How much do you trust your Fitbit?

trudie_b

So, I have a Fitbit Charge 2, and I dont pay much attention to the calorie burn calculation it gives me at the end of each day. I just track my intake on here, add exercise manually, and leave it at that. (What's the point in having a Fitbit then, you ask? Good question!)

How many of you do? Should I risk trusting it. Today, for example, it says I've burned 2500 calories. It has been a pretty active day, but that's still way higher than I would have thought (MFP calculates my maintenance at 1760). 300 of those calories are from an hour's weight lifting session, so I know that's not to be trusted, but the rest of it? I've eaten 2000 calories today, am I short changing myself?

successgal1

I trust my Fitbit 75%. I trust MFP 75%. I use my judgment for the other 25%.

heybales

So you trust MFP, and don't trust Fitbit.

Why the difference - because one simple, one complex?

One is different? (but both are actually different than each other - why assume one is more correct?)

Do you understand how MFP got it's estimates, if not then much assuming it's correct?

Did you pick the correct MFP non-exercise activity level - you guessed from a mere 4 levels?

Do you have a big difference between 5 days a week and 2 days for activity level, or could you possibly have infinite levels?

I merely ask because many have similar question, usually built on premise it must not be right because it's different. Which is bad logic.

So the fact that MFP could have estimated your maintenance at 1760 based on an activity level you selected for workdays, and here's it's the weekend and more activity - should not be surprising.
Shocked if you didn't burn more probably.

Now, some things Fitbit won't be good at (things MFP has no clue on either - hence manual logging of exercise when no Fitbit).

Like HR-based calorie burn for anything that is not steady-state (same HR for 2-4 min) aerobic exercise has potential for inaccuracy.
The farther from that valid use, the worse the estimate.

But then again - lifting for 1 hr, so perhaps reported 300, actually burned 250. More error in your food labels for the day likely.
You can manually log Weights on Fitbit for accuracy if desired, may or may not be meaningful.

Or perhaps out-of-shape elevated HR when just doing daily walking is thought to be exercise.

Just so you know how they work together and why you could probably trust the Fitbit more than your guess of 4 activity levels and hopeful correct logging of exercise, check out the FAQ's on Fitbit.

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy/p1

section 1 for basics.
section 2 if you like math and really want to understand what's going on, including insight on what MFP is doing.

Onyx_Eve

It says it loves me, so I have to trust that!

LivingtheLeanDream

Fitbit is really accurate for me, (if anything it underestimates my burn a tad) and has been since I got my first one on 2013. But both mfp and fitbit give me similar totals at end of each day.

7lenny7

It works for me. I lost 50 pounds in 8 months by trusting FitBit.

TilKingdomCome

I used to when I had a flex and charge HR. I ate all my calories and continued to lose weight. I then got a blaze and things went backwards. I could see the increased calories it was giving me. I had it for about 10 months and after so much trouble just trying to maintain a weight despite wanting to continue to lose I gave it up and now have an Apple Watch. My calories now look far more accurate and are well below what the blaze was giving me.

So no. I no longer trust Fitbit.

autumnblade75

I'm starting to trust my Fitbit a little less, but here's why: I have a Charge HR and a job that involves swinging my arm back and forth. For the past few years, everything has worked pretty well, but the last couple of weeks, I've had some difference in the job - due to a new team member, I'm swinging that arm a LOT more during the day, and weight loss is less than expected. Stagnated, actually. So, I'm considering getting a "real" running watch for the purposeful exercise, and maybe a Zip or One for the rest of the day.

GottaBurnEmAll

The way I'm using MFP since rejoining relies totally on my Fitbit. I have the Charge2 as well.

So far, it's working very well.

Jules_farmgirl

I have the Fitbit Blaze. It took me a month to trust the calorie burn estimates. I also think it took a month for it to set itself to my actual base HR and learn what is normal active and what isn't. I now rely on my Fitbit totally for my calorie burn while taking a 10-15% margin of error. I have been successful in the past 2 months in weight loss and not feeling hungry from lack of nutrition.

I log my food on MFP and I don't track any exercise, I let my Fitbit sync my activity to MFP instead.

WinoGelato

All of what @heybales said.

I trust the device on my arm that's at least with me all the time, (days when I'm super active and days when I'm not and knows the difference)and measuring movement and my HR far more than a system that is calculating things based only on my entries from a drop down menu of choices.

Additionally I trust it because it has proven trustworthy. I used FitBit with MFP for a good portion of my weight loss, eating back the exercise adjustments, and lost on schedule. I've used it for maintenance for over two years now. It's been incredibly accurate for me, and it is higher than MFP thinks my calories would be. But it's right...

Charlene_1985

Mine seems to be very accurate. I eat about 250 less than what it says per day in case I forget something or other logging errors. I've been maintaining/losing slightly (which I'm fine with for spring and summer).

cnbbnc

Honestly I just use my Fitbit to track my steps. If I move more I eat a bit more than what MFP allows me. If I went by my Fitbit calories I would gain weight. I'm sure of that because it estimates my food intake to be what I ate while deliberately gaining weight.

They all merely give ballpark estimates and it's up to us to sort it out from there. That's my take on it anyway.

trudie_b

Thank you all for your feedback! I suppose the only way I can know for sure is by watching whether my weight changes - if it doesn't change, MFP is accurate in its estimation of my calorie burn, if it goes down, my Fitbit is.

not_a_runner

I have a really good idea of my maintenance calories via tracking my food and monitoring my weight for several months. I think this is the best way to know what you're actually burning regardless of what MFP, Fitbit, or any other calculator would suggest.
That being said, I've found my true maintenance to be around 2500-2600, and my Fitbit regularly tells me I'm burning well over 3000 calories, some days upwards of 4000.
I still enjoy the Fitbit for step and sleep tracking, I also like being able to time my workouts. I just don't pay too much attention to the calorie burns.

natasor1

Well, I got interesting experiment. I bought FitBits for me and for my hubby. If we do completely same activity a day, he gets 10000 steps, I get only 7000 or even less. The other day he was sitting on his armchair whole day long while I was cooking, cleaning, making lunches for tomorrow, doing loundry, folding clothes, not sitting at all. What was our surprise that he's got more steps than me on that damn day.
The other problem, when I do vigorouse workout without jumping, only weights lifting, pushups, spiderman and so on FitBit doesn't count them as activity. I sweat all over, but stepscount is minimal. It's not fear...

heybales

Steps is one minor stat on the way to the more meaningful calorie burn.

Your 7K and his 10K could actually end up at the correct difference of calorie burn - unless your body stats & age are such to exactly cancel out the gender difference - which is possible. In which case height or correct stride length makes the difference from steps to calorie burn.

What many don't realize is that even bogus steps from doing arm activity, and Fitbit seeing very whimpy impacts of what it thinks are "steps" - are also small distance and minimal extra calories.
Most of that balances out missed steps when really done, or increased calorie burn from standing with no steps.

Have you actually done the same activity with him taking the exact same steps?

Or better - counted your steps and done the math to see who was wrong - or likely both are - which going which way?

Was he watching sports in armchair - and does he get excited, pounding it?

Also, it's been mentioned above how some workouts are appropriate for some devices to estimate calorie burn.
Lifting is bad no matter the device. If step-based, badly underestimated, if HR-based, some degree over-estimated.

nutmegoreo

I find FitBit more accurate, but I don't have one of those fancy HRM ones. Like you said, give it a go and see what your results are. Of course, that assumes accuracy on food logging, which tends to be the bigger devil.