How accurate is the Charge 4 on calories burned?

[BamaDan]

My Charge 4 says I burned about 500 calories for an hour walk. I do moderate walks. I never run because of arthritis in my knees. I've lost 44 pounds since September 4 after drastically changing my eating habits after a heart attack. If this is accurate I'm eating around 1,800 calories a day and burning off about 1,500 of that by walking 3 or 4 times a day. I was wondering after I Googled how long it takes to burn 500 calories and saw it said a brisk walk for 90 minutes would burn 500 calories. Which one is right?

[Gryllotalpa]

I think it depends on your body weight - the heavier you are, the more you burn (since the more you carry). I do not think I have ever burned more than 3200 kcal per day, and that was on days of quite intensive hiking 8+ hours a day, but I currently weight 52 kg. Also, I lost quite a lot of weight with the aid of Fitbit (even now I am not skinny, because I am short), and I noticed that my calorie burn from walking went down.

[RebeccafromLA]

I think the calorie burn runs a bit high.  I am a registered dietitian and track my food intake using measuring cups and a scale.  I usually eat around 2000 calories per day, Fitbit says I burn around 2700 per day.    If this were true, I would be losing weight but my weight has been the same for many years.  

[keyy]

What Google Gemini has to say...There are a couple reasons why your Fitbit might be overestimating the calories you burn:

• Heart Rate Variability: Fitbits rely on heart rate to estimate calorie burn. If your heart rate is naturally higher or lower than average, or the Fitbit has trouble reading your heart rate consistently, the calorie burn calculation can be thrown off. 
• Activity Intensity: Fitbits may struggle to differentiate between different exercise intensities, especially high-intensity workouts. This can lead to overestimation of calories burned. Wearing your Fitbit loosely or in the wrong spot can also affect heart rate readings and calorie burn accuracy. 

• Make sure your Fitbit is fitted correctly: Tighten the band and wear it on your non-dominant wrist. wikiHow - Is Fitbit Calories Burned Accurate? What You Need to Know: https://support.google.com/fitbit/answer/14237111?hl=en
• Update your profile: Double-check that your weight, height, age and gender are entered accurately in your Fitbit app. These factors all influence the calorie burn calculation.

It's important to remember that Fitbit's calorie burn is an estimate, not a perfect science. It can still be a useful tool to track your activity trends, but it's wise to be aware of the potential for overestimation.