Fitbit users with heart rate monitors and logging exercise

laurae
laurae Posts: 115 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I am curious how other Fitbit users log their exercise. Do you still log exercise on MFP either with their calorie calculations or use your heart rate monitor calculation, or just let Fitbit do the calculating for you? I know some exercises like bicycling and weightlifting may not reflect accurately on the Ftibit, but I wonder if it all balances out in the end. Has anyone tried it both ways and had more success with one way over the other?

Replies

  • Jennacita
    Jennacita Posts: 116 Member
    When I use my HRM I put that burn in. I usually don't wear my FB during exercise but I probably should to get the extra steps. I have been adding my calorie burn at the end of the day because I'm trying to eat at TDEE - %.
  • babyxblue101
    babyxblue101 Posts: 37
    I take my fitbit off when I do my insanity workouts, I wear my hrm instead. then I log that.
  • Ready2Rock206
    Ready2Rock206 Posts: 9,487 Member
    I wear them both - when you log the exercise it will make the adjustment to your fitbit auto-added cals accordingly. There's no need to take one off to wear the other as long as you log the actual start time and length of workout.
  • jammer1964
    jammer1964 Posts: 20
    Hi, I also purchased a Fitbit the other day. I normally use a HR monitor and log the calories using that way. I wore the Fitbit for my Insanity workout today, however, and the calories burned were nowhere close to how many I calculated using the time, HR, age, weight, etc. -- it was a major difference.

    I'm wondering, is the big difference because the Fitbit is meant to measure walking and steps, whereas with the Insanity workout, you are working your whole body and doing all that insane jumping around? Or, am doing something wrong here? It wouldn't be the first time that has happened! :wink:

    It seems to be a bummer to not be able to use the Fitbit for that set of exercising.
  • patji
    patji Posts: 4 Member
    It looks like you can use the digit fit app, which links to fibit app -- has anyone tried that? I just ordered my HRT+ dongle for my iPhone.
  • sarahrbraun
    sarahrbraun Posts: 2,261 Member
    I actually don't log my exercise anymore...I found that my fitbit is pretty accurate on my treadmill workouts. According to my HRM, my strength is about 120 calories per 15-20 minutes.

    I can only wear my HRM for about 40 minutes at a time. I got a candida (yeast) skin infection after a week of wearing it :(
  • slwunder
    slwunder Posts: 9
    I just let the fitbit adjustment happen. I workout mostly with kettlebells, so I may do a fitbit recording and log it as circuit training and override what the fitbit thought I did. If the calories are close, then I don't override it. But I only log exercise on fitbit's site and let it come over. I do not override any walking or walk/run workouts.

    If I'm doing just KB swings, I noticed that the fitbit will pick it up as steps, so I just let it go.
  • skylark94
    skylark94 Posts: 2,036 Member
    I'm doing Body Revolution, which requires a ton of strength movements that would not necessarily register as vigorous movement, so I log my HRM calories through MFP to override the Fitbit for the time I workout.

    One day when I wore both, the FB said I burned about 150 calories during my workout. The HRM said 325.

    Edit to add- I have my MFP goal set to 15% below my sedentary TDEE and I eat back the exercise. I delete any Fitbit adjustments.

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