Fitbit user

When I was losing - I assumed there was a 5-10% error rate, so I didn't eat them all. I'd leave an extra 100 or so unused.

Now that I'm in maintenance, I'm finding my Fitbit tends to underestimate my total daily burn. Meaning if I eat less than the Fitbit burned #, I lose weight now when I don't intend to.

Does that mean it will be the same for each person? I don't think so. Fitbit, or any tracker, cannot tell intensity. So if you do alot of treadmill walking at an incline, its probably underestimating for you - because it doesn't know you're at an incline. And walking uphill burns more calories than flat. If you do a variety of activities, it probably overestimates on some, underestimates on others so the average might be about even.

I think though since its hard to know for sure (unless you're trying to maintain!) then assume a 5-10% error rate and leave that as a buffer. Like if your Fitbit says you average 2200 burned per day, assume its 1980-2090 instead. So take your 500/day (for 1 pound per week) off that and aim for 1480-1590 intake.

Mine is very close. I use a One and (I think) it calculates when I am using the treadmill uphill because it thinks instead I am going up stairs, and so I assume it would have an algorithm for that. I eat pretty much all of my daily allowance it gives me, but I have mine set to add calories as I burn them, rather than giving me an allowance at the beginning of every day based off my average burn.

StaciMarie1974 wrote: »

The One uses an altimeter, so it only counts a flight of stairs if you increase in altitude 10 feet. You don't increase in altitude on a treadmill.

agratzy wrote: »

Mine is very close. I use a One and (I think) it calculates when I am using the treadmill uphill because it thinks instead I am going up stairs, and so I assume it would have an algorithm for that. I eat pretty much all of my daily allowance it gives me, but I have mine set to add calories as I burn them, rather than giving me an allowance at the beginning of every day based off my average burn.

Good to know, thanks!

aprilh576 wrote: »

Thanks ladies! Everyone thinks its not possible for me to burn 600-700 calories give or take. Doing 45-60 mins workout plus achieving my 10,000 steps daily.

I'm not sure why they would think that's outrageous unless they don't understand how a fitbit adjustment works. If your always getting 10,000 steps, you could always bump up your activity level and this way your adjustment won't be as large.