Calorie burn accuracy of Alta HR?

Kaolru
Kaolru Posts: 30 Member
I just recently purchased an Alta HR, and so far it's great. It's motivating me to move more and stick to my diet. Awesome. My question is how accurate the calorie burn estimates are in other peoples' experience?

I have read some people claiming they should not go by the fitbit's results due to serious inaccuracy(over-estimated calorie burn). I've read other comments of people saying it's right on the money and they've had great results.

I don't do much more than just walking and tracking my daily activity for the moment, but I plan on doing fitness routines very soon, and I want to know what I should expect.

If they are as inaccurate as some have said, how do you get a good idea of what you're actually burning?

I am a 27 year old female.
5'2" tall
134 pounds
Light activity at work.
Average only about 6,000 steps per day.
Average about 1,724 calories burned per day, which seems about right for maintenance.

Thoughts? I was hoping maybe the technology has improved in recent years that these things are more accurate, but I have no idea.

Replies

  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    They're pretty good for walking, but not so good for exercise that's not made of steps. It's not a technology problem, it's that step counts and heart rates don't tell you anything about how many calories you're burning on a bike or lifting weights or swimming or ...
  • Kaolru
    Kaolru Posts: 30 Member

    That's good to know, thank you. In that case, how do you reasonably estimate the calorie burn of a workout?