Accuracy of tracker

[wck777]

I use my Ionic to track my workouts on my bowflex max trainer (high intensity interval workout) and my Nordic track freestrider at incline and high resistance. I compare the fitbit calorie burn to those devices which are also programmed with my weight, age etc. The fitbit is NEVER counting calories the same as either of those machines. It appears as if I am simply operating at zero resistance and zero incline. In other words, just telling fitbit I am on an elliptical isn't giving me an accurate picture of what I am doing. There is no setting to have it live track high intensity elliptical workout. Does anyone have a good workaround to this issue? Kind of ridiculous that a device this expensive can't properly measure real world activities.

[supersmart01234]

The reason for that is that the Fitbit Ionic(and all other Fitbits) use a barometric altimeter. Most smartwatches do these days. The Fitbit Ionic has an algorithm which measures air pressure to determine how many feet you have climbed. Fitbit does tell you that on one for their help pages. So,doing an elliptical on an incline is not going to give you more feet. Not any smartwatch these days.

Hope I cleared this up! ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°) 

[wck777]

Not really. Not looking for it to give me more feet in elevation. I am looking for it to track a more accurate calorie burn rate. I understand it can't measure elevation gain when I am not actually gaining elevation only simulated elevation. That wasn't even part of my question. But on that subject it also does not properly measure when I climb stairs.

What I am looking for is for it to have some way to measure the difference between an exercise that involves a very high degree of resistance to one that is basically zero resistance. So essentially programming that tells it a different rate of burn distinct from a low intensity. Since it measures steps to measure distance, if you do 1000 steps at zero resistance it is far different than those same 1000 steps at 24 resistance. But the fitbit can't do that. Same for playing tennis. It used to have different calculations for playing singles vs doubles, or I could program that in. Now I just get the same burn rate for both which is also inaccurate. My cheapy original fitbit could do that, but this high end more advanced model cannot. It does not let me set up the burn rate for an activity that I do regularly and can give it the burn rate/hour. It should have the capability to do that.

[DrJanet98]

I would think heart rate could be used to give a better idea of calories burned, as it should reflect how hard you're working.  Do the Ionic and the Fitbit app make use of the heart rate to adjust calorie burned estimates?

[wck777]

You'd think that the heart rate monitor would in fact do that but it does not seem to be adjusting for that at all.  Both my other devices(equipment) use all same data with wildly different results from Fitbit. They have similar results to each other. 

[supersmart01234]

I feel like I have to say this. Optical Heart Rate Monitors cannot measure our BPM that accurately. They most likely will not unless we improved the technology. Since Fitbit uses the HRM to measure calories burnt, that will also be affected. Why won't anyone listen?

[wck777]

The optical HRM measures the same as my chest strap monitor so I am not sure how this really bears any relevance to my initial inquiry.

All fitbit has to do is set up the ability to create your own exercise and burn rate that can be live monitored instead of just the canned few that are there. Pretty simple really.