Using Fitbit and Polar watch for exercise

bbrahma

So, the fitbit made an adjustment for the cardio time...and I also used my polar (which I will use for cardio). The fitbit calorie says I burned almost 300 calories and polar says 202. Anyone else have this problem? What do you do?

WalkingAlong

Are you saying your Fitbit adjustment for the day was 300 or that the Fitbit estimated your calorie burn for that discrete workout as 300?

editorgrrl

Fitbit shows your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), which is your exercise calories + your BMR (the calories you burn just being alive).

tlblood

The Polar is more accurate because it takes into account your heart rate, age, gender, weight, height, etc. FitBit just knows how many steps you took, and doesn't account for all the other factors. I specifically asked the FitBit people about this when I was debating between the FitBit and a new HRM.

rw4hawks

So do we need to adjust anything on the MFP side? If FitBit is going to include the normal activity, do we need to change the activity level to sedentary or non-active? Because I'm lynched, I can't enter my polar reading, because it automatically uses the FitBit, so that would be counting twice. If the Polar is more accurate, maybe I should not lynch my FitBit and just go with the Polar?
UGH! Having trouble keeping up with all this technology! LOL

rdpapag

FitBit just knows how many steps you took, and doesn't account for all the other factors. I specifically asked the FitBit people about this when I was debating between the FitBit and a new HRM.

Not really:

"Your tracker and Dashboard show an estimated number of calories burned based on your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), which we calculate using the height, weight, age, and gender information you provided us with when you set up your Fitbit account."

EmilyJackCO

The Polar is more accurate because it takes into account your heart rate, age, gender, weight, height, etc. FitBit just knows how many steps you took, and doesn't account for all the other factors. I specifically asked the FitBit people about this when I was debating between the FitBit and a new HRM.

The Fibit devices *do* account for age, gender, height, weight, BMI, etc. You enter it all when you set up your device, and it tracks it as it changes. It bases your BMR off of that data, and then adds in your activity. It does not (yet) track your heart rate, but it's headed that way.

FrenchMob

The Polar is more accurate because it takes into account your heart rate, age, gender, weight, height, etc. FitBit just knows how many steps you took, and doesn't account for all the other factors. I specifically asked the FitBit people about this when I was debating between the FitBit and a new HRM.

Wrong answer; Fitbit takes into account age, gender, and weight but not heart rate. Well the Flex and Force do, not sure about the other cheaper ones.

I did a 30 min walk/run recently with my Garmin 310XT and Fitbit. The Fitbit actually showed 20 calories less than the Garmin. Bottom line, both are just an estimate at best.

TeaBea

So, the fitbit made an adjustment for the cardio time...and I also used my polar (which I will use for cardio). The fitbit calorie says I burned almost 300 calories and polar says 202. Anyone else have this problem? What do you do?

Your FitBit is a fancy pedometer (it counts steps)...........

Was your workout something that "translates" well into steps? IE: running

Your FitBit has no way of caculating exertion level.....this is what your HRM attempts to do by comparing resting heart rate against heart rate while exercising ............

In other words....the FitBit value is likely inflated. I'd go with the HRM. A FitBit is designed to help you figure out your daily activity level.

aling01

I use both as well but I use fitbit mainly to track my step activity. When I do cardio, I use my Polar and go off of that. I always remove any calorie adjustements based on fitbit on mfp.

kender54

When using both Polar and fitbit in conjunction with each other, go to enter your HRM exercise burn, select the type of exercise, and as long as your fitbit is synced to MFP, it will request you put the "start time" for your exercise. This will then substitute your Polar activity for what Fitbit says you burned for that specific time frame.

editorgrrl

So do we need to adjust anything on the MFP side? If FitBit is going to include the normal activity, do we need to change the activity level to sedentary or non-active?

Here's a little Fitbit 101 I posted in another thread:

When you set up your MFP account, you specified an activity level: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided MFP used your answer, plus your age, sex & height, to estimate how many calories you burn every day (your TDEE). Then you set your weight-loss goal, and MFP subtracted the appropriate deficit to calculate your daily calorie goal.

Once you link an activity tracker to your MFP account (via the "Apps" tab at the top of every page), you start getting calorie adjustments. If your tracker says you burned more calories than MFP estimated, you get a positive adjustment (meaning more calories to eat). If you enable negative calorie adjustments and you burn less than the MFP estimate, you will lose calories. (But negative calorie adjustments will never drop your daily calories below 1,200.)

I wasn't losing much weight when I got my first activity tracker. At first, the adjustments didn't seem very accurate. But they got better, almost as if the system was "learning" my routine. It took a lot of trial & error to find the settings that worked best for me. But then everything clicked. I changed my MFP settings from sedentary to lightly active (even though I have a desk job), and now my adjustments are pretty minimal. And I'm losing!

Edited to add that I find my daily step goals really motivating. If I get home at night and see I'm thisclose to making goal, I'll walk around the block. A little bit more every day really adds up.

WaterBunnie

When using both Polar and fitbit in conjunction with each other, go to enter your HRM exercise burn, select the type of exercise, and as long as your fitbit is synced to MFP, it will request you put the "start time" for your exercise. This will then substitute your Polar activity for what Fitbit says you burned for that specific time frame.

This is the answer you need. I find mine pretty close to what our gym's equipment gives me though so haven't bothered replacing my HRM batteries.

tlblood

When using both Polar and fitbit in conjunction with each other, go to enter your HRM exercise burn, select the type of exercise, and as long as your fitbit is synced to MFP, it will request you put the "start time" for your exercise. This will then substitute your Polar activity for what Fitbit says you burned for that specific time frame.

THIS! Because your HRM includes your heart rate in the calorie burn, and the FitBit does not, it is more accurate, and this will tell MFP to use the HRM estimate over the FitBit estimate.

WalkingAlong

So, the fitbit made an adjustment for the cardio time...and I also used my polar (which I will use for cardio). The fitbit calorie says I burned almost 300 calories and polar says 202. Anyone else have this problem? What do you do?

Your FitBit is a fancy pedometer (it counts steps)...........

Was your workout something that "translates" well into steps? IE: running

Your FitBit has no way of caculating exertion level.....this is what your HRM attempts to do by comparing resting heart rate against heart rate while exercising ............

In other words....the FitBit value is likely inflated. I'd go with the HRM. A FitBit is designed to help you figure out your daily activity level.

It is a fancy pedometer but it does also estimate your exertion level based on the motion your body undergoes. The HRM estimates it based on your HR. Both are estimates. Neither is inherently more likely to overestimate. Though I agree that if you bother to wear a HRM for a discrete workout, why not enter that calorie burn in MFP?

Cre8veLifeR

You can use the info from your Polar and manually do the math to calculate your calorie burn based on your HR and see which one is more accurate. Of course I assume the Polar is already doing the math FOR you Still it's fun to check.

Here's the formula: for females: (0.074 x age - 0.05741 x weight in lbs + 0.4472 x average heart rate - 20.4022) x time elapsed / 4.184.