Fitbit Surge Calorie Accuracy
DWare5883
Posts: 4 Member
Hello all,
I've got some questions concerning the accuracy of the amount of calories the fitbit surge says I've burned when it syncs with MFP. I've tried looking through multiple sites to try and determine the answer but wanted to get some other opinions and see if there is any way to make it more accurate. Granted, I know the fitbit can't be 100% accurate and there is going to be some give and take. Problem is I've seen some pages that make it sound like the fitbit over estimates and some that even make it sound like it under estimates. What some sites say you burn in so many steps just doesn't seem to add to the amount it's saying I'm burning in that same amount. I just want to be able to accurately measure my calories out and calories in.
I am moderately active. I spend my time between the office where I walk around a fair amount and field work where I do a good bit of hiking, frequently up steep hills. I also use an elliptical at home frequently and spend most of my time in the peak and cardio zones. I've listed what I did this week in addition to my normal routine around the office and home. The total steps include the elliptical.
Sunday: Went for a hike (1h 16 min in fat burn zone and 14 min in cardio) for 10,189 steps = 664 calories
Monday: Used elliptical for 30 minutes (8 minutes peak, 22 minutes cardio, and 14 minutes fat burn) for 7,892 steps = 615 calories
Tueday: Used elliptical for 32 minutes (5 minutes peak, 18 minutes cardio, and 14 minutes fat burn) for 7,869 steps = 508 calories
Wednesday: Used elliptical for 35 minutes and light field work (24 minutes peak, 15 minutes cardio, and 42 minutes fat burn) for 11,120 = 1,186 calories
Thursday: Nothing except normal activities (7 minutes cardio and 10 minutes fat burn) for 5,212 steps = 378 calories
To me these totals seem really high. Sorry about all the detail but wanted to provide some to see if you think they are not accurate. Please provide any feedback on whether you think these total are reasonable or not, and how to make them more accurate. Thank you.
I've got some questions concerning the accuracy of the amount of calories the fitbit surge says I've burned when it syncs with MFP. I've tried looking through multiple sites to try and determine the answer but wanted to get some other opinions and see if there is any way to make it more accurate. Granted, I know the fitbit can't be 100% accurate and there is going to be some give and take. Problem is I've seen some pages that make it sound like the fitbit over estimates and some that even make it sound like it under estimates. What some sites say you burn in so many steps just doesn't seem to add to the amount it's saying I'm burning in that same amount. I just want to be able to accurately measure my calories out and calories in.
I am moderately active. I spend my time between the office where I walk around a fair amount and field work where I do a good bit of hiking, frequently up steep hills. I also use an elliptical at home frequently and spend most of my time in the peak and cardio zones. I've listed what I did this week in addition to my normal routine around the office and home. The total steps include the elliptical.
Sunday: Went for a hike (1h 16 min in fat burn zone and 14 min in cardio) for 10,189 steps = 664 calories
Monday: Used elliptical for 30 minutes (8 minutes peak, 22 minutes cardio, and 14 minutes fat burn) for 7,892 steps = 615 calories
Tueday: Used elliptical for 32 minutes (5 minutes peak, 18 minutes cardio, and 14 minutes fat burn) for 7,869 steps = 508 calories
Wednesday: Used elliptical for 35 minutes and light field work (24 minutes peak, 15 minutes cardio, and 42 minutes fat burn) for 11,120 = 1,186 calories
Thursday: Nothing except normal activities (7 minutes cardio and 10 minutes fat burn) for 5,212 steps = 378 calories
To me these totals seem really high. Sorry about all the detail but wanted to provide some to see if you think they are not accurate. Please provide any feedback on whether you think these total are reasonable or not, and how to make them more accurate. Thank you.
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Replies
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Are these your adjustments on MFP or your reported exercise burns for the day per Fitbit?0
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It is the amount reported in MFP0
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Then that is the difference between your Fitbit Total Calorie Burn for the day and what MFP thinks you burned. Your Fitbit calorie burn accounts for BMR+daily activity in the form of steps + workouts
Fitbit Total - MFP estimated based on activity level setting = adjustment
If you click the little "i" next to the adjustment it will show you the math (website).
On the phone app - tap fitbit adjustment and then tap earned calories to see the math.
If you are getting extra calories on a day without exercise, then you likely have your MFP activity level set to low.
The only way to really know if your Fitbit Calorie Burn is accurate for you is to trust it for a couple weeks and see what happens to your weight. In a couple weeks compare what happened to your weight, how much you ate, and what you expected to happen with your weight. If it all lines up then it's accurate.
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shadow2soul wrote: »Then that is the difference between your Fitbit Total Calorie Burn for the day and what MFP thinks you burned. Your Fitbit calorie burn accounts for BMR+daily activity in the form of steps + workouts
Fitbit Total - MFP estimated based on activity level setting = adjustment
If you click the little "i" next to the adjustment it will show you the math (website).
On the phone app - tap fitbit adjustment and then tap earned calories to see the math.
If you are getting extra calories on a day without exercise, then you likely have your MFP activity level set to low.
The only way to really know if your Fitbit Calorie Burn is accurate for you is to trust it for a couple weeks and see what happens to your weight. In a couple weeks compare what happened to your weight, how much you ate, and what you expected to happen with your weight. If it all lines up then it's accurate.
Hi, I got my Fitbit today in the afternoon. As soon as I activated it, it showed 161 steps and some 700 cal burned. What does that mean?
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My fitbit app said I had 900 calories burned when I put it on. I think it's because it is counting the estimated calories your BMR burns up to that point in the day. It had me a bit confused at the start. Your fitbit counts the calories your body burns naturally combined with those from activity. At least I think. Someone else might want to confirm that.
I knew that the calories in the MFP were adjusted, I was just curious how accurate that adjustment was. I have my activity level set to sedentary because it gives me a lower calorie intake goal.0 -
Wouldn't it be better to set a higher per week weight loss than make your activity sedentary when it should be light intensity etc.
I thought I was sedentary but actually I'm light intensity as I'm bobbing up and down like a yo yo part of the day plus walk the dogs although I do have periods of sitting for a couple of hours during the day.
I changed my weekly goal from 1lb to 2lbs a week and its given me 1850 cals a week plus anything I do over what MFP thinks I might do. I wear my surge all the time and I try not to eat the extra calories that MFP gives me. I don't work out other than the dog walking, for now its enough with the other issues I have going on.
When I wake up I've already done x number of steps, when I check back to see what my sleep pattern was like I see that I woke 4 times and was restless 12 times, so I was obviously moving around a lot in the night - funny as I thought I'd slept like a log all night!0 -
All calorie tracking for Fitbits is based on a (seemingly high) calculated BMR (base calories burn for just living and breathing) for the whole day, then the addition of calories based on exercise, walking, and general motion to give you a TDEE (Total daily energy expenditure).
That means it will continue to add calories each minute you are alive, which is why it gives you burned calories while sleeping and such. You may wake up and already have 600 calories burned base on being alive. As you move through out the day lesser Fitbit models base additional calories burned on steps and mileage. Heart rate Fitbits base it on your HR zones and adjust calories burns with that.
All that said, I have had many different fitness trackers. I loved my Fitbit Force. I have had the Surge for some time and I don't think it is nearly as accurate as the Force. Not so much calories burns for activities, which are generally around 15% higher than most online calculations you will find, but more so the general calories added through out the day. The highest calculated TDEE I can find ( http://iifym.com/tdee-calculator/ ), saying I am doing two HUGE workouts a day, puts me at 3100 calories per day. Now, I sit on my but most of the day at a desk, and I do get in about and hour of general HIIT, walking, and strength training, but not nearly two HUGE workouts a day, so I would more likely around 2600 calories a day for TDEE. The rub is, my Surge TDEEs are regularly over 3900 calories, with some topping 5000 calories burned in a day! If I was to eat and operate based on Fitbits numbers, I would be gaining weight like crazy.
I missed the time frame to be able to return it, unfortunately, so I have to work around those ridiculous numbers and reduce everything by around 1000 calories per day. I am still working with Fitbit to help them improve the unit though my situation, but in my opinion the heart rate measuring of Surge or Charge HR is useless and gives terrible calories burns. I am about to turn it off, which irks me because then I have paid $150 extra for what is essential what you get in the $99 Flex - a step and activity tracker.
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Been thinking about getting a fitbit to help me keep up with my day...0
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I switched from a One to an HR a couple of weeks ago. I have not changed my activity level or exercise program since the switch and the HR is giving me an additional 350-400 calories burned daily. I expected that because I felt the One was undercounting the burn for my elliptical time. However, the kicker is that I'd lost 60 lbs in the last 8 months with a strategy of using FB+MFP and trying to hit a 750 daily calorie deficit on the nose. 60 lbs in 35 weeks is 1.74/week so my thinking is that the One was undercounting a bit since I feel pretty good about my calorie counting process. However, an extra quarter pound a week is only 125 calories a day rather than the 350-400 getting added by the One. That fits with my actual experience as I've not really lost anything since I switched 2.5 weeks ago. My experience over the last 8 months says it's too early to draw any firm conclusions but the initial indication is that I need to start under shooting the HR number by at least a couple of hundred calories a day.
I tried the TDEE calculator and the numbers look very consistent with my FitBit numbers early in the day before I exercise so I'm going with the theory that the HR overestimates exercise calorie burn for me by about 20%. But that's for my metabolism, my exercise program, and my diet. The only way to know for sure for you is to run it out for a couple of months and see what the scales say. I'll be watching the results of a daily planned undershoot of 200-300 calories to see if that gets me back on track. That said, there are so many uncontrolled and unknown variables, it's never going to be anything close to definitive.0 -
Chaelaz's results are wildly inconsistent with mine so I'm included to think that there's either a configuration problem or a hardware defect. I was hiking with someone yesterday and we did exactly the same hike and we both have HR's with the same firmware release. I had 200 floors while he got 50 so don't assume your HR is working perfectly. My 200 was consistent with our actual elevation change. Our calorie burns were roughly consistent.
I frequently work out for two hours and have never seen a TDEE close to 5000. I'll barely break 4000 on a 22.5K step day and I'm a pretty big guy (male, 74" tall, 210 lbs, 60 years old)0 -
testtannebil wrote: »Chaelaz's results are wildly inconsistent with mine so I'm included to think that there's either a configuration problem or a hardware defect.
They have been working with me, but problems still persist. One issue at this point is the accuracy or the built in HR monitor, which does not seem to be working well for me. I've been side by side comparisons using the Surge and my trusty ol' chest strap HR monitor and while my Surge has never peaked over 148, my HIIT session regularly peg me 170+, as they should. The issue is, you can go the the Fitbit forums and find a a good section of people with the same issues.
That said, I am not sure what percentage of people are having issues, so I might just be that exception to the rule.
I'll post if anything ever resolves.
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This was the best bit of advice I've found so far, just do what @editorgrl says to do, it's been perfect for me since I changed my settings: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/comment/31364115#Comment_31364115
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FYI - Fitbit is having me send my unit back for a replacement. HOPING it is just that simple. Will update again when I know.0
This discussion has been closed.
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