Fitbit calorie counter is trustworthy?

ericpiccione

I wear a Fitbit and I admit I rely on the calories burned amount a little too heavily for the day. How close to real amount of calories burnt is this?

CyberTone

If you are a new Fitbit user, give it at least a week, if not two, to build up a history of your activity and food logging. The Fitbit algorithms initially use general default variables in its equations for someone similar to your gender, height, weight, and age. As it collects more data day by day, it revises the algorithms by using running averages for the variables in the equations. In effect, it "learns" more about you as it gathers more data about you.

When I first synced a Fitbit Charge HR almost two years ago, I thought I was getting too many extra Calories, but I trusted it, and it has been working for me. Granted, I was already at maintenance, but it provided me about 10% more Cals than I was eating at the time, so I increased my intake, and the extra food gave me energy to try to reach the 10,000 steps per day goal. I've since changed my step goal to 7500, which is more realistic for me. I have stayed within a 10 pound range for three years now.

I upgraded to a Fitbit Charge 2, and it provides estimates that closely match the old Charge HR I was using.

When my weekly Net Cals are over I gain, when my weekly Net Cals are under I lose. I still track my Calorie intake by weighing all my food and verifying all of the new food entries I use in MFP with outside sources.

You may want to check out the MFP Fitbit Users group here...

http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users

crooked_left_hook

From my experience, and what I've read, if you have one with a HR monitor it is accurate +/- 10%. I am relying on it for my maintenence TDEE but I leave about 200 calories for margin of error and lazy measuring.

Daddy78230

I use my Fitbit HR calories to determine my maintenance calories (minus 10%), but I take the daily average on a recently moderately active week and constantly eat at the same level. I think it's easier to plan for meals that way.

Some days I may undereat and other days I'll over eat, but at the end of the week it will all equal out.

crooked_left_hook

Daddy78230 wrote: »

I use my Fitbit HR calories to determine my maintenance calories (minus 10%), but I take the daily average on a recently moderately active week and constantly eat at the same level. I think it's easier to plan for meals that way.

Some days I may undereat and other days I'll over eat, but at the end of the week it will all equal out.

I've been thinking about adopting this approach to get to a solid number I can use daily to help me plan a little better. Sometimes the fluctuations in activity and calories earned has me grabbing for random snacks at the end of the day. Good to know it's working for you. I think I'm going to give it a try.

CharlieBeansmomTracey

if you are like me and have a metabolic issue,its not too accurate.mine says I burn all together(including BMR) 24-2500 a day. at 1700 calories I maintain,when I should be losing. I have a charge HR. I even took someones advice and set it for 25lbs less(which is around my goal weight) and still nada.Ive had mine for awhile now. so for some people it may be spot on others it may not be.