VivosmartHR calories burned accurate?

apprelaw
apprelaw Posts: 15 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I've recently purchased a Garmin Vivosmart hr and have noticed that the calories burned that are posting to MFP seem to be grossly inaccurate. I have a sedentary job (call center rep) and have not done much moving around today except for getting ready for work, walking from my car to the building, going to the restroom, etc. MFP is currently showing that based on data from the fitness tracker that I have burned 2,794 calories. is there something that I am doing wrong or something that I need to tweak with the device. this can not be accurate

Replies

  • laurenebargar
    laurenebargar Posts: 3,081 Member
    That is showing how many calories you burned total today. You burn calories sleeping, doing anything at all.
  • apprelaw
    apprelaw Posts: 15 Member
    oh ok, thanks
  • namari
    namari Posts: 54 Member
    I was the same when I first got mine, I've realised since that even though it has a huge total it doesn't add as many extra calories as I thought it would to my daily exercise so its only if I do a bigger walk it affects them :)
  • senor_jeff
    senor_jeff Posts: 47 Member
    I have a vivoactive hr and most of your calories is just maintaining your body heat. If i do a heap of exercise its lucky if i burn 900 calories out of 2800
  • deviousme7
    deviousme7 Posts: 61 Member
    The exercise calories are inaccurate and I've reported it to MFP previously but they only sent me links back explaining the data without actually looking at the data I provided. I reckon once synced from Vivosmart HR to MFP that is is kilojoules instead of calories so I had to turn this function off and use the actual steps counted from my phone instead.
  • FreyasRebirth
    FreyasRebirth Posts: 514 Member
    edited June 2017
    Mine is accurate most of the time. If I'm under a lot of stress or sick (raising my heart rate), it calculates too high.

    It may take a little while to calibrate to you.
  • sunburntgalaxy
    sunburntgalaxy Posts: 455 Member
    Mine is nowhere close to accurate and I believe it is because it is using my heart rate which is affected by medication I take, along with the fact that heart rate monitors, especially wrist based, are notoriously inaccurate. I got the VivosmartHR when my old Vivosmart died because Garmin offered to replace the old one with the upgraded HR model for no charge, otherwise I wouldn't ever have gotten one with a heart rate monitor because I know it won't be accurate.

    I wish it was, it seems to think that sitting at my desk for 8+ hours a day I burn more than 6000 calories. And I am talking just by the end of the work day, not the full 24 hours - I don't (I wish I did but I really really don't even come close to that).
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Also be aware that devices using HR-based calorie burn for exercise spend the first couple weeks trying to decide where exactly exercise level starts for your resting HR and level of activity.

    Below exercise level step-based calorie burn is more accurate.

    So right now it could be counting some daily movement calorie burn incorrectly using HR-based formula - and that would be inflated.

    Later it'll figure that out better.

    Though the right meds or too much caffeine could continue to confuse it and inflate some daily walking levels.
  • MeanderingMammal
    MeanderingMammal Posts: 7,866 Member
    edited June 2017
    Personally I find that anything using HR for all day calorie estimation is excessive in the forecast.

    HR is essentially a meaningless proxy for calorie burn when you're not working in the aerobic range.

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