I want to trust my Fitbit, but....

DaisukeYuki
DaisukeYuki Posts: 8 Member
edited November 13 in Goal: Maintaining Weight
...How the *kitten* do I burn 2,400-2,500 a day? I am female, 33 years old and weigh around 118-122 ibs (hard to tell: just started lifting weights so bloated :( ) at 5'6.

On average through various activities I wind up walking 20,000 steps a day, sometimes as much as 35,000. To my knowledge, 20,000 steps would burn somewhere around 50=550ish calories a day and have always assumed this to be the case. When it comes to logging exercise etc I just log the amount for a minute as strength training doesn't burn a lot anyway. I lift weights three times a week and am just starting (even if it's been leaving me very tired, I'll admit).

I'm just curious, as I always assumed with my TDEE around 1550 + 550 = 2100 calorie burn a day. So how does fitbit get 2,500 if I'm not double dipping exercise? Where does the extra 350-450 come from /boggle.

Sorry for the silly question! As I'm trying to maintain (plus weight lifting shows me at a 3 ib gain + ToM starting soon) I'm at a loss whether to believe my calculation or Fitbit, and it doesn't help if I'm currently around 122 ibs thanks to water retention. I've been very tired lately as I said, plus have had trouble shaking off the flu for 1 1/2 weeks which makes me worry aiming for 2100/ day isn't enough.

Any thoughts? Thanks in advance! I do want to trust my Zip, but 2,500 just seems very high to me given my stats

Replies

  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,338 Member
    The extra calories are probably what you burn just living....
  • need2belean
    need2belean Posts: 358 Member
    DaisukeYuki wrote: »
    ...How the *kitten* do I burn 2,400-2,500 a day? I am female, 33 years old and weigh around 118-122 ibs (hard to tell: just started lifting weights so bloated :( ) at 5'6.

    On average through various activities I wind up walking 20,000 steps a day, sometimes as much as 35,000. To my knowledge, 20,000 steps would burn somewhere around 50=550ish calories a day and have always assumed this to be the case. When it comes to logging exercise etc I just log the amount for a minute as strength training doesn't burn a lot anyway. I lift weights three times a week and am just starting (even if it's been leaving me very tired, I'll admit).

    I'm just curious, as I always assumed with my TDEE around 1550 + 550 = 2100 calorie burn a day. So how does fitbit get 2,500 if I'm not double dipping exercise? Where does the extra 350-450 come from /boggle.

    Sorry for the silly question! As I'm trying to maintain (plus weight lifting shows me at a 3 ib gain + ToM starting soon) I'm at a loss whether to believe my calculation or Fitbit, and it doesn't help if I'm currently around 122 ibs thanks to water retention. I've been very tired lately as I said, plus have had trouble shaking off the flu for 1 1/2 weeks which makes me worry aiming for 2100/ day isn't enough.

    Any thoughts? Thanks in advance! I do want to trust my Zip, but 2,500 just seems very high to me given my stats

    https://tdeecalculator.net/result.php?s=imperial&age=33&g=female&lbs=122&in=66&act=1.55&bf=&f=1
    That's the calculator I used to get your TDEE. If you are walking on average 20,000 steps a day, I put you in as moderate exercise. This says your TDEE is close to 2000 a day. THEN, if you add your exercise calories on there, 2500 doesn't seem too far away does it?
  • sllm1
    sllm1 Posts: 2,130 Member
    20,000 steps a day is VERY active. I've only gotten that number when I'm on vacation and sightseeing without a car. I don't think it's far off.

    I've tracked using my FitBit for a couple of years and the numbers are accurate for me.
  • Wophie
    Wophie Posts: 126 Member
    You say you are also logging some of your workouts - are you doing this in MyFitnessPal or the FitBit app? When the two are linked and you log a workout manually on the Fitbit, it will duplicate it when sending the information to MyFitnessPal and back again.
  • Sued0nim
    Sued0nim Posts: 17,456 Member
    That is extremely active...I get 2600 for half that (admittedly I'm heavier than you at 160)

    This is 18800 steps without purposeful exercise

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  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    I use Apple Watch and typically get +\-500 calories for 15k steps. Same height, heavier at 148.
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    That sounds about right to me. I'm 5'5", 135 pounds, 38, and my TDEE is 2200 only walking about 10,000 steps a day in average.
  • Gamliela
    Gamliela Posts: 2,468 Member
    I found fitbit overestmated my steps.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,259 Member
    DaisukeYuki wrote: »
    ...How the *kitten* do I burn 2,400-2,500 a day? I am female, 33 years old and weigh around 118-122 ibs (hard to tell: just started lifting weights so bloated :( ) at 5'6.

    On average through various activities I wind up walking 20,000 steps a day, sometimes as much as 35,000. To my knowledge, 20,000 steps would burn somewhere around 50=550ish calories a day and have always assumed this to be the case. When it comes to logging exercise etc I just log the amount for a minute as strength training doesn't burn a lot anyway. I lift weights three times a week and am just starting (even if it's been leaving me very tired, I'll admit).

    I'm just curious, as I always assumed with my TDEE around 1550 + 550 = 2100 calorie burn a day. So how does fitbit get 2,500 if I'm not double dipping exercise? Where does the extra 350-450 come from /boggle.

    Sorry for the silly question! As I'm trying to maintain (plus weight lifting shows me at a 3 ib gain + ToM starting soon) I'm at a loss whether to believe my calculation or Fitbit, and it doesn't help if I'm currently around 122 ibs thanks to water retention. I've been very tired lately as I said, plus have had trouble shaking off the flu for 1 1/2 weeks which makes me worry aiming for 2100/ day isn't enough.

    Any thoughts? Thanks in advance! I do want to trust my Zip, but 2,500 just seems very high to me given my stats

    Your activity level at 20+K steps is well above the absolutely maximum activity level of MFP.

    The MFP very active level is usually reached between 13500 and 16500 steps for most people (the timing and intensity of movement does play into it. So do individual differences. If I was forced to give a single number it would be 15000 or 2.5 to 3 hours of activity in a day).

    You are obviously way above it.

    I would be surprised if you are NOT burning 2500 Cal on those days. Of course the accuracy of your food logging also plays a role.

    PS: regardless of where you log exercise it will NOT end up DOUBLE LOGGED. The calculations take care of that. Having said that, I find it easier to directly log step based exercises on Fitbit using their automatic/normal logging methods.

    When you send an exercise TO Fitbit FROM MFP you OVERWRITE what Fitbit detected during that time frame and super-impose what you've sent over.

    This applies to any manually input exercise. It just replaces what Fitbit detected on its own.
  • nxd10
    nxd10 Posts: 4,570 Member
    It worked fine to me but you do have to make sure you aren't double dipping. Follow the fitbit instructions. I was getting double calories when I started.

    Also make sure you're set to sedentary on MFP. I used first a fitbit and now an apple watch. And yeah, 20K steps are definitely under 1000 calories on top of your regular calories. But you're an active person!

    I would also note that when my husband and I walk together, he gets 1/3 more steps than I do. You can calibrate it if you walk a measured distance (we did a track together). Good luck!
  • HappyGrape
    HappyGrape Posts: 436 Member
    I lost 13 kg with fitbit mfp and fitbit was spot on. I looked at 120 days of weight loss (I actually took longer time, but reviewed 120 days) and if one kg is 7700 calories, fitbit was 34 calories a day overestimating. This to me is negligible
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    HappyGrape wrote: »
    I lost 13 kg with fitbit mfp and fitbit was spot on. I looked at 120 days of weight loss (I actually took longer time, but reviewed 120 days) and if one kg is 7700 calories, fitbit was 34 calories a day overestimating. This to me is negligible

    34 calories is well within inaccuracies of food measurement/calorie content so in your case, you have nailed it!
  • rennickm1986
    rennickm1986 Posts: 70 Member
    I don't think I've ever done 20k steps and I've walked all over Golden Gate Park for a whole day. 2400 is low to be honest. Those days it says I'm doing close to 3k cals. You grearly underestimate the work your body is putting in. Most of the calories burned in a day are from regular activiry, not exercising. If you just walk around all day you'll burn far more calories than with an hour of vigorous exercise.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    edited November 2016
    Trust your fitbit! I've had mine almost 3 years and its been spot on. For a 20k average steps that is spot on. I'm smaller and do less average steps (15k) so my TDEE is 2100 (5ft 2" /47yrs/128lbs). You're taller so those numbers sound about right.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    edited November 2016
    Following mine when having it set to maintain put me up 2.5 lbs./week for two months. Yeah, ymmv, so I'd say, at best "trust but verify".
  • NorthCascades
    NorthCascades Posts: 10,968 Member
    I don't want to offend anybody, but I struggle to understand why a Fitbit is worth $100 to $150. It doesn't provide any functionality you can't get for free in your phone. I don't like carrying my phone and understand the convenience of not having to, but the hardware and software and strap cost $15 to make.

    Anyway, I really don't see why anybody would pay $100+ for a thing they don't trust.

    Make it work for you, or get your money back.
  • MiniMansell1964
    MiniMansell1964 Posts: 188 Member
    2500cal through excersise is real hard work, for eg its about 5 hours on a mountain bike.

    My hardest day this summer was around 5200Cal burnt through excersise but i was on a bike ALL day long
  • srecupid
    srecupid Posts: 660 Member
    shredcamps wrote: »
    2500cal through excersise is real hard work, for eg its about 5 hours on a mountain bike.

    My hardest day this summer was around 5200Cal burnt through excersise but i was on a bike ALL day long

    When the fitbit says you burned 2500 calories it's counting the inactive calories as well so it's misleading. What myfitnesspal does is take your current burn from fitbit and projects through the end of the day and then adjusts accordingly. I found that it would project way too high if you did all your exercise early in the morning. I returned it and just got a cheap mi band 2.
  • Gallowmere1984
    Gallowmere1984 Posts: 6,626 Member
    NorthCascades wrote: »
    I don't want to offend anybody, but I struggle to understand why a Fitbit is worth $100 to $150. It doesn't provide any functionality you can't get for free in your phone. I don't like carrying my phone and understand the convenience of not having to, but the hardware and software and strap cost $15 to make.

    Anyway, I really don't see why anybody would pay $100+ for a thing they don't trust.

    Make it work for you, or get your money back.

    Due to how weight gain and loss work, by the time you realize the algorithms are crap, returning it's not an option.
  • cosmonew
    cosmonew Posts: 513 Member
    I am keeping a log to figure this out myself, (an excel spreadsheet) I am loosing more than 1lb per week using MFP, which is what I am set to loose, but the calories for my fitbit are often 500-1000 calories more per day after exercise. I suggest you keep a LOG as well if you want to know the truth, Calories in vs calories out at 3500 calories per lb and see if it is accurate. Is it a hassle, YES, but that is the ONLY WAY you might get an accurate answer for yourself.
  • HappyGrape
    HappyGrape Posts: 436 Member
    edited November 2016
    Gallowmere1984 wrote: »
    Following mine when having it set to maintain put me up 2.5 lbs./week for two months. Yeah, ymmv, so I'd say, at best "trust but verify".

    yes, I would say checking is always worth it.

  • HappyGrape
    HappyGrape Posts: 436 Member
    their customer service is good if you decide to return it. As I said, I looked at data for 120 days, all calories tracked on my fitness pal, all calorie burn on fit bit, projected weight loss, actual weight loss and it was spot on. It came 34 calories a day overestimation. I love my fitbit!

  • Wiggymommy
    Wiggymommy Posts: 106 Member
    If you follow the research on fitbit it over estimates most activities by about 20% to 60% in calories burned. It's very accurate as far as steps you're taking, when not doing activities like biking etc, but I would always assume you are burning half of what it really says. So I would eat back only half of my exercise calories which seems to be what all my researching of the internet seems to agree with. But there is ton of actual research and professional data on the accuracy of fitbit so do look in to that.
  • ChelzFit
    ChelzFit Posts: 292 Member
    I have the Charge HR 2 and usually I find the calorie burn is pretty spot on. Although have noticed at times when I just walk and don't set my HR into exercise mode it claims I burn way more calories than I should have. For example walking 45 minutes on the treadmill at 3.6 speed claimed my heart rate was at 165 and I burned 468 cals. Way off!! I'm 5'7 134 pounds. When I set it in exercise mode the calories are usually spot on along with my heart rate. I know this because I also wear a polar heart rate monitor with chest strap and both are pretty close. I really use mine more for steps than total calorie burn.
  • HappyGrape
    HappyGrape Posts: 436 Member
    Would the 60 calories an hour be the difference? Like if you don't go in exercise mode it would calculate the total including what you would burn sleeping for that time. If you do it gives only the exercise calories excluding that 60

    I am 5'7 and 130 lbs now. I lost weight creating super modest deficit and eating about 1900 or more calories a day. This is more than my maintenance level accord to online calculators.
    I am believer!
  • HappyGrape
    HappyGrape Posts: 436 Member
    edited November 2016
    It doesn't rate weigh lifting highly. Definitely not accurate on this. But I feel it's the over all expanditure that is good and important to me. I had Garmin for few weeks and it's a mess in terms of daily total calculations

    Best approach is if you have the device and track calories use it for a month and see if numbers add up.

    I lost nearly 30 lbs and I would have never been brave enough to diet on 1900 or 2000 calories a day if it wasn't for my fit bit. It worked so well for me

    I plan to move to either charge hr2 (currently have hr) or surge


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