Disappointed in my new IWatch

ChelzFit
ChelzFit Posts: 292 Member
in Goal: Maintaining Weight
I have been an avid Fitbit user for a few years now. My husband just bought me an iwatch3. I have collaborated my steps, updated my health app correctly and my total daily cals seem low to me. I have maintained my weight for years eating 2,200 to 2,400 a day depending on exercise. I usually get11,000 steps a day outside of my hour workouts. On a given day with 11,000 to 12,000 steps I’m burning only a total of 1,700. I am 5’7 and 135 pounds...on my workout days it would be about 2,100 cals. I’m used to eating at least 300 cals more. I’ve only had my watch for less than a week. Are Apple watches known for lower cal burn?

Replies

  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
    I think it's supposed to learn you or some crap like that. I got a Garmin for Christmas after five years with Fitbit. It's taking some getting used to, but so far I love it.
  • GrumpyHeadmistress
    GrumpyHeadmistress Posts: 666 Member
    ChelzFit wrote: »
    I have been an avid Fitbit user for a few years now. My husband just bought me an iwatch3. I have collaborated my steps, updated my health app correctly and my total daily cals seem low to me. I have maintained my weight for years eating 2,200 to 2,400 a day depending on exercise. I usually get11,000 steps a day outside of my hour workouts. On a given day with 11,000 to 12,000 steps I’m burning only a total of 1,700. I am 5’7 and 135 pounds...on my workout days it would be about 2,100 cals. I’m used to eating at least 300 cals more. I’ve only had my watch for less than a week. Are Apple watches known for lower cal burn?

    Rumour has it it’s pretty accurate. Maybe take the data for a couple of weeks and see if you gain (in which case it’s over estimating) or lose (it’s under estimating). I use the figures for everything apart from uphill walking and it’s accurate for me.
  • ChelzFit
    ChelzFit Posts: 292 Member
    I mainly used my fitbit to track my steps, I felt it overestimated my calories a lot of the time. I was just shocked to see that my apple watch estimated my cals 400-500 calories less compared to my fitbit. I am probably going to just pay more attention to my activity rather than my total calories. I don't feel the need to be eating less calories due to the fact that I have maintained on what I am eating now for two years now.
  • Noreenmarie1234
    Noreenmarie1234 Posts: 7,492 Member
    I think it does. Mine gives me TDEE of 1700-1900 per day but I've been maintaining on 2100-2600 for years.
  • nowine4me
    nowine4me Posts: 3,985 Member
    Well, I love my Apple wAtch, but mostly for the fact that I can make calls, send texts ad listen t music without my phone.
  • mlinci
    mlinci Posts: 402 Member
    To add another data point, I’m 5’5 and 137, and I maintain on about 2050 calories a day with an average of 12000 steps and no other exercise. 1700 sounds really low.
  • spiriteagle99
    spiriteagle99 Posts: 3,743 Member
    If you were happy with the results before, and you haven't changed your exercise, then I would continue to eat as you are used to doing. If you find yourself gaining, then cut back. But if it ain't broke . . .
  • Orphia
    Orphia Posts: 7,097 Member
    Other watches take a couple of weeks to "get used to you". My Fitbit and Garmin both did. Maybe iWatch is the same.
  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    Apple Watch does not place any importance on steps, it's the nature of the device.
  • evie_wundt
    evie_wundt Posts: 33 Member
    There have been several scientific studies examining the accuracy of fitness trackers. Apple emerges as the most accurate tracker, but none are very good at measuring energy expenditure (calories burned). Here is a summary of study conducted at Stanford: https://9to5mac.com/2017/05/24/apple-watch-fitness-tracking-accuracy/
    They link to the original study if you want to see the statistics.
  • LivingtheLeanDream
    LivingtheLeanDream Posts: 13,342 Member
    You don't need a gadget to tell you what your TDEE is, you know how your weight was before you got the iwatch so there's no need to alter anything yet. These gadgets sometimes take a few weeks to get used to our movements, that's how it was with fitbit anyway.
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  • MelanieCN77
    MelanieCN77 Posts: 4,047 Member
    JerSchmare wrote: »
    In my experience, I gained weight with my Fitbit. Apple Watch is perfect.

    I ran my flip Fitbit alongside my AW when I first got it and Fitbit was consistently a couple hundred calories more generous than the AW. I was using MFP's numbers so it didn't throw me off too much, but it was notable. I feel as though Fitbit gives too much for casual steps, like me walking around the house and office, and hitting up three stores for errands gave me 11k steps yesterday - AW didn't give me any big whoop for that, as it should be. I got my workout cals logged and just use those.
  • ChelzFit
    ChelzFit Posts: 292 Member
    MelanieCN77 wrote: »
    JerSchmare wrote: »
    In my experience, I gained weight with my Fitbit. Apple Watch is perfect.

    I ran my flip Fitbit alongside my AW when I first got it and Fitbit was consistently a couple hundred calories more generous than the AW. I was using MFP's numbers so it didn't throw me off too much, but it was notable. I feel as though Fitbit gives too much for casual steps, like me walking around the house and office, and hitting up three stores for errands gave me 11k steps yesterday - AW didn't give me any big whoop for that, as it should be. I got my workout cals logged and just use those.

    That is exactly what I noticed when I wore my fitbit as well with my AW, fitbit gave me a few hundred more. I guess for me it was just seeing a number much lower took some time to get used to. I am not changing my cal intake based on that number my AW watch gives me considering I have been maintaining.
  • veganfanatic
    veganfanatic Posts: 32 Member
    ChelzFit wrote: »
    I have been an avid Fitbit user for a few years now. My husband just bought me an iwatch3. I have collaborated my steps, updated my health app correctly and my total daily cals seem low to me. I have maintained my weight for years eating 2,200 to 2,400 a day depending on exercise. I usually get11,000 steps a day outside of my hour workouts. On a given day with 11,000 to 12,000 steps I’m burning only a total of 1,700. I am 5’7 and 135 pounds...on my workout days it would be about 2,100 cals. I’m used to eating at least 300 cals more. I’ve only had my watch for less than a week. Are Apple watches known for lower cal burn?

    Apple uses the GPS so it is much more accurate than most Fitbit and some Garmin devices, so expect some time for you to acclimate
  • RosieRose7673
    RosieRose7673 Posts: 438 Member
    I had a first generation Apple Watch a few years back. It always showed low calories. I tried going by the calories that it gave me to maintain my weight and I still ended up losing a little less than a pound a week.

    I now have a Fitbit Charge 2 and it seems to be pretty accurate thus far. It may be giving me a slightly low calorie burn but nothing monumental.
  • SmithsonianEmpress
    SmithsonianEmpress Posts: 1,163 Member
    Fitbit is generous with numbers. I already knew this seeing that a step equals an arm movement. I have a Garmin now and to hit 6k I have to really be moving or have run that day. With Fitbit I was clearing 10-12k a day. To hit 10k with my Garmin seems impossible.
  • omnpotnt
    omnpotnt Posts: 20 Member
    edited January 2018
    Apple watch shows calories that you've actually burned, but doesn't count calories that you would have burned anyway like other trackers....i.e. if you walk for an hour , most trackers count the calories you burned, let's just say 200, plus they add the calories you would have burned anyway, say another 100, and call it 300. Apple just counts the calories that you worked for, not the one's you got for getting out of bed.

    For my own sanity, I stick with the lower numbers as they're likely more accurate, and i'm less likely to eat too many calories under the assumption of other trackers higher calorie burn reports.
  • MegaMooseEsq
    MegaMooseEsq Posts: 3,118 Member
    Orphia wrote: »
    Other watches take a couple of weeks to "get used to you". My Fitbit and Garmin both did. Maybe iWatch is the same.

    This has been my personal experience with the Apple Watch. Of course, when I first got it I was so happy about not taking my phone on runs/walks, I didn’t mind that the estimate was low.
  • KayHBE
    KayHBE Posts: 906 Member
    omnpotnt wrote: »
    Apple watch shows calories that you've actually burned, but doesn't count calories that you would have burned anyway like other trackers....i.e. if you walk for an hour , most trackers count the calories you burned, let's just say 200, plus they add the calories you would have burned anyway, say another 100, and call it 300. Apple just counts the calories that you worked for, not the one's you got for getting out of bed.

    For my own sanity, I stick with the lower numbers as they're likely more accurate, and i'm less likely to eat too many calories under the assumption of other trackers higher calorie burn reports.

    Mine gives me "Active Calories" and "Total Calories" but only Active appear on the rings.
  • nea2702
    nea2702 Posts: 24 Member
    I used a Fitbit for a number of years before switching to the Apple Watch just over a year ago. At first, i was not at all happy as the difference between steps, calories burned etc was rather large. I have come to the conclusion that Fitbit was very generous in what it gave back compared the Apple Watch. I haven't changed anything in my activity and while my Fitbit would show something like 15000 steps a day, the Apple watch would be 11000 or 12000. Same with calories given back. I personally find the Apple watch is a lot more accurate....On a final note. A few have commented about steps and how its not a big thing for Apple. If you do want the steps to show on your AW face, you can use a free step tracker called Duffy, which is really good.

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