Logging activity accurately

[GymRat1]

What sources do folks use when logging activity manually?  For example,, I jogged around the small track at the gym for 30 minutes (about 30 times around), and have no idea how fast I was going.  I'm not a runner so I estimated by selecting the slowest speed available (5 mph).  The calorie burn calculated by FitBit was 178 which seemed tremendously low given my level of effort.  What is a more accurate method (without having to wear another device)?

I also wonder about Zumba which is very high impact, as well as the other activities I perform at the gym which involves a lot of HIIT.  I'm not feeling confident that burn for these activities is being calculated accurately. 

Thanks

[WendyB]

Fitbit is not a Heartrate Monitor. Never claim to be.

I use an HRM to get accurate Calorie burn. I use a Fitbit One and will use the record feature when I exercise. But I will chnage the Calorie burn to what ever my HRM says

[SunsetRunner · Accepted solution]

In the example you cited you should be able to get the distance information for the track from an employee of the gym, multiple that by the number of laps you did and you have your distance.  At that point the easiest way to find your speed is multiple that result by 2 (since you stated you ran for 30 min) and that will give you your miles per hour.  

Otherwise, I like to use my Garmin Forerunner 210 for distances travelled and the included HRM to get calorie burn.  You can also use your smartphone for outdoor exercises but I have found they are not as accurate as a GPS watch.

[GymRat1]

@ WendyB

Sure, I understand that fitbit is not a heartrate monitor -- and I don't expect it to be, but it does estimate the number of calories you burn.    I'm simply looking for something closer to accurate.   I understand that this all of course depends on individual fitness level, weight, etc., just though other folks out there might use certain sites and such to get this info.  I'm not interested in wearing an additional device.

[GymRat1]

@SunsetRunnerThanks, I did get this info from the gym and used your calculation to estimate miles/hour.

[Madison]

There are so many aps, and although I still wear my fitbit, I have Mapmyrun.com on my phone.  It records routes, distance, and time.  YOu should check that out.

[slysam]

Gym Rat, if you are not interested in another addition device. I would suggest just accepting the fitbit calorie burn for walking, running, jogging, aerobic dance that involves traveling steps, jumping rope, kickboxing, cardio drills like jumping jacks, elliptical, etc. Use the activity database to log: swimming, cycling, resistance training, rowing, yoga, pilates, etc. (Basically activities that do not involve steps, are in water or are resistance training). This isn't perfect but really should get you close enough. People often over expect on calorie burn from exercise. Those people who burn thousands in a one hour workout are probably either very large (and young, possibly male, possibly tall) or are using overly generous estimates. I've had a fitbit for a few years and have also worn a heart rate monitor during workouts throughout this time. I found my fitbit estimate and heart rate monitor were often matching or close for the activities I suggested just accepting the fitbit estimates for. I did calibrate my stride settings so my fitbit distances are also accurate or close. I mainly log the activities I suggested using the database for though I use my heart rate monitor for the calorie burn source. For me, I find the database is more generous than my HRM. But it may balance out if fitbit is underestimated some of your other activity. The database is based on your weight and averages for that activity. Try to choose the most accurate option.

[Melanie40]

I went walking outside on a trail yesterday is pretty rocky and takes a little bit slower, careful effort. I walked for about 30 minutes, but the fitbit shows 2 active minutes even though I logged the activity manual. Why is this? Even if I didn't 3.0 MPH the entire time, I wish it would take the difficulty of the terrain into account.

[hockey_magnet]

Don't confuse "Active Minutes" with logging an 'Activity" manually - There is no correlation - Fitbit uses it's own algorithm to log active minutes based on steps. If you log an Activity Manually you would not show any "active minutes"

[LilBudyWizer]

Estimates are just for means. I'm a adult white male so guessing I'm 5'9 is a reasonable guess and pretty accurate for me. It would be terrible guess for 4th graders. It would be a terrible guess for NBA players as well. I doubt anyone 5'9" actually managed to go pro in basketball. The more detail you have on the person the better you can guess, but that don't make you right. There is no uniform height for NBA players, those most are pretty tall.

So whether a calorie estimate is accurate for someone else or not is largely irrelevant to whether it would be for you. Rather it's just whether it's a reasonable estimate. 1K calories/hour for Zumba is not a reasonable estimate. Many consumer treadmills are not reasonable. FitBit is, most diet sites are. Many fitness sites are a bit questionable but calories is largely trivia for their users.

There's 3500 calories in a pound of fat. So you answer the question of whether you estimated burn is reasonable by backing into it. You track your intake and weight. What your weight does tells you want your deficit was. If you accurately tracked intake and weight then can subtract the deficit off your intake and that's what your burn must have been. If you were tracking your active then does it match. If it's way off and you're certain of your weight and intake then there's serious errors in your source for burn estimates.

[slysam]

I thought I posted this earlier but it isn't showing up. Sorry if this is a double post on the same topic. I just wanted to clarify that you do in fact get activity level credit for logged exercise. My logged exercise is always classed by Fitbit as one of the activity levels--light activity, moderate activity and very active minutes. The criteria used are different for logged vs. Fitbit tracked activity--at least it ends up different for our practical purposes. For activity the Fitbit device tracks it is based on the movement data as suggested earlier. For activity we log, it is strictly calorie burn per minute. I actually tested this today just to be sure, even though I know I've had the different activity level minutes for logged activity in the past. Today, I haven't actually synced my Fitbit yet, so as a test I logged "Jump roping, fast" using the exercise database on this site. I logged 30 minutes and it was counted as 30 very active minutes--this was the only activity on my account so those 30 very active minutes definitely cam from logged exercise. I personally have a harder time earning very active minutes with logged activity than I do with Fitbit tracked activity. I usually log my heart rate monitor calorie burn and my workouts rarely are classed as "very active" even when vigorous. I've really only had it count short hiit workouts and spin class as very active when I manually log unless I cheat and add a few calories to the burn. For fitbit tracked activity, I see some very active minutes for most step based aerobics if I am moving fast enough including brisk walking. I do agree about all calorie burn figures being estimates, so it can take a little trial and error in seeing what seems right for you. I think logging is a great starting point as long as you are consistent in how you log, then it is easier to adjust things if the numbers seem far away from your results. I personally am skeptical of blanket this workout burns "1000" calories. Why is it always 1000 that is claimed? LOL! Neither my fitbit or heart rate monitor ever give me estimates even slightly approaching 1000 calories in just an hour. With my current stats, I am lucky to burn 300-400 in an hour. I do hope my estimates are too low, but they don't seem to be sadly.

[hockey_magnet]

Thanks. My error as I understood that logged activities would not show up as very active minutes. At the end of the day, I guess we usually think we are burning more  calories than we actually are. Guess we all have to get one of those $10,000 treadmills so we can get a 100% accurate number 

[Nikkers41]

Should you log active walking or other activities that you think may have been taken in account with the movement of the wrist band?

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@hockey_magnet wrote:

Thanks. My error as I understood that logged activities would not show up as very active minutes. At the end of the day, I guess we usually think we are burning more  calories than we actually are. Guess we all have to get one of those $10,000 treadmills so we can get a 100% accurate number 

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[phernt]

If I am understanding correctly you are taking a walk and the fitbit records your activity. Then you log it in the activity section and it gets recorded again? This is okay? Also I noticed it changed my very active minutes from 15 to 6, this is normal too?

[TandemWalker]

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@phernt wrote:

If I am understanding correctly you are taking a walk and the fitbit records your activity. Then you log it in the activity section and it gets recorded again? This is okay? Also I noticed it changed my very active minutes from 15 to 6, this is normal too?

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When you wear your tracker, all your steps get logged automatically when you sync your tracker. You shoujld never have to log a walking activity manually except in instances when you forgot to wear your tracker and want to log your walk/run. If in your example your tracker already had a mintue by minute record of the intensity of your walk, then yes, by overriding that record with a manual log of your walk would obliterate the very active minutes that the fitbit's algorithm aggregated during the course of your walk.

The long and short of it - no need to log walking/running steps if you are wearing your tracker - log only if you're not wearing your tracker or if you want to log non-step based activities.

Hope this helps. Have a great day.

[phernt]

Thank you very much for your help. I knew the activities seem way too high.

[ekoppelmann]

So....when my fitbit calculates calories burned during an activity say ,,,,a 30 fast walk or aerobic exercise (like a video) does that automatically calculate calories burned? or do I need to log that activity seperately?  I want to get a fairly accurate estimation of my calories burned and I feel like I am counting my activty/additional exercise twice.

[Heybales]

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@ekoppelmann wrote:

So....when my fitbit calculates calories burned during an activity say ,,,,a 30 fast walk or aerobic exercise (like a video) does that automatically calculate calories burned? or do I need to log that activity seperately?  I want to get a fairly accurate estimation of my calories burned and I feel like I am counting my activty/additional exercise twice.

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When my Fitbit calculates calories burned during an activity .... does that automatically calculate calories burned?

Not sure what that is asking really, but yes.

But no, you don't need to manually log it unless it was NOT step-based, like swimming, rowing, lifting, biking, elliptical, ect.

And even if you do log, you are replacing whatever estimate Fitbit had for that time.

Why do you think you are counting it twice?

[jobydog]

So I rode my stationary bike for 20 minutes. I guess I eitehr use the bike activity icon or else create a custom activitY? If I use the bike icon with intensity of up to 12 mph, and ride for 20 minutes, it shows I am only burning 19 calories? Is this right?

[Heybales]

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@jobydog wrote:

So I rode my stationary bike for 20 minutes. I guess I eitehr use the bike activity icon or else create a custom activitY? If I use the bike icon with intensity of up to 12 mph, and ride for 20 minutes, it shows I am only burning 19 calories? Is this right?

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Bike icon.

That does seem a tad low though, sure you got the duration right, because that's not even BMR level burn for 20 min unless you are small and light.

Sure that was minutes and not seconds you put the 20 in?

If you happen to have more stats - like watts.

http://www.exrx.net/Calculators/CycleMechMETs.html