Fitbit - calories burned too low?

bribucks

I have a Fitbit Zip (the lowest tech one) that I got for free from work. But even though my stats are correctly input and I wear it all day, it seems like my "calories burned" on the Fitbit is way too low. Now, I have a desk job and am pretty inactive - about 3-4,000 steps per day - but it still seems too low.

It is telling me that on average I burn only 1370ish cal per day. But any online calculator, even set to sedentary, gives me a TDEE of more around 1570. (Yes, I'm rather petite.)

So, what gives? Is my TDEE really that low or is this Fitbit thing just super inaccurate?

(The cals burned I referenced are for non gym days - I am just wondering about normal day to day cals burned, not exercise specifically.)

Mouse_Potato

That does seem awfully low. I'm 5'3" and 117 pounds and on a really low activity day I will still burn around 1700 or so.

jemhh

When I had a Zip it had my calories very low, as did my One until I stopped wearing it on my bra and started wearing it on my wrist. At that point the calories were close enough to my actual TDEE (based on years of tracking calories) for me to consider it fairly accurate.

TeaBea

Is there a way to re-set your stride length? Being petite this may be a factor. See the FitBit group for more info.........

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

CoachJen71

That sounds about right to me, but there are differences from person to person. Pick one set number each of steps and food intake cals and watch what happens after a month, then adjust accordingly.

CoachJen71

I use this calculator, mainly looking at Mifflin-Jeor because it is the closest to my numbers. http://www.sailrabbit.com/bmr/

collectingblues

What's your height/weight?

On my non-activity days, my Apple Watch says I burn upper 1400s-mid 1500s. (I'm 5'4", ~120 pounds, give or take water weight.) Online calculators say that a sedentary me (which I'm not -- I'm only truly sedentary if I stay home sick from work, since even going to work involves a mile walk) should burn closer to 1600. So that sort of difference doesn't surprise me. I'd trust the personal device more than the calculator that is working entirely with averages.

bribucks

collectingblues wrote: »

What's your height/weight?

On my non-activity days, my Apple Watch says I burn upper 1400s-mid 1500s. (I'm 5'4", ~120 pounds, give or take water weight.) Online calculators say that a sedentary me (which I'm not -- I'm only truly sedentary if I stay home sick from work, since even going to work involves a mile walk) should burn closer to 1600. So that sort of difference doesn't surprise me. I'd trust the personal device more than the calculator that is working entirely with averages.

I am 5'3" currently 119lbs. I get what you mean about the online calculator averages - but 1370 still seems low to me. We are about the same size and you said your Apple Watch gives you 1400-1500s. I'm sure the "truth" is probably somewhere in the middle between the Fitbit/watch and the online calculators.