Am I double dipping on my calorie count?

Sejordan64
Sejordan64 Posts: 10 Member
edited November 30 in Fitness and Exercise
Hello, I have a fitbit synced to my fitnesspal profile/app, on my lifting days my fitbit tracks my time exercising (supposedly) and my steps, but not any of my lifting (again I assume it isn't tracking my lifting) then fitness pal picks up the data from my fitbit and gives me x factor for calories. Now if I go into the exercise section under cardio and account for account for my time working out (lifting) it gives me x factor of calorie credit. My question is am I double dipping? Or is the fitbit calorie tracking mostly steps and perceived heart rate exertion and the calories from fitnesspal under strength training, more muscle expenditure

Replies

  • amoffatt
    amoffatt Posts: 674 Member
    I personally just delete my fitbit count under exercise and go by what I actually did.
  • shennard80
    shennard80 Posts: 23 Member
    If your fitbit has a HR monitor then you would be counting twice because the calories burned estimates is based on your heart rate.
  • Afura
    Afura Posts: 2,054 Member
    From what I remember the calories calculated by a FitBit for lifting are not accurate as the FitBit is made for cardio burn. You may be getting some double dipping between what it registers for when you're lifting and what you enter. I'd assume that there has to be some way on a FitBit to determine the when and where of what it's calculating.
  • Sejordan64
    Sejordan64 Posts: 10 Member
    Ok, thanks for the feedback, I suspected that the calorie counts were heart rate based and that I was in fact probably doubling up on my count to some degree
  • tahxirez
    tahxirez Posts: 270 Member
    I don't have an answer for this question that is scientifically backed but I believe that there is an algorithm shared between MFP and Fitbit that interprets the data that your fitbit is providing and determines your calories burned. I am not saying this approximation is accurate but I don't believe that it is double counting. The reason I think this is that the Fitbit is taking your HR data and converting that to calories burned (loosely) I recently switched from a flex to a blaze and have noticed what seems to be a difference in exercise calories that doesn't directly relate to simply steps taken. You might have better luck on a Fitbit forum as there are moderators who have much more precise information about the function of the equipment.
  • malibu927
    malibu927 Posts: 17,562 Member
    No, you aren't. When you log any exercise in MFP, the calories burned overrides what Fitbit says you burned in that same time frame. The HR part isn't accurate for lifting anyway.
  • shennard80
    shennard80 Posts: 23 Member
    I've never logged exercise here since using a fitbit so didn't realize it adjusts based on what you've entered. It's the same number because it just takes away the calories you identified from the adjustment
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