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So confused about Fitbit HR calories

Zborni4
Zborni4 Posts: 38 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
I don't know why my brain can't comprehend this but it just can't. I have been using MFP on and off for a while. I was used to the good old days when I would set my goal and then manually log my exercise. I would then eat those exercise calories back if it fell below my calorie goal as to not undereat. With this Fitbit, I'm just feel like a giant dummy. I have my activity set to sedentary and have my goal for 1.5 pounds to lose a week, which gives me like 1380 calories to eat a day. Today I got my 10,000 steps and was up and down a little at work but sat a bit. I also took a 45 minute walk. According to MFP, I have earned 1000 extra calories from exercise. Am I really supposed to eat those back? That seems insane. I am about ready to go back to just manually logging exercise because it makes more sense to me.

Replies

  • sunburntgalaxy
    sunburntgalaxy Posts: 455 Member
    I don't have a fitbit, I have a vivosmart and honestly it isn't even close to accurate on the heart rate. For example today it was crazy at work (I have a desk job) and so I am only at about 4300 steps right now - but because of the heart rate function being so off it says I earned 4295 extra calories today which is just ridiculous. I have checked it at the same time they took my pulse at the doctor and yeah my heart rate tends to be fast due to medication I am on but it was WAY off, and that makes my calories way off. I suspect you have the same problem but to a lesser extent. Everything I have read is that the wrist heart rate monitors are way off - honestly I only have that feature because my first vivosmart had issues and they replaced it with this one for free (it has a better screen so I live with it).
  • Zborni4
    Zborni4 Posts: 38 Member
    I think you might be right. I work at a school and I had walked down the hall to visit a classroom and checked it when I got there and it said my heartbeat was in the 100's which seemed way off just from walking down the hall. Something is fishy.
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    You can determine your heart rate manually and compare if you are concerned about accuracy. 100bpm from walking sounds reasonable to me.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Personally i don't trust HR monitors at all. I "might" use one for jogging or high heart rate continuous aerobic exercise, but for walking or anything else i wouldn't bother. I do have a fitbit (Alta), but it doesn't have a HR monitor.
  • TangledThread
    TangledThread Posts: 312 Member
    I'm one of the people that the Fitbit HR works perfectly and I lose as expected eating the adjusted amount. Walking 11,080 steps earns me 600 calories. I love my fitbit so much, because of it I'm eating more than I ever guessed I could.

    But it does overestimate for some people. The only way to know it to test it out for a few weeks and see.

    my stats: 5' 4" 120lbs
  • Aaron_K123
    Aaron_K123 Posts: 7,122 Member
    Also keep in mind fitbit HR is worn on your lower forearm...not your wrist. Very inaccurate on your wrist. Shows where to wear in instructions
  • alyssa0061
    alyssa0061 Posts: 652 Member
    If you're averaging 10,000 steps a day, according to MFP, you aren't sedentary. If you had your activity level set to lightly active you'd already be at a higher calorie target and the adjustment wouldn't be so high as far as I understand. I don't have anything synced to MFP I log any activity manually.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I'm set at lightly active, it just means you don't start getting positive adjustments till around 5000ish steps, compared to 2500ish at sedentary. You can also lose a swag of calories if you don't stay lightly active throughout the day. It definitely puts pressure on me to keep moving..
  • shadowfax_c11
    shadowfax_c11 Posts: 1,942 Member
    edited September 2016
    I get about 15k steps a day at work. My HR also gives me huge adjustments and for a while I was eating all or most of the calories it gave me. That was about 2700 calories a day when set to sedentary. I was not losing weight. So I unchecked steps from my exercise so Fitbut can no longer adjust my daily goal.

    I do log exercise manually. That is things that are not a part of my everyday activity level. I only log them if the Fitbit auto tracked a workout and I only log the amount of time and manually enter the calorie burn that Fitbit reports. For instance this evening I practiced at the dojo for 2 hours but Fitbit only tracked 69 minutes of activity so instead of 120 minutes I logged 69. I did eat over my calorie goal today but Fitbit is showing a TDEE of 4000+ calories for today and I at 2880 so still at a 1000 calorie deficit. Fitbit still wants me to eat another 598 calories.

    Because my job is so energy intensive I do have my activity level set to highly active. MFP gives me 2200 calories a day plus exercise. I eat back some or all of the exercise calories and most days all of my 2200. Some days I eat over my MFP goal but with an eye on my Fitbit TDEE to maintain a 1000 calorie deficit.

    Since I started doing this, the weight loss has resumed.

    I still like my Fitbit for the data I get but I think it is better, at least for highly active people, to not let it count steps as exercise.
    I know it probably sounds a little complicated but seems to work better for me than just blindly trusting the gadget.
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