FitBits and Standing?

MysticRealm

I got a FitBit a week ago and have been surprised by what it's been saying for what I burn a day. (less than what TDEE calculators have put me at)
I'm don't think it recognizes when I am standing as apposed to sitting, so I manually log my work hours (as I have a standing job).
However I'm not sure what to put as there are a few different options for standing and calories vary quite a bit.
Some options are
Standing- Arts and Crafts- Light Effort (815 cals for 8 hours)
Standing-Arts and Crafts -Medium Effort (1358 cals for 8 hours)
Standing-Arts and Crafts- Heavy Effort (1584 cals for 8 hours)
Standing-Bathing Dog (1584 cals for 8 hours)

I am a dog groomer. I lift dogs on and off my table, into and out of bathtub, bath dogs, brush dogs (some big dogs to the point my arms get quite tired, though this doesn't happen everyday), scissor/clip (so arms are nearly always moving), walk to and from the kennels, lift dogs into kennels, walk back and forth to the front of shop and to the back of the shop, walk around my table to get different tools, restrain wiggly dogs.
What option do you think is the most correct? I am 11 pounds away from my goal so I know my deficit shouldn't be too big, and my weightloss should be slow, but I have been at the same weight (with mild inches loss) for the last 3 weeks (crossing fingers for this week but not holding breath) averaging 1800 cals a day/week. Since I am losing inches, staying the same weight could be from finally adding some exercise back in (started 30 Day Shred 27 days ago and have done it 26 times since), and I am losing a touch of fat still.

MysticRealm

bump

MysticRealm

Bump

mckellipgirl

Honestly, I always go for the least amount of calories burned. That way I'm not messing myself up for guessing high.

JennyKCarty

Good question. I'm a nurse and on the days that I work I thought I would earn more calories too. But I am leaving it as it is. I don't want to minimize my deficit by adding calories I'm not for sure that I'm burning. I do try to make more of an effort to be up and moving to get more steps at work now that I have a fitbit.

MysticRealm

Thanks for the replies, though I would really like to know a more accurate calorie count for the day. More so for curiosity's sake, than to really judge my daily cals off. I decided for now i will split the difference between light and moderate. That doesn't seem way high or way low. Will go from there.

foleyshirley

The fitbit always underestimated my burn, especially if I did things that didn't include walking or moving forward. I have a bodymedia fit, and it does a little better. It still isn't good at strength training or standing. It is better but not great. I think I had the best luck with the HRM for exercise.

MysticRealm

Ya, I agree that it doesn't recognize any standing or such which is why I want to log my workday as I burn a lot more calories doing what I do than sitting at a desk!

Mokey41

Work generally isn't figured as a calorie burn but as an activity level when you choose either your MFP settings or figure out your TDEE. Things we do at work aren't the same as exercise. Your body becomes very efficient at something it does all the time and standing actually burns a minimal amount more than sitting. You have to remember that you would have burned a certain number of calories per hour if you were doing absolutely nothing so using online calculators to figure out a burn for the day is going to give you an inflated number.

MysticRealm

The fitbit already takes into account resting calorie burn, so any cals you 'add' through adding activities does not add on top of the base cals, they take them into account. I know work isn't exercise but what I do in my job is a heck of a lot more calorie burning than sitting at a desk for 8 hours, and I want to be as accurate as possible.