Feeling discouraged...

caraya83
caraya83 Posts: 23
in Fitness and Exercise
I just purchased a fitbit one over the weekend and am finding out that I overestimated the calories. I do different JM workouts for about 35 minutes 6 days a week, and I had been logging them on here as circuit training which gives me 224 calories burnt. Yesterday I did my exercise with the fitbit one on and found out I only burned 100 calories. I worked my butt off and that was all I burned? I don't want to give up, but I am starting to wonder if this is worth it... Does anyone have any suggestions for maybe a better workout plan?

Thanks.

Replies

  • katro111
    katro111 Posts: 632 Member
    Fitbit isn't a heart-rate monitor and is really geared toward step-based activity like walking. Did you log the JM workout manually in Fibit or just look at the graph of calories burned during that time period?
  • caraya83
    caraya83 Posts: 23
    I just measured the number of calories before the exercise and then subtracted the calories burned after the exercise. Is that incorrect?
  • 47Jacqueline
    47Jacqueline Posts: 6,993 Member
    Get a heart rate monitor. A Polar h5 or H7 is easy to set up. Fitbit isn't for measuring cardio.
  • earlnabby
    earlnabby Posts: 8,171 Member
    I think that the calories actually burned are somewhere in between what MFP gives you and what fitbit gives you. I have a flex which I wear 24/7 except for charging. My water exercise class, according to fitbit, gives me a burn of around 200 calories. According to MFP, I get a burn of just over 300. What I do is record my exercise in MFP only and make sure I have the time of exercise correct so it coordinates with the steps on fitbit so I don't get double burn. Then I eat back 1/2 to 2/3 of my exercise calories.
  • besaro
    besaro Posts: 1,858 Member
    if it was the 30ds that actually sounds about right for calories burned.
  • caraya83
    caraya83 Posts: 23
    It was 6 wk 6 pack
  • Ldonahue921
    Ldonahue921 Posts: 75 Member
    I use fitbit one as well. I set the stopwatch feature when I start a workout and use that as the length of time doing exercise. I log the actual type of exercise and length in MFP with the start time. MFP will log a burn based on your profile. Fitbit will "adjust" your daily burn based on all of your input (exercise and being alive burn).

    I don't log exercise or food in the fitbit site. I log it all in MFP and only sync my fitbit to get the adjustment (and all the fun badges).
  • luckydays27
    luckydays27 Posts: 552 Member
    the Fitbit is only good for estimating your calories burned during step based activities (hiking, walking, running dancing). Nothing more than that.

    If you did another workout that increased your heart rate but barely move your feet, your FB is not going to determine that. A heart rate monitor will do that.

    I have been using my FB One for over a year and the HRM Polar FT60 for just as long. I enter the calories burned from my HRM on MFP. Those calories override what FB says I burned during that time and I eat all of those calories that are left.

    I lost 75lb and have been maintaining for 5 months or so. Use the proper tool for the job and the job will get done.
  • Ldonahue921
    Ldonahue921 Posts: 75 Member
    Well said.

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