Suunto Ambit - Calories burned

FatMoojor
FatMoojor Posts: 483 Member
edited November 20 in Fitness and Exercise
I have seen a few threads on here about various fitness trackers giving overly large calorie burns and I wondered if anyone else has a Suunto Ambit R and how they feel it's calorie tracking is.

My stats are:

Male, 5'8", 164lbs, 20% BF (measured from scales so probably not accurate)

Details from Movescount -
1. Treadmill workout - 1:00, 9km, 160 average hr, 925 calories
2. Trail run - 1:50, 18.2km, 152 average hr, 1350 calories

For the above runs in MFP using "Running (jogging), 5 mph (12 min mile)"

1. 596 calories
2. 1092 calories

If you then use the advice that MFP actually overestimates runs and only eat back 50% of calories from its numbers that would mean

1. 293 calories
2. 546 calories

The difference between using 50% of MFP at eating back what my Ambit says I burnt is huge. I guess my question is "which of the following is the best idea?"

1. Use the numbers from my Ambit, eat back a portion of the calories burnt.
2. Use the numbers from MFP exercise and eat back 50%
3. Ignore both sets of numbers and just go all out pure TDEE calcs.

I have got to a point where I am almost happy with my weight and want to move in to maintenance and am just not sure which is the best way to track CI/CO

Replies

  • nicklippa
    nicklippa Posts: 31 Member
    Hello, I have quick question as I have used 3 watches in the last 2 years, Garmin Fenix 2, Suunto Ambit 2S and my current Polar v800. You don't say if you are using a Heart Rate Monitor during your runs, can you clarify this? I just ran a 10K with my Polar watch and here are my numbers from Polar Flow:

    Duration 58:02, Distance 10.08km, 5:45 min/km Average Pace, 4:00 min/km Max Pace, 153BPM average/ 166BPM Max, 791 Calories. So I would guess your Movescount numbers are too high because I am 5'8, 174lbs and 13% BF (fitbit scale). I found when I used the HRM across all devices, the numbers are usually within small percentages of each other. When I started my journey to my weight loss, I used devices entry level devices like fitbit or jawbone, good ideas but IMO calories were all theoretical where now I am getting consistency.

    Let me know if you are using an HRM with your Suunto? By the way Suunto makes great watches and I would have kept the Ambit 2 if it had wireless sync like my Polar v800 does.

  • FatMoojor
    FatMoojor Posts: 483 Member
    edited June 2015
    Sorry, yes all runs with my ambit are done using the HRM. Having a look back through my runs the calorie burn is pretty much constant.

    Just checked my stats in movescount. had me @ 5'10 and 12lbs heavier. I should probably also do a full resting heart rate check again.

    So have corrected this and will have a look what it says when I head out on Saturday.
  • nicklippa
    nicklippa Posts: 31 Member
    Well for sure that makes sense now as the watches really don't lie. It really is x X y = z but x and y have to be correct.
  • FatMoojor
    FatMoojor Posts: 483 Member
    Cheers for the reply nick. Seeing your stats etc was the nudge to make me recheck mine.
  • FatMoojor
    FatMoojor Posts: 483 Member
    So just plugged in my watch with the correct stats and it is showing 800 calories burned which puts me closer your numbers nick.
    I think I'll just go with the numbers from my watch and eat about 75%/80% and track how that goes over time and my predicted loss.
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