I call BS
Munani
Posts: 1 Member
I just sweated my eyeballs out for an hour mowing my lawn (we have a cordless electric/very heavy push mower) and FitBit records only 15 minutes of activity?!? What the heck do you call the rest of that hour? Meditation? This is REALLY disappointing.
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Replies
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The FitBit is a step counter. The only determination it has as to effort of work is how quickly the steps are taken.0
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Nutmegoreo is correct on this one. Active minutes is determined by how quickly steps are taken. I tend to not pay much attention to that block on my dashboard as my steps are more important to me.
Lynnette0 -
For Fitbit to take all of the activity into account, you'd have to manually log it. Tell Fitbit when you started mowing and for how long you mowed. Then it'll count it all.0
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My active minutes are often lower in the iOS app than at Fitbit.com.
The only way to assess the accuracy is to eat back your adjustments for several weeks, then reevaluate your progress. But if your tracker is defective, Fitbit will replace it.0 -
For Fitbit to take all of the activity into account, you'd have to manually log it. Tell Fitbit when you started mowing and for how long you mowed. Then it'll count it all.
This. I manually add a lot of stuff, weeding in my garden, folding laundry etc. I don't move that much, but am still quite active.
I think mowing is under activities.0 -
Don't worry, you got a good aerobic work out. Fittie only counts steps and you have to be moving at a walking pace. Don't hate the fitbit! I love mine0
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I just sweated my eyeballs out for an hour mowing my lawn (we have a cordless electric/very heavy push mower) and FitBit records only 15 minutes of activity?!? What the heck do you call the rest of that hour? Meditation? This is REALLY disappointing.
Log it. I am not sure whether mowing would be considered "very active" or not. It depends on the calorie burn per minute. by the way, I hate how fitbit calls them "active minutes" when it is only referring to the "very active minutes" which are intended to be *vigorous exercise*. A lot of aerobic exercise actually is considered "moderately active" and fitbit has a category for moderately active minutes--they are just not counted as "active". The standard Fitbit uses is that it needs to burn 6 times your resting rate to see very active minutes. Well, on it's own, it will under credit you for any exertion from pushing the mower. Fitbit does over credit walking for a lot of people, by their 6 MET standard you need to walk 4.5 mph on flat ground to earn that many METS. I see Very active minutes around 4mph which is actually classed as moderate activity not vigorous activity. Gardening is usually classes as moderate activity as well. Cleaning can be light or moderate (sometimes vigorous) depending on the job. Fitbit's activity database (and probably MFP though it tends to be more generous) are based on MET values so logging the activity will put it in the correct intensity level (on average for that activity).
Fitbit or MFP will figure out the calorie burn if you log it. But in case you are interested for comparison, here is a MET chart : sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/Activity-Categories/ , looking under lawn and garden. Mowing is often "moderate" activity. They do credit 6 METS for a hand mower, the other options for push mowing vary from 4.5-5.5 METS.0 -
I just sweated my eyeballs out for an hour mowing my lawn (we have a cordless electric/very heavy push mower) and FitBit records only 15 minutes of activity?!? What the heck do you call the rest of that hour? Meditation? This is REALLY disappointing.
What kind of FitBit do you have and where do you wear it? One of my biggest disappointing aha moments when I first got my Flex was to realize that because I wore it on my wrist, when I was pushing my kids in a double stroller (which was my main form of exercise at the time), it didn't track the steps accurately because my arms weren't swinging. Same thing at the grocery store and mowing the lawn.
I now use the bigger band and put it around my ankle when I'm doing something which is step based but doesn't really move my arms.0 -
I wear mine on my ankle too. I' m a cook so my hands are always in water. I walk a lot carrying stuff. Works for me
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What kind of FitBit do you have and where do you wear it? One of my biggest disappointing aha moments when I first got my Flex was to realize that because I wore it on my wrist, when I was pushing my kids in a double stroller (which was my main form of exercise at the time), it didn't track the steps accurately because my arms weren't swinging. Same thing at the grocery store and mowing the lawn.
I now use the bigger band and put it around my ankle when I'm doing something which is step based but doesn't really move my arms.
I have a flex and so far it has been accurate in measuring my steps when I am out with the buggy. And I just keep it on my wrist.0 -
Ive also noticed on mine it would back track. If I'm at the gym it'll say I exceeded my 30 active minutes. Then I move machine and look back and it's at 10. Sometimes you have to actually look at the log to see that it registered all that time as active.0
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It's good to get to know your device and it's limitations. I love my Fitbit (I have the One) but know that it doesn't track certain activities correctly. I invested in a HRM as well, and use double devices for many workouts ... it is very interesting to compare the stats. I did wear my HRM a couple times for mowing the lawn. I do have a power mower, so it isn't as much of a workout ... and while I did feel like my heart was pounding and I was sweating up a storm (maybe more from the heat than from the workout) I didn't get my heart rate up or burn as much as I might have thought.
I do fear my Fitbit overestimates a bit for my elliptical and Zumba, so when I don't get credit for other activities (bike, weights, etc) I rarely input it, as I'm hoping it evens out. I don't care so much about the active minutes, as long as I can still see at least a "moderate activity" yellow spike on my activity graph. 0 -
Realized the that after out with my family walking around pike place for 5 hours and I only had 3000 steps that something was wrong.
I was holding my daughter's hand, so no arm swinging like a normal gait. Live and learn...
I also realize now pushing the shopping cart, etc....0 -
If I am pushing something (like a stroller or shopping cart), I put it in my pocket. I have the Flex. It use to slip into sleep mode in the grocery store all the time.0
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MET
What is MET. Jargon? :noway:0 -
MET
What is MET. Jargon? :noway:
MET is an acronym for "Metabolic Equivalent for Task" or something like that. This is just a layperson explanation, Heybales may be able to offer a better explanation. It is basically referring to an estimate of how much oxygen you would use to perform an activity (or task). It is relative to your resting rate, so you would use 1 MET sitting still on a sofa. The more oxygen consumed during an activity, the higher the MET level. For example you might burn 3 METs walking 2.5 mph, 5 METs walking 4mph, or 8.3 METs running a 12 minute mile. What does that have to do with calorie burn? In a lab setting, calories burned figures are based on the oxygen used. So a 8.3 MET activity would burn 8.3 times as much as you would burn sitting still on the sofa. Heart rate monitors and activity trackers like Fitbits are actually estimating calorie burn by estimating the oxygen use first. I believe MET values usually come from lab tests also. Some links:
http://sportsmedicine.about.com/od/glossary/g/MET.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metabolic_equivalent
Fitbit says it bases the active minutes on the CDC standards for METs. Vigorous activity is at least 6 METs. According to the sportsmedicine.about link moderate exercise is an activity valued at 3-6 METs. There are charts you can use to look up MET values for all sorts of activities (including inactivity). One example:
https://sites.google.com/site/compendiumofphysicalactivities/corrected-mets
I noticed if I took 1 minute of my Mifflin BMR, and multiplied that by the duration of an activity, then multiplied that by the MET value for an activity the result is very similar to the calorie burn the Fitbit database would have credited me for that activity. But I think the base for METs is supposed to be your resting metabolism (RMR) rather than basal metabolism rate. I say that because sitting still is usually 1 MET, but sleeping is a little less than 1 MET, the link credits sleeping with .95 MET. Not a big difference though. (The difference between BMR and RMR--the two are often used interchangably. My understanding is BMR is resting for a certain amount of time in a dark room like if you were alseep. RMR isn't as strict, the room doesn't have to be dark, etc.) I am not sure the difference really matters much, other than if you use an estimate based on RMR it might credit slightly more calories burned than one starting with BMR.0 -
I just sweated my eyeballs out for an hour mowing my lawn (we have a cordless electric/very heavy push mower) and FitBit records only 15 minutes of activity?!? What the heck do you call the rest of that hour? Meditation? This is REALLY disappointing.
What kind of FitBit do you have and where do you wear it? One of my biggest disappointing aha moments when I first got my Flex was to realize that because I wore it on my wrist, when I was pushing my kids in a double stroller (which was my main form of exercise at the time), it didn't track the steps accurately because my arms weren't swinging. Same thing at the grocery store and mowing the lawn.
I now use the bigger band and put it around my ankle when I'm doing something which is step based but doesn't really move my arms.
That may take care of the steps - but the calorie count is still way off - it has no idea you are pushing extra weight.0 -
MET
What is MET. Jargon? :noway:
Just to add to great explanation from Kim.
It was a way to remove the weight from the equation for comparison purposes.
Kind of like BMI gave a figure that was only meant for population stats but was used for individuals incorrectly, METS was meant to be used to find activity that would allow you to reach those goals stated.
Wasn't really meant for calorie burn, even though the METS was calculated from the measured calorie burn in studies and taking the weight out of the picture, so it could be applied to anyone.
Which means of course you can work backwards and arrive at calorie burn too.0 -
I discovered like others wearing the HRM on some mowings (push model) it was equal to walking 4 mph with a 20lb backpack on to get my HR to the same level.
Now, I don't have a lawn smooth enough to allow that speed, though that probably explains the lose wheels, put pushing the 30 lb mower with much friction counts a lot.
And if I walk 4mph level with no backpack, my HR is barely even getting in to the exercise zone above 90.
So depending on fitness level, the mower and those strollers especially with hills could be a big deal.0 -
This is kind of funny to me because one of the first posts I made regarding my Fitbit Flex in late May/early June was the large amount of movement flex gave me for mowing my lawn with a push mower compared to my sHealth pedometer on my phone.
Curious that I get lots of movement from my flex when mowing while you don't. I do push/pull quite a bit and move around a lot because my yard is goofy.0 -
If I know that I am about to partake in activity that my arms are not swinging,(pushing a shopping cart, spin class, elliptical) I will wrap my flex around my bra strap. I tend to get more accurate reading for not only steps but active minutes as well.0
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Realized the that after out with my family walking around pike place for 5 hours and I only had 3000 steps that something was wrong.
I was holding my daughter's hand, so no arm swinging like a normal gait. Live and learn...
I also realize now pushing the shopping cart, etc....
Your arm doesn't need to be swinging for it to register steps. But holding something can throw it off at times.0 -
The Flex works with up and down motion, so take bigger steps you move up and down more and it will say you are more active. It also responds really well to the Tae Bo footwork
I use the Polar FT7 with heart rate monitor for my workouts, it happens the Fitbit Flex is a bit too generous with the calories burned. Hour of a good steady walk burns 300 kcal according to my Polar FT7 and 400 kcal according to Fitbit. I'm likely in better shape than Fitbit expects :P 0 -
The Flex works with up and down motion, so take bigger steps you move up and down more and it will say you are more active. It also responds really well to the Tae Bo footwork I use the Polar FT7 with heart rate monitor for my workouts, it happens the Fitbit Flex is a bit too generous with the calories burned. Hour of a good steady walk burns 300 kcal according to my Polar FT7 and 400 kcal according to Fitbit. I'm likely in better shape than Fitbit expects :P
You are likely in better shape than your FT7 knows actually.
Best walking and running burn estimates are per weight and pace - that's it. In studies, that's 4% of measured, much more accurate than HRM.
And if Fitbit got the distance pretty good, it's more accurate.
Your FT7 on the other end, being a cheaper Polar with no VO2max figure that is relating to your fitness level, has to calculate it somehow.
So it takes your BMI (height & weight) and decides if it's from good to bad (age & gender), and that dictates your VO2max.
In other words - bad BMI, bad fitness level. Good BMI, assumed good fitness level.
Both are bad assumptions, but generally can fit in majority of cases.
Fact is though, you can get in to cardio shaper much faster than you can lose weight. Actually moving higher weight forces it on you faster.
So you are indeed more fit - your lungs can now take in more air with less breathes and your heart can now beat less to pump the exact same amount of oxygen to your muscles required to burn the same calories, if weight stayed the same.
But the HRM doesn't realize you are that fit yet, so it assumes the lower HR it sees means an easier workout, so smaller calorie burn.
Actually, it's more though.
You can test your HRM to see how incorrect it is.
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/774337-how-to-test-hrm-for-how-accurate-calorie-burn-is0 -
I just sweated my eyeballs out for an hour mowing my lawn (we have a cordless electric/very heavy push mower) and FitBit records only 15 minutes of activity?!? What the heck do you call the rest of that hour? Meditation? This is REALLY disappointing.
What kind of FitBit do you have and where do you wear it? One of my biggest disappointing aha moments when I first got my Flex was to realize that because I wore it on my wrist, when I was pushing my kids in a double stroller (which was my main form of exercise at the time), it didn't track the steps accurately because my arms weren't swinging. Same thing at the grocery store and mowing the lawn.
I now use the bigger band and put it around my ankle when I'm doing something which is step based but doesn't really move my arms.
Your arms do not have to swing in order to count steps. It is based on vibrations through the body (which is why it sometimes counts steps when you are driving). The stroller absorbed the vibrations which is why it didn't count them all. For the fun of it, I walked 500 steps with my arm not moving at all, and 500 swinging my arm. Both times the flex counted within 10 steps of the 500 I counted.
Mine counts the steps in my water aerobics class, but it doesn't recognize it as being very active because of the resistance of the water. I enter the class in MFP using the correct start time and the two sync up so I get very active minute credit without double dipping on the exercise calories earned.0 -
I read all the comments about the measurement etc, but I lay in bed this morning reading my Ipad and it measure 80 steps!! So, should I compensate a certain % everyday for inaccurate readings? If so, any suggestions? 10 %, 15% or more?0
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I read all the comments about the measurement etc, but I lay in bed this morning reading my Ipad and it measure 80 steps!! So, should I compensate a certain % everyday for inaccurate readings? If so, any suggestions? 10 %, 15% or more?
You need to separate the fact that a "step", real or not, does not equal an exact calorie burn, which varies on the steps made.
It can tell impact for the steps, and that gives indication of how long was the stride compared to expected stride length and mass.
Stride and weight and time give calorie burn.
Unless you were banging the bed out of frustration for those 80 steps, your steps would have appeared as small movements, and hardly any extra calorie count, as if just taking steps while standing basically.
And guess what moving around in bed would have been burning? Actually closer to reality than standing with slight movements, which actually would have been underestimated.
Do this to find out how much of everything you got for that time laying in bed, you'll need start time and duration for when the 80 steps happened.
Record what the total steps, miles, and calories are right at that moment. If the day is done, even better, just the totals.
Log an activity of walking 1 mile for that start and duration time with 100 calories, note the steps given to that activity.
Now record the new totals.
Now do this for each stat.
Original - New + activity = Fitbit's estimate of activity time.
So if original data said 8080 steps.
Activity said 200 steps.
New data said 8200 steps.
8080 - 8200 + 200 = 80 steps Fitbit did for activity.
But what will be more telling is the calories and miles. I'd be curious what you discover.0 -
Just wanted to say thanks to this forum, I got a good step count when grocery shopping today. Since I wear a force and always holds onto the shopping cart and it would not register near as many steps as I was taking. I did a little more than a lap around walmart with my force in my pocket and was glad I got credit for doing that walking.0
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I've been having issues with my Fitbit regarding VAM (Very Active Minutes) since last fall. I'll put in a good 45 minutes of pretty intense elliptical work, the Fitbit site shows all of it as VAM, then after it syncs with MFP -- BAM! Zero minutes.
Other than that, everything else seems pretty accurate. It was a little frustrating at first, but since *I* know how hard I've been working it really doesn't bother me much any more. I rarely eat back the Fitbit calorie adjustments anyway, and use it mostly for motivation at this point.0 -
Are you holding onto something with your wearing arm if it's a bracelet? It may not then, be logging the movement if it's not seeing an elevation change or that typical up-down movement associated with our arms moving when we walk naturally. Same may be true with an elliptical.0
