my fitbit is so innacurate!

karyabc
karyabc Posts: 830 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
After constantly hearing how fitbit is so awesome and helpful, I raise money and bought a fitbit flex 10 days ago and is constantly giving me tons of extra calories, when I say tons is because for the past week I haven't got even close to 10,000 steps goal and giving me like 334-486 calories that I doubt are true.

but my real deal is something that I def conclude today is happening, it counts extra steps like crazyyy when I'm driving! I spend almost 4 hours a day commuting and today I basically didn't walk, just spend the day driving and it's saying that I walked almost 7,500 steps in hours that I'm definitely sure I was driving.

When I got the fitbit in their website it says that it was tested under many circumstances to avoid inaccurate readings, I know is not perfect but damn so many thousands steps extra :o

anyway advise guys please, does this happen to you?, do you use it while driving?, I've read that it was best to use it in the dominant hand, should I change it? oh and also are the extra calories is because I'm 200 lbs +?

oh and just to add, my car just got on fire half an hour ago, so I guess since I don't have a car anymore, the excessive amount of walking is expecting me is effing awesome..

Thanks in advance.

Kary.

Replies

  • MysticRealm
    MysticRealm Posts: 1,264 Member
    edited August 2015
    Go into fitbit and for the time that you are driving overwrite it by adding 'exercise' under 'driving' or sitting'.
    To my knowledge you want it on your non dominant hand or it will over estimate more steps. This is one of the reasons I'm glad I have the One which doesn't go on the wrist.

    Are you set at sedentary otherwise? If so then almost any walking around will start giving you extra cals.
  • ktekc
    ktekc Posts: 879 Member
    i put mine on my non dominant hand and set it for dominant so it wont read as many movements.
  • karyabc
    karyabc Posts: 830 Member
    MysticRealm wrote: »
    Go into fitbit and for the time that you are driving overwrite it by adding 'exercise' under 'driving' or sitting'.
    To my knowledge you want it on your non dominant hand or it will over estimate more steps. This is one of the reasons I'm glad I have the One which doesn't go on the wrist.

    Are you set at sedentary otherwise? If so then almost any walking around will start giving you extra cals.

    ok, I'll try to do that, overwriting.

    about the non dominant hand I read in their website:

    "You can improve the accuracy of your Flex by changing the Dominant Hand setting. To do so, log into your fitbit.com dashboard, click the gear icon in the top right, and go to Settings > Devices. Changing this setting to "Dominant" will decrease the sensitivity of step counting and should reduce any over counting of steps when your body is not moving. The "Non Dominant" setting will increase the sensitivity of step counting, and we recommend this setting if your Flex is not counting enough steps."

    and finally yes I'm set at sedentary, I guess should change it to lightly active maybe
  • karyabc
    karyabc Posts: 830 Member
    ktekc wrote: »
    i put mine on my non dominant hand and set it for dominant so it wont read as many movements.

    that could work, thanks!
  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
    The only way to gauge the accuracy of any device is to trust it for several weeks, then reevaluate your progress. If (and only if) you enable negative calorie adjustments, your adjusted calorie goal is TDEE minus deficit.

    But you still have to log everything you eat & drink accurately & honestly. I eat back my Fitbit adjustments, lost the weight, and kept it off.

    You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

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