Are your fitbits accurate?

Options
Noreenmarie1234
Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've been using a fitbit for about a year. (Fitbit flex) And I've found it says I burn 1600-1900 calories a day. However, I eat 2200-2600 a day and have been maintaining? I am just wondering why there is such a big difference and if anyone else has had this problem. I have my weight entered correctly and I wear it all day and night.
«1

Replies

  • CajunCher2005
    CajunCher2005 Posts: 21 Member
    Options
    I have a fitbit zip and I only use it to count steps. But it's giving me far more steps than I'm actually walking. I tested it and walked 75 steps and it gave me credit for 87. I wear it in my pocket, so I'll try clipping it to my waistband instead.
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    Options
    I use jawbone up & map my run and I also don't trust my calorie burn. As an example I walk the mall for 1.39 miles and it said I burned 309 calories. I walked a pretty steep trail huffing and puffing, sweating, red faced for 1.31 miles and it was 264 calories.

    I know the jawbone and fitbit doesn't account for inclines etc. I thought map my run did but I need to check more into it.
  • CatherineLaurel
    CatherineLaurel Posts: 197 Member
    Options
    I only eat back calories tracked during workout (so I eat 1200 a day plus whatever calories burned during work out) and I've been losing weight at a good rate.
  • maxit
    maxit Posts: 880 Member
    Options
    I use a fitbit one - seems to be pretty accurate, unless I am lifting iron - then whatever I enter seems to underestimate calories, given that I typically lose a pound or two a month when the #s say CI = CO
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    My fitbit over estimates my TDEE, the only exercise i do is walking and it says my TDEE is 2600. I've reduced my stride length and height by 2.5 inches but it hasn't made a difference. If that TDEE was correct i would have been at my goal weight eons ago.
  • ibamosaserreinas
    ibamosaserreinas Posts: 294 Member
    Options
    It is totally inaccurate. I've had a Fitbit Flex for a year and a half. I don't base any calorie decisions on its information.

    It simply serves to motivate me to be more active.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    ibamosaserreinas wrote: »
    It is totally inaccurate. I've had a Fitbit Flex for a year and a half. I don't base any calorie decisions on its information.

    It simply serves to motivate me to be more active.

    Does yours over or under estimate?
  • ibamosaserreinas
    ibamosaserreinas Posts: 294 Member
    Options
    Christine_72 wrote: »
    ibamosaserreinas wrote: »
    It is totally inaccurate. I've had a Fitbit Flex for a year and a half. I don't base any calorie decisions on its information.

    It simply serves to motivate me to be more active.

    Does yours over or under estimate?

    It over estimates exercise calories, it under estimates distance by a lot even though I have tried adjusting stride length several times.
  • daniip_la
    daniip_la Posts: 678 Member
    Options
    I have a Fitbit One. It's pretty spot-on, based on over two months of accurate tracking of intake, expenditure, and my weight. The numbers match almost perfectly, I lost slightly more than the Fitbit's numbers said I should have. But I have my height 3 inches less than I actually am, as I was afraid of the Fitbit overestimating, so that might be why.
  • shadow2soul
    shadow2soul Posts: 7,692 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    The models without HR underestimate for me by an avg of 200 calories per day (at least the last time I used it...which was like 2 years ago...I should see if that's changed any now that I'm at a healthy weight). The HR models seem to be right.
  • campbell3913
    campbell3913 Posts: 64 Member
    Options
    I have the Garmin Vivosmart HR. I think it does a pretty good job. Once in awhile I it think off, but because it has the heart rate monitor it does take intensity into account.
  • saires_au
    saires_au Posts: 175 Member
    Options
    I use a Fitbit one and have twice checked my fitbit data against my actual weight loss and calorie intake and it's been fairly close (1st time over two months and I had lost .5kg more second time 1 month and I had lost 200g more than expected)

    I enter exercise on my Fitbit that is not step based such as boxing but only log 3/4 of the time I spent doing it to allow for over estimates as some burns seem too high.

    If you have more than a months Fitbit reports, an accurate intake log and your weightloss in the same time frame you can compare the data and see how accurate it is.

    In the report go to calories in vs calories out, add them up for each week and then divide them by 7500, this will give you the expected kg lost (or 3500 for lb)

    To work out your TDEE multiply the kg lost X 7500 then add calories eaten each week then divide this by the number of weeks

    Then divide by 7 this will get you your daily tdee
  • Tara4boys
    Tara4boys Posts: 515 Member
    Options
    I have the Fitbit Alta (the newest one). It was underestimating my distance so I increased my stride length and now it is quite accurate. I think for me the calories are quite accurate. I am losing steadily while sometimes eating a lot but staying in calorie range.

    I think the best thing for me it has encouraged me to increase my daily movement - parking far away from store, not just putting kids stuff at bottom of stairs - me actually walking it up the stairs, i have a big house - sometimes I will take two trips carrying stuff in to get more steps instead of saving everything in my arms and making it in one trip, i have the remainder to move every hour - I've been surprised how many times I've gotten sucked in to the internet and an hour has gone by. It reminds me to get up and move!
  • _piaffe
    _piaffe Posts: 163 Member
    Options
    I love my charge HR. It seems pretty accurate on non-active days (i.e. compared with calculators). I track each workout activity with the stopwatch. I've noticed that it reports 25% less calorie burn than the elliptical - precor will say 400 calories, but my fitbit tracked activity will say 290.

    I'd say it overestimates my very active days, but I suspect it's also to do with inaccuracies in my logging. I don't weigh grilled meat, I eyeball it instead. So easy to misjudge 6 oz. Or slip up on reporting after a dinner out.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    Options
    It overestimates. I end up eating between 60-70 percent of my exercise calories- still plenty for dessert.
  • sadiepie05
    sadiepie05 Posts: 52 Member
    Options
    I feel like my Charge HR probably over estimates a bit. That said, I still love it. What I did was unsynched fitbit and MFP and only log my workouts. I still only eat back about 50-70% of those calories just in case.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,575 Member
    Options
    I use a Fitbit Charge HR. I've verified that it's accurate for steps several times. I have no idea if anything else is accurate. I only wear it during the day.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    edited July 2016
    Options
    Fitbit one was underestimating for me... but it clearly didn't track things properly either (ometimes I was getting less calories for more activity etc. Made no sense whatsoever).
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,493 Member
    Options
    Thanks for all the replies I find it interesting most of you have said it over estimates. For me it underestimates.
  • WinoGelato
    WinoGelato Posts: 13,454 Member
    Options
    I have a Flex and have found it to be accurate. It helped me lose the last 15 lbs eating back exercise cal adjustments at a slight deficit, and has helped me maintain my total loss for about a year and a half now. Mine estimates my TDEE at 2200 and I usually eat close to that across the week.

Categories