How accurate is garmin

What I'd do is believe it for around 3-6 weeks, and adjust based on results.

Two things:

1. These devices, especially sophisticated ones, can take a little time to "learn us". That is, they figure out stuff about our fitness level, and get more accurate with more "knowledge". (Don't read too much into that, it isn't magical. ).
2. The devices are just giving you a calorie estimate, based on research (on large groups of people) and your individual profile stats. They aren't in any sense measuring your calorie burn. For most people, they'll be fairly accurate, because most people are (by definition ) close to average. For a few people, they'll be off a bit (high or low), and for a very rare few (the ones who are quite non-average, possibly in non-obvious ways), they can be quite far off. That's the nature of statistical estimates, and statistical estimates are what the devices provide - they're just very personalized statistical estimates.

Other people closer to your size may be able to give you a gut-check on the number you're seeing, but their experience could be different from yours, either because they're close to average and you're not, or vice-versa. Your personal experience over a few weeks will tell the true story.

Yup, patience is hard. :flowerforyou:

Best wishes!

(FWIW: I'm one of the weirdos for whom my device is wrong. The very same device model produces sound estimates for other people. MFP also estimates me inaccurately, so it's me that's a weirdo, not the device. If you have experience on MFP, and its estimates are close for you, that IMO increases the chances that your device will be close, too.)

netshock122 wrote: »

Ahh thanks a lot! I'll see how it goes following it for a while and then make changes if I start going up in weight!

The best thing you can do. Do what you're told is correct and see, through your observations, if it is. Adjust accordingly.

I'll echo what AnnPT77 said. When I upgraded to my Fenix from my trusty old 920XT I got all sorts of weird things like 33 hours recovery after a 5 K run and V02 max numbers that were nonsensical (had my fitness age 10 year older than my chronological). Now that I've had it for several months everything is normal.

I looked up the Venu and it's using the Firstbeat technology so once it's had time to learn about you the numbers should be pretty reliable (one thing that was an eye opener was when I started using a power meter on my bike but unless you're racing or have too much money burning a hole in your pocket I wouldn't necessarily recommend installing one n your bike)