Calories burned

[kjcallaway13]

I literally just got my Fitbit Zip, took it out of the box and got it started, then walked about 47 steps it's saying I burned over 1200 calories. WHAT??

Is there any way to reset it? I have this linked to MyFitnessPal and I don't want false calories burned to be recorded.

Thank you!

Kat

[whome]

What time is it where you are? Did you fill out your personal profile information (height, weight, etc.) yet.

Are you sure you haven't burned about 1200 calories so far today?

[Odyssey13]

@kjcallaway13  The Fitbit day begins at midnight, so there will be burned calories showing, no matter what time you set it up. It's normal.

Once it learns how you burn calories, it will be more accurate.

Welcome to the forums.

[kjcallaway13]

Hi, and thanks for your response.

Yes, I filled everything out, and yes, I'm positive I haven't burned 1200 calories since I activated the Zip. I literally walked 47 steps with it and it read over 1200 calories burned.

Sent from my iPad

[kjcallaway13]

I just find it odd that it would read so many calories burned right out of the box. Is there a way to reset the data?

Sent from my iPad

[Odyssey13]

@kjcallaway13  There is no way to reset the burned calories on your device.

[Heybales]

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@kjcallaway13 wrote:
Hi, and thanks for your response.

Yes, I filled everything out, and yes, I'm positive I haven't burned 1200 calories since I activated the Zip. I literally walked 47 steps with it and it read over 1200 calories burned.

Sent from my iPad

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There is no need to reset it.

You burned calories all through the day today, sounds like you aren't aware of that fact. Sleeping you burn calories too.

It's about how many you likely burned in the day you activitated it - not since the exact time you did. Because frankly that isn't useful info to do anything with today anyway.

The method you see happening is actually better.

Fitbit is starting out with what you burn as sedentary person - you likely burned more.

Don't freak out though, when it reports to MFP what it thinks you burned today, it's assumption is much lower, and MFP will stick to it's estimate of what you burned without exercise today to base your eating level on.

In fact, if you have negative calories enabled on MFP, you'll likely get some.

[kjcallaway13]

I guess I'm not making myself clear. I didn't have the Zip on all day. I didn't even buy it until 5:00pm or take it out of the box until almost 6. I took it - brand new, battery not even in it yet - out of the box, put the battery in, walked 47 steps, and it said I had burned 1274 calories. There is no WAY that is accurate.

This morning, I woke up, put it on (did not sleep with it on), walked downstairs, and after 65 steps it says I have burned 275 calories. Not possible. I'm having grave concerns about the accuracy of this thing.

Sent from my iPad

[Heybales]

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@kjcallaway13 wrote:
I guess I'm not making myself clear. I didn't have the Zip on all day. I didn't even buy it until 5:00pm or take it out of the box until almost 6. I took it - brand new, battery not even in it yet - out of the box, put the battery in, walked 47 steps, and it said I had burned 1274 calories. There is no WAY that is accurate.

This morning, I woke up, put it on (did not sleep with it on), walked downstairs, and after 65 steps it says I have burned 275 calories. Not possible. I'm having grave concerns about the accuracy of this thing.

Sent from my iPad

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No - I understood perfectly. I recognized the confusion.

You aren't aware of the fact you burn calories sleeping. And 275 sounds almost too little actually for first thing in morning since midnight, unless you get up very early.

That's called your BMR, and Fitbit assumes that low level of calorie burn for ALL non-moving time, it's actually an underestimate when you are awake, because you burn more then. You also burn more standing with no steps. Burn more eating/digesting/processing food, but no steps so same low burn.

Actually the device underestimates calorie burn.

As to your daily burn being 1274 when you didn't use and register it until 6pm, that was very low too, for that day you had already burned more than that, and that is just assuming bare minimum that you slept all day up to that point - which you obviously didn't. You would have burned more. But since you could have been going for the eating goal at that point, needed to give you something more realistic.

Perhaps you aren't aware - that device isn't measuring your calorie burn for ONLY walking or running, but all activity that is step-based. And you burn calories merely breathing, asleep or awake non-moving.

So everything you've describe is right on correct, though on the low side.

Unless you are short and older, in which case 275 first thing in morning at 6 am might be right.

275 calories / 6 hrs since midnight = 45.83 cal/hr x 24 hrs = 1100 BMR

That could be right for shorter, near 5 ft.

And you might reread both my responses before you think I'm not getting it, I am, you aren't. So just reread to understand what is happening.

[Heybales]

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@kjcallaway13 wrote:

I literally just got my Fitbit Zip, took it out of the box and got it started, then walked about 47 steps it's saying I burned over 1200 calories. WHAT??

Is there any way to reset it? I have this linked to MyFitnessPal and I don't want false calories burned to be recorded.

Thank you!

Kat

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Here's another way to look at it.

Go look at your MFP eating goal first thing in the morning.

That is a deficit from what you are estimated to burn all day. Have you burned that first thing in the morning?

Shouldn't you be concerned with what MFP estimated you burn all day, without even a tool like the Fitbit attempting to measure for you.

Don't worry, I just think you aren't familiar with either tool, or you should have gotten freaked out about MFP too for that matter, but you didn't. Likely because you don't understand how it's doing it's thing either.

Now you think you don understand the Fitbit and it seems to be wrong. Well, it's not, just your understanding of the tools.

Many here to help though, and Fitbit group on MFP with some good tweaks for specifics of those syncing.

Like in your Fitbit - Settings - Calorie Estimate - disable it.

[KC12]

Your body uses energy to perform basic functions (breathing, thinking, digesting, heart beating, etc). If you were to be in a coma, you'd still be using energy every moment of every day. Fitbit accounts for those basic, every day functioning to stay alive calories. So when you turned on your Fitbit last night, that burn estimate was just your staying alive energy usage. Same with waking up this morning. If you move around, you burn even more calories.

You'll see if you walk another 65 steps, your calorie burn won't double. That's because the majority of your calorie burn wasn't from those few steps, but from your body performing basic functions.

[kjcallaway13]

OH!!! DUH!!

Okay, I get it now. Everyone's explanations have been really helpful - and I did forget the Zip is a fitness/activity tracker, not just a pedometer. I think I was worried because my Striiv pedometer starts at zero every day and counts calories based on the number of steps I take. I don't think it takes anything else into consideration.

I'm wearing my Striiv pedometer at the same time and, comparing the two, they are actually pretty close.

I feel much better now - THANK YOU everyone, for your help! 🙂

Kat

[Odyssey13]

@kjcallaway13  Now you see why we all love our Fitbits and the community forums!

We're an awesome group of people!