Anyone else's fitbit do this???

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KaleiAlanaSmith
KaleiAlanaSmith Posts: 133 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I've noticed that when I complete a workout on my fitbit by stopping the tracker, it will say x amount of calories, then when I sync my fitbit to the fitbit app, the calorie log will be about 15-40 calories higher.

For example today when I finished my workout - my fitbit said 520 calories.
Then, when I synced my fitbit to the app a couple minutes later, it said I burned 580 calories, not 520.

Why the extra 60?? Does anyone else's do this? Which one should I log?

Replies

  • endermako
    endermako Posts: 785 Member
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    With my polar watch MFP does the opposit. I can burn over 300 calories jogging but MFP logs it as 280. I wish I knew why.
  • Mouse_Potato
    Mouse_Potato Posts: 1,495 Member
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    I have the opposite problem. My Fitbit will show 280 on the readout, but it's like 272 after I sync. No idea why.
  • monica182
    monica182 Posts: 60 Member
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    Mine does the opposite as well which I assumed was accounting for my bmr ie I burned 300 cals during my exercise session but I would have burned 50 anyway doing nothing so the extra burn was only 250, which is what is logged. Btw just plucked those figures out of the air!
  • smantha32
    smantha32 Posts: 6,990 Member
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    Yeah I just stopped syncing mine. I like more control over what gets posted to my diary.
  • RobD520
    RobD520 Posts: 420 Member
    edited March 2018
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    I don't think the OP has her Fitbit synced to MFP. I think she is comparing the measurement on the watch to the reported calories burned on the Fitbit App.

    I have a Fitbit Blaze. For me, the app generally reports a few more calories burned than what the watch registers. I looked at my watch closely today during a workout on the exercise bike. I noticed that the watch did not seem to report calories burned continually. Rather, the value jumped up every 60-80 seconds. When I stopped, the watch had not measured an increase for about 60 seconds. Later the app gave me credit for an additional eight calories. Eight Calories seems about right given the intensity of that last minute of work. So I think it may be a measurement lag in the watch that the Fitbit app later corrects. That's my guess anyways.
  • PAnn1
    PAnn1 Posts: 530 Member
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    Mine shows less miles and calories burned as well as some of the above.
  • mitch16
    mitch16 Posts: 2,113 Member
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    Is there a possibility that it's the gross calories versus net (adds back in your BMR)?

    I use a Garmin Fenix and I've noticed that it will say one thing, the Garmin Connect App says something different, and then Strava has a third different value. I go with the most conservative value and even then just consider it to be an estimate.
  • jefamer2017
    jefamer2017 Posts: 416 Member
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    Yes every time it logs differently from the watch itself.
  • mrsloganlife
    mrsloganlife Posts: 158 Member
    edited March 2018
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    Even though you ended the 'workout' Fitbit has not stopped counting the calories your body has burned. Your heart rate is probably still up at the end of your workout which means a higher rate of calorie burn.

    I notice the same thing and then decided one day to look at what my heart rate was. I was still at a 128 which means my body was burning calories at a higher rate than resting still.
  • DWBalboa
    DWBalboa Posts: 37,259 Member
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    KaleiAlanaSmith wrote: »
    I've noticed that when I complete a workout on my fitbit by stopping the tracker, it will say x amount of calories, then when I sync my fitbit to the fitbit app, the calorie log will be about 15-40 calories higher.

    For example today when I finished my workout - my fitbit said 520 calories.
    Then, when I synced my fitbit to the app a couple minutes later, it said I burned 580 calories, not 520.

    Why the extra 60?? Does anyone else's do this? Which one should I log?

    I have not really watched the difference between my Fitbit and what is recorded on the fitbit app/site. I will start to pay attention to this.

    What I have noticed is that when the app syncs with MFP it does not separate my workouts and my total days calorie burn. I get a single complete number. Honestly, I have been too busy to really look into it, it may be a simple fix for me.

    If I find out that my fitbit and the app are also out of sync, I'll let you know. As well if I get an answer as to why I'll share as well.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,745 Member
    edited March 2018
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    The back end servers at Fitbit re-process the raw data from our watches and sometimes make changes.

    These could be an extrapolation to capture a missing data time slot, or it could be a reprocessing of what they consider to be spurious data.

    Also Fitbit averages, I believe, every 5 minute periods of activity to calculate a multiplier (MET value) and estimate your burn for the 5 minutes. So your beginning and end 5 minutes may create a change as they are merged back into your day.

    The above are unconfirmed rumours/guesses.

    The number you see on mfp is an adjustment between what you told MFP your activity would be for the day and what Fitbit has detected it to be. It assumes you will continue spending calories during the remaining time to midnight at the rate you told MFP. Otherwise the adjustment will change over time. It includes your base non exercise activity calories and is not there because of any specific exercise. It is just an accounting adjustment equalizing your calories out on MFP to what your Fitbit detected.
  • saline79
    saline79 Posts: 2 Member
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    My question is...i walked 3 miles on the treadmill this on top of everything I walked today. My Fit bit is saying I have walked 2.21mi total for today. And should I go off readout of calories burned on treadmill or from FB?
  • DWBalboa
    DWBalboa Posts: 37,259 Member
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    saline79 wrote: »
    My question is...i walked 3 miles on the treadmill this on top of everything I walked today. My Fit bit is saying I have walked 2.21mi total for today. And should I go off readout of calories burned on treadmill or from FB?

    You may need to adjust your stride. Mine turnout to be considerably off.
  • stanmann571
    stanmann571 Posts: 5,728 Member
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    saline79 wrote: »
    My question is...i walked 3 miles on the treadmill this on top of everything I walked today. My Fit bit is saying I have walked 2.21mi total for today. And should I go off readout of calories burned on treadmill or from FB?

    Did you do the 3 treadmill miles while holding the side or front rests the whole time?
  • idioblast
    idioblast Posts: 114 Member
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    stanmann571 wrote: »
    saline79 wrote: »
    My question is...i walked 3 miles on the treadmill this on top of everything I walked today. My Fit bit is saying I have walked 2.21mi total for today. And should I go off readout of calories burned on treadmill or from FB?

    Did you do the 3 treadmill miles while holding the side or front rests the whole time?

    This would be my question. I hardly get any steps when I'm in the grocery store pushing the cart.
  • mrsloganlife
    mrsloganlife Posts: 158 Member
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    stanmann571 wrote: »
    saline79 wrote: »
    My question is...i walked 3 miles on the treadmill this on top of everything I walked today. My Fit bit is saying I have walked 2.21mi total for today. And should I go off readout of calories burned on treadmill or from FB?

    Did you do the 3 treadmill miles while holding the side or front rests the whole time?

    Yeah I have learned to hold the side with my right hand so my left hand (with the Fitbit) swings free. It is annoying when I work hard on the treadmill but because I was holding the rail, it didn't give me that credit (same for shopping carts--I have become a MASTER at navigating a cart one handed).
  • Angierae75
    Angierae75 Posts: 417 Member
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    mrsloganlife wrote: »
    stanmann571 wrote: »
    saline79 wrote: »
    My question is...i walked 3 miles on the treadmill this on top of everything I walked today. My Fit bit is saying I have walked 2.21mi total for today. And should I go off readout of calories burned on treadmill or from FB?

    Did you do the 3 treadmill miles while holding the side or front rests the whole time?

    Yeah I have learned to hold the side with my right hand so my left hand (with the Fitbit) swings free. It is annoying when I work hard on the treadmill but because I was holding the rail, it didn't give me that credit (same for shopping carts--I have become a MASTER at navigating a cart one handed).

    You can just toss your fitbit in your pocket if your hands are going to be otherwise engaged.

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