Fitbit calories burnt

jessicasmum2008

Iv got a fitbit one and i normally do between 12,000 and 16,000 steps a day. My fitbit says im burning at least 3000 calories. Is this right or not? As iv noticed some people have done more steps and only burnt less than 3000 steps
Thanx
Anna

quiksylver296

That sounds rather inflated to me. I got over 21,000 steps yesterday, and my fitbit logged 2600 calories for the day (not for the exercise, for the whole day).

malibu927

It's dependent on your stats as well. The more you weigh, the greater your calorie burn is. Last Monday I burned 3100 calories for 12,600 steps, and I'm currently about 240 pounds. I also have a Charge HR, so that also can make a difference.

jessicasmum2008

Im 172lbs and 5ft 5. Do you think its just over estimated as it doesn't go on my heart rate like most of the fitbits?

Mrsmonas

Set it to sedentary

Gena575

Following as I feel like mine is inflated as well. I do know that the burn includes your "just breathing" calories that MFP gives you upfront. But on work days when I hit 12-14k steps it gives me a TON of extra calories. So far I've mostly ignored them, but I'm losing more like 2.5/week vs the 1.5 goal I set.

knelson095

I have a Fitbit one and we have the same stats...how long are you on your feet during the day? Like on days I purposefully walk a lot of steps all at once I burn less than days I am taking less steps per hour but I am on my feet all day. I have found that my One is actually pretty accurate for me.

jessicasmum2008

My active minutes range from 120 minutes to 200 minutes. At 120 mins i just burn 3000 calories and at 200 mins i burn 3700 calories. I try to be on my feet as much as i can, i do the school run and normally a an hours walk and rest is just bits here n there in the house or 10mins to the shops

laurelh8

For comparison: I'm 145 lbs 5' 4.5" and yesterday my Fitbit Alta steps came to 16,662 and I burned 2406 calories.

knelson095

That's quite a few active minutes. That means you were moving consistently enough during that time that the Fitbit decided to track it. Mine doesn't track my active minutes if I'm not walking fast enough, lol. My last 16,000 step day was Saturday with 47 active minutes and 2210 calories burned total. That's a big difference to yours. It seems a bit inflated still, if you eat any back I would start with half the adjustment and see what your results are after a few weeks.

jessicasmum2008

Looks like mine could be inflated then,but iv just looked at my calories burnt on the graph thing and its telling me I burn around 200 calories for 15 mins of walking when my walking is at intense level

jessicasmum2008

It looks like my fitbit tracks my active minutes even when im only moving for 1 minute.i always thought it only counted active minutes if you walk for at least 10mins

knelson095

Could be you just walk a lot faster than me. I went back and pulled six weeks of data from Fitbit and MFP and it showed that Fitbit underestimates my burn about 90 calories per day. Everyone's different though so you'll just have to pick and amount to eat back and see.

jessicasmum2008

I dont eat back any calories burnt. I was more just wanting an idea of how much im burning a day. I dont log any exercise or steps. Tomorrow will be weigh in day on my first week using mfp

jeichelb83

I only take half of what my Charge HR gives me.

knelson095

What's your activity level set at here on mfp? You don't have to eat any back to see if the burn matches. You just compare calories eaten, calories Fitbit says you've burned and actual lbs lost/gained/maintained. You'll just need more time to gather enough data.

heybales

jessicasmum2008 wrote: »

Im 172lbs and 5ft 5. Do you think its just over estimated as it doesn't go on my heart rate like most of the fitbits?

The HR-calorie estimate is only used for exercise anyway - the daily stuff is still based on steps, distance, pace, weight. Which is more accurate than HR at lower levels anyway.

If walking up/down hills, or with extra weight - it's not even counting that as extra effort for increased calorie burn.

So MFP gave you an eating goal based on your guess of NON-exercise eating level, right or wrong.

Now MFP is trying to correct it's estimate and your guess by using figures from a more accurate method.

But you don't want to use the corrections?

Big mistake. You are adding to whatever deficit you already told MFP to use to lose weight.

Bigger is not better - unless you don't like muscle mass and think it'll be useful to be rid of some of it.

Only thing to be concerned with is if the distance is way off.
The distance should be right on for your average daily serious pace - not fast exercise, not grocery store shuffle - average.
That give best chance for it to adjust the distance dynamically (which it does) based on impact, for longer or shorter strides for other paces you do.

jessicasmum2008

My activity level is set to lightly active. I wouldn't say im more than lightly active. I was told its best to work out my TDEE and then take 500 or 1000 calories off that and thats the amount i should eat and to not bother adding exercise as iv already added in my exercise level in with my TDEE

lrkidd

I am the same height as you but MUCH heavier and my Garmin shows 1800 calories for 6200 steps but it only shows 286 active calories. That's all I count are my active calories and that's the credit I get when it synchs to MFP.

heybales

jessicasmum2008 wrote: »

My activity level is set to lightly active. I wouldn't say im more than lightly active. I was told its best to work out my TDEE and then take 500 or 1000 calories off that and thats the amount i should eat and to not bother adding exercise as iv already added in my exercise level in with my TDEE

That can be true - if your TDEE has your exercise included in the estimate.
I'll mention I'm set at Sedentary on MFP, on big sedentary day with less than 4K steps - I get a positive adjustment of about 100.

Sedentary is really sedentary. Most people aren't. You got over 50 lbs to healthy weight for that 1000 deficit to be reasonable?

But you are attempting to use a tool, MFP, that is designed to work with NO exercise included, give deficit - and you add exercise when actually done, and eat more - same deficit.

But now you are trying to use it wrong with an average TDEE method that includes exercise.

And it sound like sync with a device that is intended to help MFP work the way it's designed to.

So either use MFP correctly with Fitbit correcting it.

Or unsync the accounts - and your TDEE is what your Fitbit weekly report says. Take your deficit and manually set your eating goal - MFP activity level doesn't matter then, set to maintain and who cares activity level.

daniip_la

My Fitbit One burns are accurate. If I don't eat back the calories it gives me, I lose more than the 2lbs/week I'm aiming for.

Annahbananas

I don't count my Fitbit calories burnt.at.all.

It's soooooo inflated. Nope. Nope. Lol I don't look at my Fitbit for the calories burnt.

I use my fight for friend challenges, weight input, and steps and stairs.

The hr and calories tool is fubar ....there's a reason why Fitbit is getting sued for their hr

capaul42

Annahbananas wrote: »

I don't count my Fitbit calories burnt.at.all.

It's soooooo inflated. Nope. Nope. Lol I don't look at my Fitbit for the calories burnt.

I use my fight for friend challenges, weight input, and steps and stairs.

The hr and calories tool is fubar ....there's a reason why Fitbit is getting sued for their hr

My fitbit Charge HR adjustments are quite accurate. The longer you wear it, the more accurate it seems to be. I've even begun eating back almost all of the adjustment because I was losing faster than I wanted. Now that I am, my loss rate is more in keeping with what I planned.

In my opinion, half the people in that lawsuit probably weren't wearing it correctly.

shadow2soul

jessicasmum2008 wrote: »

Im 172lbs and 5ft 5. Do you think its just over estimated as it doesn't go on my heart rate like most of the fitbits?

I actually found that the models without HR underestimate by about 200 calories per day on average for me. Now this isn't the case for everyone, but just how it worked out for me. I've have the Blaze now and I lose/gain/maintain as expected based on it's burn.

In the winter when Im not that active I avg around 2200-2400 burn and in the summer when I'm fairly active I tend to avg 2300-2500 burn. I'm 5'4.5 and in the mid 120's currently (was in the low 120's this past winter, but ate too much the past couple months and gained a couple lbs)

Annahbananas

capaul42 wrote: »

Annahbananas wrote: »

I don't count my Fitbit calories burnt.at.all.

It's soooooo inflated. Nope. Nope. Lol I don't look at my Fitbit for the calories burnt.

I use my fight for friend challenges, weight input, and steps and stairs.

The hr and calories tool is fubar ....there's a reason why Fitbit is getting sued for their hr

My fitbit Charge HR adjustments are quite accurate. The longer you wear it, the more accurate it seems to be. I've even begun eating back almost all of the adjustment because I was losing faster than I wanted. Now that I am, my loss rate is more in keeping with what I planned.

In my opinion, half the people in that lawsuit probably weren't wearing it correctly.

I have a garmen chest strap hr and I have a Fitbit. When I wear the garmen and the Fitbit, the Fitbit was inaccurate by 24 beats per minute...this adds up tremendously with calorie inaccuracies when you run an hour an a half. Fitbit was worn perfectly. I've had it for almost a year.

They tested the Fitbit in a controlled environment and the hr isn't accurate...it has nothing to do with people wearing it wrong

I like my Fitbit for accountability reasons but I ignore the calories burnt

heybales

Annahbananas wrote: »

I don't count my Fitbit calories burnt.at.all.

It's soooooo inflated. Nope. Nope. Lol I don't look at my Fitbit for the calories burnt.

I use my fight for friend challenges, weight input, and steps and stairs.

The hr and calories tool is fubar ....there's a reason why Fitbit is getting sued for their hr

They are getting sued by less-than-knowledgeable people that guessed it was medical accuracy HR, though never claimed anywhere.

And results vary even there - some have issue when they start exercising - some only when at higher HR levels - which some never reach anyway.

For every example like yours where you saw it wrong compared to EKG accurate device - others show it right on - for what they do.

But indeed, good reason not to trust it then for yourself.

Christine_72

I'm 5'8 and 147lbs (age 44). It's 3pm here and so far I've done 15,515 steps and fitbit is giving me 1793 calories burnt so far, 682 extra calories sent over to mfp.
.
Yesterday i did 20,812 steps and fitbits full day projection was 2,630 cals burnt. For this, I got an extra 880 calories sent over to mfp. So I'm pretty sure fitbit over estimates for me. I've also reduced my height and stride length in fitbit by 2.5 inches, but haven't noticed much of a calorie difference compared to when I had the accurate numbers set in there.

I have the Alta (no HR monitor), and am set at sedentary in mfp.

debrag12

I burn 3000+ walking 23k+ steps though. 16-19k gives me 2500-2900 calories. I have the surge but have also use the zip & one

debrag12

heybales wrote: »

jessicasmum2008 wrote: »

My activity level is set to lightly active. I wouldn't say im more than lightly active. I was told its best to work out my TDEE and then take 500 or 1000 calories off that and thats the amount i should eat and to not bother adding exercise as iv already added in my exercise level in with my TDEE

That can be true - if your TDEE has your exercise included in the estimate.
I'll mention I'm set at Sedentary on MFP, on big sedentary day with less than 4K steps - I get a positive adjustment of about 100.

Sedentary is really sedentary. Most people aren't. You got over 50 lbs to healthy weight for that 1000 deficit to be reasonable?

But you are attempting to use a tool, MFP, that is designed to work with NO exercise included, give deficit - and you add exercise when actually done, and eat more - same deficit.

But now you are trying to use it wrong with an average TDEE method that includes exercise.

And it sound like sync with a device that is intended to help MFP work the way it's designed to.

So either use MFP correctly with Fitbit correcting it.

Or unsync the accounts - and your TDEE is what your Fitbit weekly report says. Take your deficit and manually set your eating goal - MFP activity level doesn't matter then, set to maintain and who cares activity level.

I sync my fitbit and have my activity level on mfp as sedentary so get a big adjustment. I don't take the amount as gospel by any means. I like to know my TDEE and there isn't much of a difference between my average fitbit numbers and say scobbysworkshop for me.