Fitbit vs Garmin "earned calories"

inertiastrength
inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
edited June 2017 in Fitness and Exercise
When I was wearing my Fitbit I would normally earn about 500 exercise cals based on activity for doing this much activity but my Garmin is giving me poverty calories for equalish steps. I was wearing both to compare

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Does anyone else notice a huge difference if they went from one to the other? My observed tdee on average is about 2400 so I can't see how Garmin gives so little credit. I know trackers aren't 100% accurate but even so, this seems like a huge difference. By day's end if I go by Garmin I'm in a nearly 1k deficit and that's way too much for me (no I'm not set to lose 2lbs a week, just 1 and even that's a lot lol)

Replies

  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    Sorry forgot last pic
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
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    On the app I seem to get them but that figure isn't being coming over to mfp, only a portion
  • Ann262
    Ann262 Posts: 266 Member
    I just switched over to Garmin from Fitbit. I noticed that the "step" calories earned don't come over to MFP as exercise calories. Only the calories earned from a timed workout come over. I didn't like not seeing as many exercise calories coming over at first. As I thought about it, most of the time that is going to be a better reflection of what we have available in terms of consumption. Normal daily activity shouldn't count as exercise especially when our daily target is partially based on whether our lives are sedentary or active...if we want to lose weight anyway. When I was on fitbit, I would get up in the morning, go to the bathroom, come downstairs, grab a cup of coffee and log in to MFP and I would see 125 exercise calories already! Come on! THAT is NOT exercise! If I include that in my calculation of calories available to eat, I am not going lose weight!

    Having said that, sometimes, when I am competing with my dogs, I get in 30,000 step days. That is just one big extra active day, there are timed workouts there. On a day like that, I know i NEED more than my 1610 target calories. The garmin app will help me with that and let me know that it is okay to be over that 1610.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
    Fitbit is known to overestimate and Garmin is known to underestimate. No one will get it exactly right.
  • JewelsAU
    JewelsAU Posts: 52 Member
    Try changing the activity level in Garmin. I had set mine to 5, eventually changed it to 0. Garmin uses a complex algorithm to come up with calories burned through activities and its dependent on the HRM/device you are using..

    Only activities/exercise comes over from Garmin. IF you do not exercise, and your steps generate enough calories to come over with the 'adjustment' you setup in MFP, then you will get extra calories.
  • firef1y72
    firef1y72 Posts: 1,579 Member
    I changed over from Fitbit to Garmin about a month ago, for the first week I really stressed about how it gave me fewer Calories, like 500 a day. The Garmin doesn't seem to give me a lot of Calories for steps, if I start it as a walking activity I'll be credited more. It also seems to spread your non-active eating Calories over the day, as far as I can tell it has my deficit built in to what it displays. So when I change my deficit and target Calories on here, it changes it on my FR35, and Garmin Connect for my Calories and then I can earn extra Active Calories.

    I'm also wearing a Flex 2 and after a 4km run and 55min Bootcamp Garmin has me at 623 extra Calories while Fitbit gives me 657. So pretty close so far and the numbers have been getting closer over the month as the Garmin gets to know me and my HR.
  • inertiastrength
    inertiastrength Posts: 2,343 Member
    Thanks guys, the "exercise only" cals makes more sense as to why the figure is different. Based on my own data of eating 1600 consistently and my rate of loss being consistently 1.4/week I can assume that on average my tdee is about 2300. I normally get 13k steps but today was particularly active (well yesterday now lol) so I thought I'd see it on mfp but I guess I'll just use my judgement since I have a pretty good idea of my numbers even without my fancy trackers hahah I just liked seeing it come over but small price to pay for a tracker that matches my work clothes better! Have a great Saturday :)

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