FitBit Calorie Burn- is it accurate?

Options
kenzie_y
kenzie_y Posts: 3 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I got the Fitbit flex a few weeks ago solely to count my steps during the day, but have also been utilizing the calorie burn tracker too. Howver, I’m wondering if it’s really accurate. My weight loss doesn’t seem to reflect the calorie deficit that I supposedly have (which is normally at least 1,200 calories a day, but usually more). I’ve been losing about 1.5-2 lbs a week eating about 1,400 calories a day. The deficit doesn’t seem like a healthy deficit if I really am burning 2,500-3,000+ calories a day, but like I said my weight loss doesn’t reflect the “math”.
Does anyone know if the calorie trackers are accurate? Would they be more accurate if I upgraded to a different Fitbit? I definitely don’t have a problem with the rate I’ve been losing weight, as it has always been within a healthy range, I’m more asking out of curiosity!

Replies

  • pogiguy05
    pogiguy05 Posts: 1,583 Member
    edited November 2017
    Options
    I have the fitbit Ionic and have had the Blaze. They are all tools that you use to get to your goals. Just like a food scale or a gym membership. I do use mine to track my workouts and I dont think anyone would be able to figure out how accurate they are for calories. I have made it a goal to burn 1000 calories every time I go to the gym. there is a great difference between the machines for cardio and my Ionic or Blaze when I had it. Treadmills seem to show much less calorie burn compared to my Ionic. The elliptical seems to burn more calories then my Ionic. I am not going to worry about whether the calories are accurate or not if I am having success at losing weight.
  • Nony_Mouse
    Nony_Mouse Posts: 5,646 Member
    Options
    I find mine to be highly accurate, though it does vary from person to person. One thing you should definitely do is check that your stride length is set accurately. It will be on the default unless you've changed it. It also takes several weeks for your Fitbit to get to 'know' you, so I would take the first few weeks with a grain of salt. There's a Fitbit group here that you should check out for more tips.

    Without knowing how active you are and what you're doing to get those burns, it's hard to say if they're accurate, but you would need to be pretty active for them to be.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,776 Member
    Options
    Just because it is "safe" to lose 1-2lbs a week doesn't mean that it is "safest for everyone and anyone" to lose 1-2lbs a week.

    Your weight loss of 1.5 to 2lbs a week reflects an actual caloric deficit of 750 to 1000 Cal a day.

    if you're eating 1400 and you have a 1000 deficit your starting point was 2400 and your deficit was 41.67% of TDEE.

    A safer deficit would be 20% of TDEE, maybe 25% for someone who is classified as obese.
  • amandacalories
    amandacalories Posts: 107 Member
    Options
    I find mine to be pretty accurate but like all calculators it's just an estimate. What I like is that it gives a daily reminder of what I might be burning depending on the amount of activity I've had.

Categories