FitBit opinions: calories burned while being inactive?

Volauvent
Volauvent Posts: 8
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi everyone! I am about to purchase a FitBit One. I know there are literally tons of topics about it, but I am so curious. Prepare for some dumb questions!

If I understand correctly, it calculates your BMR based on your height age and so on and adds it automatically to the calories burned... and, in order to lose weight, you need to eat less than what you burned in total, right? (ok I now it's not 100% accurate clearly but it's the general idea)
I was wondering what happens when you are just sitting (for example watching tv )... does it track even those (few, I imagine) calories? Does it take into account your HR? And, um... can you wear it in the shower?

Thank you and sorry for the random interrogation! :)

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Doesn't track HR, can't get wet. Not really very accurate because it's really only a fancy pedometer.
  • tmlandgraf
    tmlandgraf Posts: 79 Member
    The FitBit Flex, which will be released in May, will be waterproof, but none of the other FitBit products are (not sure to what degree, but everything I have read about it says it will be). It does not keep track of your heart rate. I haven't used a heart rate monitor, so I can't recommend one product over the other, but I do really like my FitBit Zip - I will be getting the Flex once it's released in May. I find that it does a decent job at adjusting my calories burned based on my activity level for the day. Everyone burns calories whether you are sitting on the couch or running a marathon, so yes, it does take into account for the less active moments of the day - may not be a huge count, but it does keep track of them. You can log food, exercise, etc on the FitBit website, but I just log everything on MFP and let the FitBit sync to make the adjustments based on my movement for the day.

    Let me know if you have any more questions. I really like my Zip and was glad that I bought it.
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    I love my Fitbit. I think people on this site tend to put too much emphasis on heart rate. Some people have very low heart rates normally and they will rise only minimally during exercise and some people like myself have a fast heart rate and it will go off the scale when I exercise. It is a poor predictor of energy expended or fitness.
  • bigdgeek
    bigdgeek Posts: 88
    If the FitBit isn't a HRM...how DOES it measure calories burned through exercise?
  • Pinkylee77
    Pinkylee77 Posts: 432 Member
    If the FitBit isn't a HRM...how DOES it measure calories burned through exercise?

    Heart rate is not a measure of calories burned. Movement and activity is what burns calories.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    If the FitBit isn't a HRM...how DOES it measure calories burned through exercise?

    Heart rate is not a measure of calories burned. Movement and activity is what burns calories.

    HR is a measure of calories burned. Elevated HR over time equals more calories burned. Sedentary HR means fewer calories burned.

    The FitBit works the same as a pedometer, it measures your steps/movement during the day then assigns a calorie burn based on your information that you've input. Not an accurate way to measure because it isn't using your heart rate to know if you're running, walking, jumping up and down or the speed you are moving. It's fine as a basis if you a) don't care about accuracy for exercise or b) don't actually do much but general walking during the day.

    A HRM will give you a far better picture of actual calories burned during exercise and it isn't hard to figure out your basic TDEE without buying a gadget.
  • Mock_Turtle
    Mock_Turtle Posts: 354 Member
    I made this post in another thread but I'll say it again. All of these devices are glorified toys, anyone who thinks they're going to get a super tight calorie burn reading with them is deluding themselves.

    Article:
    http://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Fulltext/2011/05001/Validity_of_Consumer_Based_Physical_Activity.2004.aspx


    key graph:
    22655770.jpg
  • phjorg
    phjorg Posts: 252 Member
    If the FitBit isn't a HRM...how DOES it measure calories burned through exercise?

    Heart rate is not a measure of calories burned. Movement and activity is what burns calories.

    HR is a measure of calories burned. Elevated HR over time equals more calories burned. Sedentary HR means fewer calories burned.

    The FitBit works the same as a pedometer, it measures your steps/movement during the day then assigns a calorie burn based on your information that you've input. Not an accurate way to measure because it isn't using your heart rate to know if you're running, walking, jumping up and down or the speed you are moving. It's fine as a basis if you a) don't care about accuracy for exercise or b) don't actually do much but general walking during the day.

    A HRM will give you a far better picture of actual calories burned during exercise and it isn't hard to figure out your basic TDEE without buying a gadget.
    hr is a measure of heartrate. thats it. if you're in a hot room, your heartrate will increase, but your calories burned will not increase.

    there is a loose correlation between heartrate and cardio while exercising in one of the cardio zone. then and only then does heartrate give a measurement that can be considered somewhat accurate enough to give a measure. And even then, ti's only after certain variables are measured like vo2max and mhr.
  • kr3851
    kr3851 Posts: 994 Member
    I have had a Fitbit for a year now, and here's why I love it. I used a HRM for 2 years, and always ate my exercise calories back. I stopped losing, and wondered why. Then I got a Fitbit. With a HRM, it measures your calorie expenditure for that period only. Most are not designed to be worn all day, and therein lies my problem. If I go to the gym, I pretty much sit on my *kitten* the rest of the day. Fitbit has woken me up to that. If go for a big walk/run/session in the morning, by the time I've worked, watched TV and played Farmville (lol), Fitbit has taken away all of the calories I've burned in the morning because I HAVEN'T MOVED THE REST OF THE DAY. Instead, Fitbit has motivated me to get up every half hour from my desk, watch less TV (or walk in place while watching), and let my crops die more often on Farmville.

    It's not 100% accurate, nothing ever will be. But it is a great motivator to increase incidental exercise.

    And no, you can't wear it in the shower, although I've heard that the new Flex is pretty much water proof. The One is only water resistant (so sweat = good, swimming = bad) but I don't tend to jog in the shower...

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