FitBit Zip discrepancies
atypicalsmith
Posts: 2,742 Member
I posted this in Fitness and Exercise, so here goes where I meant to post it in the first place:
I just bought a FitBit a few days ago to use strictly as an pedometer. So far today it's logged just under 15,000 steps. I did two miles on the treadmill, approximately 5,000 steps for me, and walked my dog a mile, maybe 3,000 steps because he wants to stray from the path. I did go to Costco and Walmart and walked quite a bit at each, plus parked my car very far away, but this definitely isn't 7,000 steps! The only other movement was a bit of housecleaning, but still, nothing like biking or cooking or gardening. I'm suspicious and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same alleged discrepancy. Thanks!
I just bought a FitBit a few days ago to use strictly as an pedometer. So far today it's logged just under 15,000 steps. I did two miles on the treadmill, approximately 5,000 steps for me, and walked my dog a mile, maybe 3,000 steps because he wants to stray from the path. I did go to Costco and Walmart and walked quite a bit at each, plus parked my car very far away, but this definitely isn't 7,000 steps! The only other movement was a bit of housecleaning, but still, nothing like biking or cooking or gardening. I'm suspicious and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same alleged discrepancy. Thanks!
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You may want to try to contact their support. They are open until 8PM pacific, so they should still be open. SOMETIMES they have chat agents. That sounds a bit high, 7,000 steps at costco and wally world? I had a defective Zip, the battery kept fluctuating and eventually died, and it was marking my walks by a mile off here and there with syncing. I walk the same amount usually, so one day it said I walked an extra mile, then one day it didn't save my entire day of exercising. They sent me a new one in the mail for free, and said I could keep the old Zip. All they wanted was a picture of the receipt from when I purchased it.0
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This was all within 3 weeks of having it0
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(877) 623-4997 for Customer Support, and it looks like they're open on the weekends, too! I checked, and they don't have the chat option on there right now. Sometimes they do and sometimes they don't, it's weird.0
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atypicalsmith wrote: »I posted this in Fitness and Exercise, so here goes where I meant to post it in the first place:
I just bought a FitBit a few days ago to use strictly as an pedometer. So far today it's logged just under 15,000 steps. I did two miles on the treadmill, approximately 5,000 steps for me, and walked my dog a mile, maybe 3,000 steps because he wants to stray from the path. I did go to Costco and Walmart and walked quite a bit at each, plus parked my car very far away, but this definitely isn't 7,000 steps! The only other movement was a bit of housecleaning, but still, nothing like biking or cooking or gardening. I'm suspicious and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same alleged discrepancy. Thanks!
I would like to believe it's really 7000 steps. I believe the fitbit can feel impact on your body (when stepping or jogging) and registers that as a step. I also know the HR monitor enabled models makes distinctions between moderately active, lightly active, and very active minutes. Somehow all of this information gets turned into a TDEE reading which is fed into mfp, which i then use as a budget to feed my belly. Maybe it really was 7000 steps?
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Kimegatron wrote: »This was all within 3 weeks of having it
Thanks, Kim, I will call them. As much as I would like to believe that I did an extra 5,000 or so steps than actual, it seems hard to believe. I wear it on my pants at my waist, so it's not like it's attached to my wristwatch and I wave my hands around all day
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Protranser wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »I posted this in Fitness and Exercise, so here goes where I meant to post it in the first place:
I just bought a FitBit a few days ago to use strictly as an pedometer. So far today it's logged just under 15,000 steps. I did two miles on the treadmill, approximately 5,000 steps for me, and walked my dog a mile, maybe 3,000 steps because he wants to stray from the path. I did go to Costco and Walmart and walked quite a bit at each, plus parked my car very far away, but this definitely isn't 7,000 steps! The only other movement was a bit of housecleaning, but still, nothing like biking or cooking or gardening. I'm suspicious and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same alleged discrepancy. Thanks!
I would like to believe it's really 7000 steps. I believe the fitbit can feel impact on your body (when stepping or jogging) and registers that as a step. I also know the HR monitor enabled models makes distinctions between moderately active, lightly active, and very active minutes. Somehow all of this information gets turned into a TDEE reading which is fed into mfp, which i then use as a budget to feed my belly. Maybe it really was 7000 steps?
7,000 steps for me is equivalent to nearly three miles. I don't think it really was 7000 or even 5000 or even 3000 steps. Maybe 2000. However, this is working out great for me with the people I have a step challenge going.0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »I posted this in Fitness and Exercise, so here goes where I meant to post it in the first place:
I just bought a FitBit a few days ago to use strictly as an pedometer. So far today it's logged just under 15,000 steps. I did two miles on the treadmill, approximately 5,000 steps for me, and walked my dog a mile, maybe 3,000 steps because he wants to stray from the path. I did go to Costco and Walmart and walked quite a bit at each, plus parked my car very far away, but this definitely isn't 7,000 steps! The only other movement was a bit of housecleaning, but still, nothing like biking or cooking or gardening. I'm suspicious and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same alleged discrepancy. Thanks!
I would like to believe it's really 7000 steps. I believe the fitbit can feel impact on your body (when stepping or jogging) and registers that as a step. I also know the HR monitor enabled models makes distinctions between moderately active, lightly active, and very active minutes. Somehow all of this information gets turned into a TDEE reading which is fed into mfp, which i then use as a budget to feed my belly. Maybe it really was 7000 steps?
7,000 steps for me is equivalent to nearly three miles. I don't think it really was 7000 or even 5000 or even 3000 steps. Maybe 2000. However, this is working out great for me with the people I have a step challenge going.
a trip to Costco for me adds almost a mile between where i park and the fact that its a HUGE store
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atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »I posted this in Fitness and Exercise, so here goes where I meant to post it in the first place:
I just bought a FitBit a few days ago to use strictly as an pedometer. So far today it's logged just under 15,000 steps. I did two miles on the treadmill, approximately 5,000 steps for me, and walked my dog a mile, maybe 3,000 steps because he wants to stray from the path. I did go to Costco and Walmart and walked quite a bit at each, plus parked my car very far away, but this definitely isn't 7,000 steps! The only other movement was a bit of housecleaning, but still, nothing like biking or cooking or gardening. I'm suspicious and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same alleged discrepancy. Thanks!
I would like to believe it's really 7000 steps. I believe the fitbit can feel impact on your body (when stepping or jogging) and registers that as a step. I also know the HR monitor enabled models makes distinctions between moderately active, lightly active, and very active minutes. Somehow all of this information gets turned into a TDEE reading which is fed into mfp, which i then use as a budget to feed my belly. Maybe it really was 7000 steps?
7,000 steps for me is equivalent to nearly three miles. I don't think it really was 7000 or even 5000 or even 3000 steps. Maybe 2000. However, this is working out great for me with the people I have a step challenge going.
a trip to Costco for me adds almost a mile between where i park and the fact that its a HUGE store
I did walk through it several times for the free grazing, which was my lunch. Plus I did park in the shade at the extremely far end of the parking lot, and then came halfway back to the store to put my cart up in its spot, so yes, that could have been a mile. Doesn't account for the other two miles, sigh.0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »I posted this in Fitness and Exercise, so here goes where I meant to post it in the first place:
I just bought a FitBit a few days ago to use strictly as an pedometer. So far today it's logged just under 15,000 steps. I did two miles on the treadmill, approximately 5,000 steps for me, and walked my dog a mile, maybe 3,000 steps because he wants to stray from the path. I did go to Costco and Walmart and walked quite a bit at each, plus parked my car very far away, but this definitely isn't 7,000 steps! The only other movement was a bit of housecleaning, but still, nothing like biking or cooking or gardening. I'm suspicious and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same alleged discrepancy. Thanks!
I would like to believe it's really 7000 steps. I believe the fitbit can feel impact on your body (when stepping or jogging) and registers that as a step. I also know the HR monitor enabled models makes distinctions between moderately active, lightly active, and very active minutes. Somehow all of this information gets turned into a TDEE reading which is fed into mfp, which i then use as a budget to feed my belly. Maybe it really was 7000 steps?
7,000 steps for me is equivalent to nearly three miles. I don't think it really was 7000 or even 5000 or even 3000 steps. Maybe 2000. However, this is working out great for me with the people I have a step challenge going.
A trip to Costco and Walmart is roughly a mile in each so 2400 for each one. I will end up with close to 7k when all is said and done unloading and putting groceries away it may not be as off as you think.
Plus for the first week or two the Fitbit is adjusting your stride and steps unless you did this manually and then your stride could be off. Just some thoughts.
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Does your model allow for stride calibraton? Maybe you need to adjust your stride settings to fix its accuracy0
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atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »I posted this in Fitness and Exercise, so here goes where I meant to post it in the first place:
I just bought a FitBit a few days ago to use strictly as an pedometer. So far today it's logged just under 15,000 steps. I did two miles on the treadmill, approximately 5,000 steps for me, and walked my dog a mile, maybe 3,000 steps because he wants to stray from the path. I did go to Costco and Walmart and walked quite a bit at each, plus parked my car very far away, but this definitely isn't 7,000 steps! The only other movement was a bit of housecleaning, but still, nothing like biking or cooking or gardening. I'm suspicious and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same alleged discrepancy. Thanks!
I would like to believe it's really 7000 steps. I believe the fitbit can feel impact on your body (when stepping or jogging) and registers that as a step. I also know the HR monitor enabled models makes distinctions between moderately active, lightly active, and very active minutes. Somehow all of this information gets turned into a TDEE reading which is fed into mfp, which i then use as a budget to feed my belly. Maybe it really was 7000 steps?
7,000 steps for me is equivalent to nearly three miles. I don't think it really was 7000 or even 5000 or even 3000 steps. Maybe 2000. However, this is working out great for me with the people I have a step challenge going.
I get more than 2k in just one of those stores unless it's a quick get one or 2 things and then get out.
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Protranser wrote: »Does your model allow for stride calibraton? Maybe you need to adjust your stride settings to fix its accuracy
I am simply using it to count my steps, not my stride (which is needed to count distance walked). I don't care about the distance, but the steps.0 -
codycsweet wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »I posted this in Fitness and Exercise, so here goes where I meant to post it in the first place:
I just bought a FitBit a few days ago to use strictly as an pedometer. So far today it's logged just under 15,000 steps. I did two miles on the treadmill, approximately 5,000 steps for me, and walked my dog a mile, maybe 3,000 steps because he wants to stray from the path. I did go to Costco and Walmart and walked quite a bit at each, plus parked my car very far away, but this definitely isn't 7,000 steps! The only other movement was a bit of housecleaning, but still, nothing like biking or cooking or gardening. I'm suspicious and wondered if anyone else had experienced the same alleged discrepancy. Thanks!
I would like to believe it's really 7000 steps. I believe the fitbit can feel impact on your body (when stepping or jogging) and registers that as a step. I also know the HR monitor enabled models makes distinctions between moderately active, lightly active, and very active minutes. Somehow all of this information gets turned into a TDEE reading which is fed into mfp, which i then use as a budget to feed my belly. Maybe it really was 7000 steps?
7,000 steps for me is equivalent to nearly three miles. I don't think it really was 7000 or even 5000 or even 3000 steps. Maybe 2000. However, this is working out great for me with the people I have a step challenge going.
I get more than 2k in just one of those stores unless it's a quick get one or 2 things and then get out.
Really? I did zoom back and forth in each of them several times, but still can't imagine 2k! I'll give it another chance tomorrow . . .0 -
Oh hmm
maybe you should do this same trip again tomorrow to see if the step count is similar? 0 -
Protranser wrote: »Oh hmm maybe you should do this same trip again tomorrow to see if the step count is similar?
No way, hah! I'll just check it more often.0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »Oh hmm maybe you should do this same trip again tomorrow to see if the step count is similar?
No way, hah! I'll just check it more often.
Ehh? Don't want to? Maybe it really was worth 7000 steps if the thought of doing it again makes you hesitant
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Protranser wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »Oh hmm maybe you should do this same trip again tomorrow to see if the step count is similar?
No way, hah! I'll just check it more often.
Ehh? Don't want to? Maybe it really was worth 7000 steps if the thought of doing it again makes you hesitant
I would love to recreate today tomorrow. However, apparently I don't have as much time as you do to trace my steps when there are a million other things to do tomorrow. Plus I already bought the stuff I wanted.
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Well, maybe another day then. I still think the step count may have been accurate 0
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I get about 5k steps going to Costco and Walmart. I go to both every 2 weeks, park far away and like to browse most of the isles.
I'm always disappointed that I only get apprx 5k steps cuz it seems like more to me. But I do move in a more leisurely pace than isual, lots of stopping and standing to look at things, etc.0 -
I've heard of people who had their fitbit register bumps in the road as steps while driving. Mine doesn't (I have a charge), but it might be worth looking at the before and after when you drive.0
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atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »Does your model allow for stride calibraton? Maybe you need to adjust your stride settings to fix its accuracy
I am simply using it to count my steps, not my stride (which is needed to count distance walked). I don't care about the distance, but the steps.
Go measure your stride length. The defaults are base only on height and gender, which isn't that accurate since you want to count your steps. Yes, stride length and steps are related, so if you want accurate step count go measure your stride.0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »Does your model allow for stride calibraton? Maybe you need to adjust your stride settings to fix its accuracy
I am simply using it to count my steps, not my stride (which is needed to count distance walked). I don't care about the distance, but the steps.
Go measure your stride length. The defaults are base only on height and gender, which isn't that accurate since you want to count your steps. Yes, stride length and steps are related, so if you want accurate step count go measure your stride.
I'm confused. What does stride have to do with steps? If I walk in baby steps or elephant steps, it's still steps.0 -
I've heard of people who had their fitbit register bumps in the road as steps while driving. Mine doesn't (I have a charge), but it might be worth looking at the before and after when you drive.
I wear it clipped onto my pants at my hip, where I always clipped a "regular" spring-loaded pedometer. Most of them undercounted my steps, so maybe Costco and Walmart really did rack up 5,000 steps and I'm just not used to seeing that many!0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »Does your model allow for stride calibraton? Maybe you need to adjust your stride settings to fix its accuracy
I am simply using it to count my steps, not my stride (which is needed to count distance walked). I don't care about the distance, but the steps.
Go measure your stride length. The defaults are base only on height and gender, which isn't that accurate since you want to count your steps. Yes, stride length and steps are related, so if you want accurate step count go measure your stride.
I'm confused. What does stride have to do with steps? If I walk in baby steps or elephant steps, it's still steps.
You'll get a more accurate count of steps if you determine your stride length for your usual walking pace. The Fitbit will use that as a starting point and adjust as needed, giving you more steps if your stride is shorter and fewer if it's longer.
~Lyssa
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I have a FitBit Zip, which I use strictly as a step counter. Does that make a difference? Especially when I'm not entering the distance walked?0
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atypicalsmith wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »Does your model allow for stride calibraton? Maybe you need to adjust your stride settings to fix its accuracy
I am simply using it to count my steps, not my stride (which is needed to count distance walked). I don't care about the distance, but the steps.
Go measure your stride length. The defaults are base only on height and gender, which isn't that accurate since you want to count your steps. Yes, stride length and steps are related, so if you want accurate step count go measure your stride.
I'm confused. What does stride have to do with steps? If I walk in baby steps or elephant steps, it's still steps.
Example:
3000 baby steps = 1 mile
500 elephant steps = 1 mile
Both walk 1 mile, but the baby has so many more steps than the elephant. Why? Because the stride length of a baby is much shorter than an elephant, therefor a baby racks up more steps than an elephant.
If you're not going to measure your stride and input it so your Fitbit can accurately count your steps, you may as well just count your steps in your head and throw your Fitbit in the garbage.0 -
Your Fitbit burn is TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), the calories necessary to maintain your current weight. If you eat less than that, you will lose weight. The only way to gauge the accuracy is to enable negative calorie adjustments, eat back your adjustments for several weeks, the reevaluate your progress.
Steps are just a metric. I have a Flex and a Charge HR, and I get extra "steps" drying my hair and lose steps pushing a shopping cart. But all that I care about is an accurate burn. I've eaten back my Fitbit adjustments for more than two years, lost the weight, and kept it off.
Fitbit calculates distance by multiplying your steps by your stride length. If you want that number to be accurate, you can calibrate your stride length: http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/How-do-I-measure-and-adjust-my-stride-length I never bothered, but it'll take trial & error to find what works for you.
You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users0 -
atypicalsmith wrote: »atypicalsmith wrote: »Protranser wrote: »Does your model allow for stride calibraton? Maybe you need to adjust your stride settings to fix its accuracy
I am simply using it to count my steps, not my stride (which is needed to count distance walked). I don't care about the distance, but the steps.
Go measure your stride length. The defaults are base only on height and gender, which isn't that accurate since you want to count your steps. Yes, stride length and steps are related, so if you want accurate step count go measure your stride.
I'm confused. What does stride have to do with steps? If I walk in baby steps or elephant steps, it's still steps.
Example:
3000 baby steps = 1 mile
500 elephant steps = 1 mile
Both walk 1 mile, but the baby has so many more steps than the elephant. Why? Because the stride length of a baby is much shorter than an elephant, therefor a baby racks up more steps than an elephant.
If you're not going to measure your stride and input it so your Fitbit can accurately count your steps, you may as well just count your steps in your head and throw your Fitbit in the garbage.editorgrrl wrote: »Your Fitbit burn is TDEE (total daily energy expenditure), the calories necessary to maintain your current weight. If you eat less than that, you will lose weight. The only way to gauge the accuracy is to enable negative calorie adjustments, eat back your adjustments for several weeks, the reevaluate your progress.
Steps are just a metric. I have a Flex and a Charge HR, and I get extra "steps" drying my hair and lose steps pushing a shopping cart. But all that I care about is an accurate burn. I've eaten back my Fitbit adjustments for more than two years, lost the weight, and kept it off.
Fitbit calculates distance by multiplying your steps by your stride length. If you want that number to be accurate, you can calibrate your stride length: http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/How-do-I-measure-and-adjust-my-stride-length I never bothered, but it'll take trial & error to find what works for you.
You can learn more in the Fitbit Users group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/1290-fitbit-users
But all I want to know is the number of steps I took in a day, whether they were short or long or skipping rope or pushing a grocery cart. I don't want to know about TDEE or how many calories I burned. All I want to know is how many steps I walked. Don't make this so complicated.0 -
If you're not going to measure your stride and input it so your Fitbit can accurately count your steps, you may as well just count your steps in your head and throw your Fitbit in the garbage.
Why would I do that? The only reason I got fitbit was to count my steps. I didn't get it to count my stride.0 -
[quote="editorgrrl;3365791Fitbit calculates distance by multiplying your steps by your stride length. If you want that number to be accurate, you can calibrate your stride length: http://help.fitbit.com/articles/en_US/Help_article/How-do-I-measure-and-adjust-my-stride-length I never bothered, but it'll take trial & error to find what works for you.[/quote]
If you never bothered, why are you telling me to do so?0
This discussion has been closed.
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