temporarily high, but has the potential to decrease as the day goes on and your activity decreases.

3) your device is faulty

4) your device overestimates for you

MFP is using my iPhone to count my steps while its in my pocket. The problem is not with the distance, it's with the calories MFP estimates that I burn in that distance. There is no way I burned those 1200 calories in 17000 steps at work. The steps are right I just have a hard time believing that I burned that many calories walking.

shadow2soul

davidjordo wrote: »

shadow2soul wrote: »

I'm not sure what you're using to count steps or where the 1200 number is that your talking about. For that reason, I'll offer a few different scenarios:

1) the device you are using includes your BMR. So, like Fitbit for example, takes your BMR and divides it by the minute across your day. If you look at noon, the calorie burn on the Device will be 12 hrs worth of your BMR + any daily activity.

2) your looking at an adjustment on MFP. In which case the amount of your adjustment will depend on your activity level and time of day. The lower your activity level the higher your adjustment will be at the end of the day. On the other hand, if your activity level is set high, then mid day your adjustment might be temporarily high, but has the potential to decrease as the day goes on and your activity decreases.

3) your device is faulty

4) your device overestimates for you

MFP is using my iPhone to count my steps while its in my pocket. The problem is not with the distance, it's with the calories MFP estimates that I burn in that distance. There is no way I burned those 1200 calories in 17000 steps at work. The steps are right I just have a hard time believing that I burned that many calories walking.

I have no idea how MFP calculates calories for iPhone steps. Out of curiosity, what is your MFP activity level set at?


Edit: I got a 900 calorie adjustment from my Fitbit on a day with 15,446 steps. I have my activity level at lightly active, but my Fitbit gave me a full day calorie burn that was 900 calories higher than what MFP thinks I would burn at lightly active. My Fitbit has proved to be fairly accurate for me, but that day does include 46 minutes on the treadmill (with HR data).

davidjordo

shadow2soul wrote: »

davidjordo wrote: »

shadow2soul wrote: »

I'm not sure what you're using to count steps or where the 1200 number is that your talking about. For that reason, I'll offer a few different scenarios:

1) the device you are using includes your BMR. So, like Fitbit for example, takes your BMR and divides it by the minute across your day. If you look at noon, the calorie burn on the Device will be 12 hrs worth of your BMR + any daily activity.

2) your looking at an adjustment on MFP. In which case the amount of your adjustment will depend on your activity level and time of day. The lower your activity level the higher your adjustment will be at the end of the day. On the other hand, if your activity level is set high, then mid day your adjustment might be temporarily high, but has the potential to decrease as the day goes on and your activity decreases.

3) your device is faulty

4) your device overestimates for you

MFP is using my iPhone to count my steps while its in my pocket. The problem is not with the distance, it's with the calories MFP estimates that I burn in that distance. There is no way I burned those 1200 calories in 17000 steps at work. The steps are right I just have a hard time believing that I burned that many calories walking.

I have no idea how MFP calculates calories for iPhone steps. Out of curiosity, what is your MFP activity level set at?


Edit: I got a 900 calorie adjustment from my Fitbit on a day with 15,446 steps. I have my activity level at lightly active, but my Fitbit gave me a full day calorie burn that was 900 calories higher than what MFP thinks I would burn at lightly active. My Fitbit has proved to be fairly accurate for me, but that day does include 46 minutes on the treadmill (with HR data).

I'm pretty sure right now it's set to sedentary because I've never changed it but I don't know if that has anything to do with the caloric calculation from steps counted. I've always just wondered where they get the calories from because it's just kind of hard to believe. I don't count calories burned however in to my total daily intake. I just see them as extra calories burned.

minties82

I have also done about 15,000 steps (15,370) and fitbit has given me an exercise adjustment of 869kcal.

1200 could be right if you were quite large I suppose? Perhaps decide on a percentage of the number it gives you to trust.

Perhaps ignore a third of what it tells you? Are you quite tall and heavy? I'm 32, 4'11" and 173lbs.

minties82

Also it doesn't know what sort of effort the steps are being taken at I suppose. So it gives a blanket amount for each one.

bryjsal

I'm 6ft 240 and Garmin has me burning over 2000 a day. Averaging 10-14k steps a day.

magicsbaby

I think it might be kind if right, depends how it calculates your starting Base. Basically a man if correctly active burns up around say 2400 calories a day, so if your starting point is say 1200 then if you walked all day you would add to that and get to your 2400 or over. Personally I think 17000 steps is quite a lot so you should hit your full daily target and a bit more.. So maybe your Base us say 1600 and with 1200 added you now get to 2800 over the basic man.. Without knowing your Base it is hard to know. Mine as a female starts at 1200, set on sedentary.. And my steps add to that.. My work is sitting so I really struggle to get my steps in and have to exercise to get my full calories. I use misfit to calculate steps, currently selling cheap boots online.

shadow2soul

davidjordo wrote: »

shadow2soul wrote: »

davidjordo wrote: »

shadow2soul wrote: »

I'm not sure what you're using to count steps or where the 1200 number is that your talking about. For that reason, I'll offer a few different scenarios:

1) the device you are using includes your BMR. So, like Fitbit for example, takes your BMR and divides it by the minute across your day. If you look at noon, the calorie burn on the Device will be 12 hrs worth of your BMR + any daily activity.

2) your looking at an adjustment on MFP. In which case the amount of your adjustment will depend on your activity level and time of day. The lower your activity level the higher your adjustment will be at the end of the day. On the other hand, if your activity level is set high, then mid day your adjustment might be temporarily high, but has the potential to decrease as the day goes on and your activity decreases.

3) your device is faulty

4) your device overestimates for you

MFP is using my iPhone to count my steps while its in my pocket. The problem is not with the distance, it's with the calories MFP estimates that I burn in that distance. There is no way I burned those 1200 calories in 17000 steps at work. The steps are right I just have a hard time believing that I burned that many calories walking.

I have no idea how MFP calculates calories for iPhone steps. Out of curiosity, what is your MFP activity level set at?


Edit: I got a 900 calorie adjustment from my Fitbit on a day with 15,446 steps. I have my activity level at lightly active, but my Fitbit gave me a full day calorie burn that was 900 calories higher than what MFP thinks I would burn at lightly active. My Fitbit has proved to be fairly accurate for me, but that day does include 46 minutes on the treadmill (with HR data).

I'm pretty sure right now it's set to sedentary because I've never changed it but I don't know if that has anything to do with the caloric calculation from steps counted. I've always just wondered where they get the calories from because it's just kind of hard to believe. I don't count calories burned however in to my total daily intake. I just see them as extra calories burned.

Why did you pick sedentary? Getting 17000 steps from work alone means your activity level is a lot higher and an active person burns a lot more calories through day to day activity than a sedentary person will. I would see if changing your activity level to lightly active or active changes your future adjustments.

If I lower my activity level to sedentary, my adjustment for the day I mentioned above would be about 200 calories higher, because MFP would lower my expected burn by about 200 calories.

atypicalsmith

davidjordo wrote: »

i surely can't be the only one that thinks the step counters calorie burned estimate is completely off. I walk a lot at work but it says I burned almost 1200 calories today. I mean... Cmon.

I don't pay attention to what my fitbit says about my calorie count. There's no way it really knows how many calories I burned. However, logging in my food and exercise gives me a more realistic, although still far from perfect, way to know that I am eating less and moving more. I keep it simple. As long as the bathroom scales are in a downward slide, I'm happy.