Fitbit charge HR overestimates walking calories hugely

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Seffell
Seffell Posts: 2,222 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello,
my stats are 36 female, 66kg, 170cm mostly fat, almost no muscle (have been a couch potato for health reasons for years). I've been on MFP since February this year and lost about 10kg so far (except for the last two months when I took a break as I was on a holiday). During my weight loss I've been taking a lot of data and have go lots of spreadsheets, all was going according to plan, I was loosing exactly as much as I was making a deficit. I'm mentioning this to say that I used to have a pretty good idea about my calorie burns.

I got a Fitbit charge HR yesterday (finally!!! :) )
Today is my first day and so far for the day it says I have burned around 2000 calories (it is 18:00 o'clock) and in MFP the projected estimate is around 2500 calories. All this doing some 9500 steps...
My BMR according to fitbit is just under 1400 which is about right, but since apparently while I'm walking about my day my heart rate is in the cardio zone (and fat burning zone) it estimates my calories way too high. I checked several times if its pulse measurements where correct and they were indeed what I manually measured. My heart rate is indeed quite high when I just walk for some reason (I have seen a cardiologist recently and I'm healthy). Before fitbit these 9500 steps according to my old phone pedometer would burn around 250-300 calories which I would add to my 1600 rest calories (BMR+thermal+such) to give a total of 1900. This method has worked for all my weigh loss. So I'm suspicious BIG TIME of fitbit's 2500+ calories.

I have changed today my activity to active in MFP to see what happens but fitbit still wants to add more and the day is not over. I'm yet to go out to jog.....

What say you?
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Replies

  • Straitlover1965
    Straitlover1965 Posts: 39 Member
    edited September 2016
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    EDIT: sorry, misinterpreted the question. Nevermind!!!
  • YvetteK2015
    YvetteK2015 Posts: 653 Member
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    I have never found my fitbit to be accurate on the calories. I don't even pay attention to it. I just use MFP after I enter the exercise I've done for the day. But that's just me.
  • JeanLaw131
    JeanLaw131 Posts: 78 Member
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    jessiferrrb wrote: »
    malibu927 wrote: »
    Give Fitbit several days to get used to your routine and become more accurate

    agreed, it takes a while to zero in on the correct range. i find mine to be pretty accurate now.

    ^ This
  • Seffell
    Seffell Posts: 2,222 Member
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    Thanks all, will do! I was so eager to get it, I really hope it gets more accurate.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Went for a long walk on flat ground in a city (not hiking not running) with my fitbit HR and this was the result:


    q6g23umbdyzb.png

    Needless to say I did not eat 5300 calories that day. Although I think I did eat like 3700.

    Went for a hike and went less distance but obviously had more elevation changes and it gave me this:

    j3z2zud47p5m.png

    So clearly it is taking into account more than just steps (I had more steps with the first one). Not sure if its calculating based on changes in floors or literally off my heart rate or what.

    I do think at high activity levels it underestimates, but at normal activity levels I think its pretty close. On a normal day I do eat back close to what my fitbit suggests but if I'm highly active I do tend to doubt it and eat back a portion of what it is suggesting.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    I have the Alta, I've had the One and the flex and I found them all to be pretty accurate based on the data of my weight loss etc. I'm pretty anal with my data so I'm sure about my calories etc. I lose what I "should" lose give or take the natural fluctuations; I'm looking at data over time is what I'm saying. Idk how te HR ones work but j can't complain about the above models
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
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    My flex doesn't have the heart rate monitor but I've found it to be very accurate
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I have the Alta, which tends to overestimate my tdee on high exercise days. I think the HR monitor devices are a bit iffy for alot of people..
  • adamyovanovich
    adamyovanovich Posts: 163 Member
    edited September 2016
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    Today Ive walked 8500 steps. Its giving me 1,000 calories extra!!! And that's from walking. That would put me at 3000 calories if I ate them. Putting me at a 200 calorie deficit. I never trust my charge hr. For calories .
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    adamyovanovich wrote: »
    Today Ive walked 8500 steps. Its giving me 1,000 calories extra!!! And that's from walking. That would put me at 3000 calories if I ate them. Putting me at a 200 calorie deficit. I never trust my charge hr. For calories .

    What are your stats, weight and height? OP is only 66kgs (145lbs)

    So far today I've done 8827 steps and have earned an extra 447 calories in mfp. I'm 5"8 and 148lbs.
  • adamyovanovich
    adamyovanovich Posts: 163 Member
    edited September 2016
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    5'8" male 30yo 313.4. My maintain is 3300 now. I'm eating 1800-2000 a day. Fitbit fave me a 1096 adjustment for today.
  • adamyovanovich
    adamyovanovich Posts: 163 Member
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    I get that an all. But... I'm losing 11 lbs a month. If I ate the extra 1000 cal each day I'd only lose 2 lbs. I'll just wait till I'm at maintain to trust eating those back.
  • adamyovanovich
    adamyovanovich Posts: 163 Member
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    Thanks for the help.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    It does level out after a while. Yesterday I got 298 extra calories and barely 2400 total burn for 8500 steps and I'm much heavier than you (96 kg).

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