Who's right .....calories vs mixed reviews

[Missymoo84]

End of week one with fitbit charge hr lost 2lb, read so many mixed reviews on the device being wrong on calories burned and so on, basically I switched most things of to save battery and I pay attention to calories in vs out to make sure there's the -500 a day in cals, now my bmr is around 1400 to 1500 mark I'm 31 and 5, 4 n 146lbs my device says I burn from 1500 upwards dependING how active I am which is lighty active stand 4hrs a day at work moving about and do 15 mins daily jog on spot or hula hooping, the more active I am the more it reaches 2000 so should I ignore the reviews and belive my device is correct may be under or over but it must be kind of right as I lost weight

[sam128]

I think 'kind of' right is it...and may be generous.  I don't trust my calorie counts any more. I walked 2,500 more steps on Friday than I did yesterday and my fitbit shows I burned 10 more calories on the day I was much less active (I didn't log any exercise for either day).  So I've basically lost faith in how this thing caluclates calories (I do understand BMR..I'm just talking about activity level and calorie burn.) I am simply trying to maintain my current weight....it has not changed --so that would not affect the BMR calcuation (which might explain the difference). 

I do beleive I saw/heard somewhere that these fitbits are only about 75-80% accurate...so I guess that is 'kind of' right. 😉

[josephz2va]

My take on it is to listen to your doctor or dietitian but also to follow a dieting program that works for you. Even if we burn on wild scores of calories, what we consume correctly is what counts toward weight loss. A lot of bad choices can make you gain weight even if you're hitting the marker. Bad carbohydrates and fats (popcorn, donuts, sweet pastries, McDonalds) vs Good carbohydrates and fats (healthy oils, fruits, veggies, salads, Healthy Eateries). South Beach Diet has a book of good eats, WW has a couple books. But be careful to not follow some programs like Dr. Oz or Weight Loss Clinics with fat targeting injections and stuff like that which costs lots of money down the drain.

[sam128]

I couldn't agree more josephz2va. It was only when I stopped 'dieting' and counting calories that I lost weight. I eat as healthy as I can (as your post suggests) though I do have a bit of a sweet tooth, and I eat when I'm hungry and stop when I'm full. I've maintained a healthy weight for 15 years now just doing this and incorporating some form of exercise in my daily routine (often it is just walking but sometimes includes light weights). 

I guess I should add that my fitbit was a Christmas gift, and I'm not using it to track calories in or out.  I just happened to notice the calorie problem when I was reviewing my last week's steps. I am using it to see how many steps I take on average and how well I'm sleeping.

[divedragon · Accepted solution]

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@Missymoo84 wrote:
End of week one with fitbit charge hr lost 2lb, read so many mixed reviews on the device being wrong on calories burned and so on, basically I switched most things of to save battery and I pay attention to calories in vs out to make sure there's the -500 a day in cals, now my bmr is around 1400 to 1500 mark I'm 31 and 5, 4 n 146lbs my device says I burn from 1500 upwards dependING how active I am which is lighty active stand 4hrs a day at work moving about and do 15 mins daily jog on spot or hula hooping, the more active I am the more it reaches 2000 so should I ignore the reviews and belive my device is correct may be under or over but it must be kind of right as I lost weight

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So I'm one of those who have posted the calorie count isn't accurate.  Based on the information you put in (age, weight, height, bodyfat, etc) is calculates a Basil Metabolic rate which is the amount of calories your body burns just to stay alove with you laying in bed all day.  From there it adds in things like your activity level and, as best it can, your intensity level based on your heart rate.  One thing I've notice from using multiple heart rate devices is, at least mine runs about 8-10% less than my actual heart rate and the higher I push myself, it sometimes just doesn't record anything (--) is what shows on the display (another device shows me over 160.)

Even with this, it has me burning 3k calories aday and I know its not that high.  I workout about an hour a day, 4 days a week and most calculators put me around 2400 calories.  I know when I was in the Army, an MRE was calculated at between 3000 and 3500 calories with the concept that one MRE could provide a fully loaded combat soldier enough calories to fight on and that's going all day.  I don't think I could go that hard today.

So the calculations may work for some and not for others, but if you're not loosing weight, they may be too high.  Having said that, I've run across some research that may indicate calorie deficit may only work in the short term, but stay tuned as I collaborate that information.