is fitbit getting my stats right?

[Ihatecardio]

I used to track using samsung health which is just an app that counts steps. It always tells me my tdee is 1500-1600.

I got fitbit charge 3, it’s telling me my tdee is over 2000.

I am a 20 year old girl, 156 cm tall and weigh 47 kg. Due to the nature of my job I always take 20k+ steps a day, and I never could figure if that makes me lightly active or active or very active or what. THe walking makes me very hungry, but 2000 calories feels like a LOT. Does it sound right to anyone?

My bmr is in the 1100s and im not sure how it works, i think you add the walking calories to the bmr? But i doubt 20k steps would burn 900 calories at my height

[Baltoscott]

Hi @Ihatecardio 

Fitbit calorie estimates are on the high side for many people, but remember it is just a starting point.  I put your numbers into the NIH body weight planner using their default activity level (very light activity at work or school and moderate activity at leisure time), and it came up with about 1900 calories.  Not too different from Fitbit, but again, it is just an estimate.  

If moving 20K+ steps a day is an increase over your recent activity levels, your body's response of increasing hunger makes sense.  Unless you are trying to lose weight right now, try eating a bit more and see how things go over the next few week. 

[Ihatecardio]

Hello @Baltoscott! Thank you for your reply.

I have been eating 1200-1500 calories a day as per samsung health instructions for 2 months, and I can’t really tell if I’ve lost weight because my intake wasn’t consistent and I’m always very bloated/wear flowy clothes so I can’t notice changes in clothing size (severe ibs).

The activity level is one I’ve had for almost a year, nothing new. I walk to work and back, and my job requires me being on my feet the whole time, thus the 20k+.

Thank you so much for taking the time to input my stats in a calculator. I’ve been trusting Samsung Health for so long I never trust any count above 1500-1600 anymore. 🤦🏻‍:female_sign:

[Dominique]

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@Ihatecardio wrote:

I can’t really tell if I’ve lost weight

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What’s wrong with using a scale? Wouldn’t it precisely tell you whether or not you’ve lost weight? I understand weight can fluctuate day-to-day (as well as on a monthly basis, for menstruating women), but two months would be long enough to establish any meaningful change in body weight.

The other thing, of course, is whether losing weight needs to be a concern at all for you: your current BMI at 156cm/47kg is 19.3, which is quite thin already (to the point of being close to underweight). IBS is indeed a serious issue, so finding a way to eat that mitigates it would be more important than losing weight IMO.

[Ihatecardio]

@Dominique I am trying to maintain, not lose. I said I can’t tell if I’ve lost weight because I thought someone would (logically) tell me that if I’ve lost weight on 1200-1500 then my fitbit is right.

The thing is, I didn’t weigh myself before these two months. I remember in the beginning of January I was weighed at the doctor’s and it was 50 kg but I was severely bloated, so it probably not that big of a fluctuation (meaning I can’t tell if the bloating was adding pounds back then).

I don’t wanna gain weight but I don’t care for losing either. And yes, I am working on my IBS, hopefully it’ll get better soon 😞

[Baltoscott]

@Ihatecardio -- Since you've been tracking what you eat, you've got a good idea of what is going in.  The best way to understand what Fitbit is telling you about what it going out is to weigh yourself and take measurements with a tape measure.  The number on the scale can change from day-to-day because of water retention, but weighing daily (first thing in the morning) and then looking at your weekly averages helps you understand the trends. Using a tape measure on your waist and hips once a week and tracking that trend as you change your diet and fitness goals is a good check on the scale.

1200-1500 a day seems unnecessarily low to me, even at your size; but I get why you are reluctant to eat more if your weight seems stable while eating that much.  The problem is that you say you are hungry, so you are probably not going to be able to keep this up long term.  And your body may have adapted to the lower food intake by down regulating you metablism a bit.  Why not try a little experimenting?  Try eating at around 1700-1800 for a month or so; focus on whole unprocessed foods (more filling and curb hunger longer).  If you can get more fiber and protein in your diet that may help with hunger too (I'm sure you know more about IBS than I do, but it sounds like different approaches work for different people.  Regarding fiber, soluble sources seem best).