Calories burned walking too high

[MikeBryan]

I've used a Charge HR for a week now.  I'm a 53 year old male, 186 pounds, 6 foot even.  The calories burned for an hour walk are way too high and I'm frustrated.  For instance, I walked 65 minutes yesterday at a moderate pace of 3 mph, I took 6070 steps which was just over 3 miles, 124 bpm.  My daily BMR is 1730 so that equates to 72 an hour.  Fitbit says I burned 598 calories for that walk.  Deducting the 72, that's 526 calories for a 65 minute walk!  I wish that were true but don't think it's possible.  Does over 500 calories burned seem reasonable for a 65 minute walk?????

[wesdunlop]

Exact same problem with my Inspire HR. Constantly tracks 500-600 calories burned in an hour of walking... compared to the same amount burned for a heart-pounding hour long bike, which seems accurate.

I wish they would acknowledge and fix this problem. 

[el07423]

Fitbit does not accord with the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM).and National Institute of Health published formulas

NIH says that walking on level ground at 2.8 - 3.2 mph is 3.5 METs (Metabolic Equivalent of Task).  To convert MET to calories : METs x 3.5 x (your body weight in kilograms) / 200

For me, a 170 lb male, 3 miles in an hour on level terrain burns around 280 calories.

Note that these formulas do not account for age, gender or heart rate.  From a purely physical point of view, it takes a certain amount of energy to move a given mass a given distance in a given time.

[Sorchaxxdunne]

Lolll “200 is low”??? I walk fairly fast & though the Fitbit thinks I’ve burned 568kcals in a 2hr walk all other calorie calculators say I should only be burning 100-125 cals per hour lol I wish 200 was low for an hour walk like 300 an hour would make my usual 2hr walk 600 kcals instead of 200!!! I hate being short lol🙃😂😂

[calchris]

There is definitely a problem with how FB calculates calories burned. a 43 minute walk with avg HR of 83 says it burned 226 calories or just over 5 calories/minute. A 30 minute aerobic workout, with avg HR of 100 burns 125 calories, just over 4 calories/minute. A 55 minute elliptical workout, avg HR of 90 burns 135 calories, or jut over 2 calories/minute. 

I don't know how the app gets it's calorie calculations, but they're clearly way off. 

[Aussie51]

I've tossed my fitbit in the never to be found again drawer. As for
walking, at my weight and age I burn around 70 calories per km. That will
never change. For walking fitbit is simply a waste of time

[ca4man]

You'll likely never see this, but wth.   As of Jan 2019, researchers at Aberystwyth University found that the Charge 2 actually underestimated calories burned while walking by 50%.  It's very possible that your 2016 version is different from a 2019 release, but the bottom line is that it's probably not accurate.

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2019/01/28/fitbit-style-trackers-overestimate-calories-burnt-experi...

[calchris]

I have a Versa, but interestingly the article's first line says "overestimating by 50%", then the passage you quoted says "underestimating". 

I suspect it's still overestimating walking and/or underestimating for other activities. I can't speak to running as I'm not a runner. 

[ca4man]

Yes, my mistake.  I meant to type "overestimated".  They underestimated calories burned while jogging, but only by 4%

[SJ2278]

Help! I’ve had my charge for two yrs, just upgraded the app on my phone and now all of a sudden I am tracking 5000k+ burnt per day vs approx 2300k I have been tracking regularly for the past 2 yrs. 

i have not changed exercise habits, heart rate etc is obviously all the same...it started when i upgraded my fitbit app a couple of days ago - i have restarted and no jo, still the same nonsense. Any advice on how to fix this???

[dlhnj]

If your exercise habits have not changed, then perhaps your weight did not transpose correctly to the new fitbit.

[calchris]

My fitbit consistently shows 50% more calories burned than an online calorie counter for walking. It doesn't seem to be as far off for other exercises, and for some, aerobics for example, appears to be too low.

[dlhnj]

Agree, I have had a fitbit for 5 years and noticed right away that it overcounted calories for walking when I compared to several reputable web sites.  They have never changed the algorithm.  Don't understand why.   

For other exercises like lifting weights, the fitbit cannot calculate calorie burn accurately.  If you are doing a bench press it thinks you are laying down. Also, when you use your wrists for a lift, the fitbit can no longer accurately measure your heart rate - it is always far below the actual. 

[SJ2278]

I’ve not changed my fitbit - everything is the same as before. The only thing I changed is related to the app - i upgraded the app. Could it be that the new app has got a calculation error in it??

the error is not on the margin, it is majorly out - it says i spent 2000calories while I slept!

[Lucammxi]

How is this reply voted the best answer …?

Fitbit is notorious for overestimating calories for walking and underestimated calories for other activities. Peer-reviewed papers have found it (links below) and obviously people here have noticed it.

Today I biked 1h24 minutes and Fitbit says I burned 422 calories (~280 per hour). Also today in the evening I took a 29 minute stroll and Fitbit says I burned 175 calories (~350 per hour). On what planet is walking more strenuous than biking? I am a 36 year-old male, 65kg, 1m75. 

https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03091902.2016.1253795

https://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/png/ajhb/2019/00000043/00000003/art00005

www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-47013454.amp

[SunsetRunner]

I think your best bet it to simply divide the calories by 2. I did a test on myself wearing  a Fitbit blaze and an ECG chest heart rate sensor BOTH WORN at the same time  ( I’m not going to mention the brand on here ) and the Fitbit came up with just over double the calories. I’ve been asking about calorie tracking on fitbit since 2014 when I received my first Fitbit . I haven’t received a good answer , so my advice to you is to simply divide your figure by 2 and you’ll get a fair idea of the true calories you’ve expended , or you can find a website which you can input your petdonal

data , the type of exercise you perform for an even more accurate caloric expenditure. This is my personal experience and I hope this helps you. 

[gt6303c]

Is it possible to hardcode a calorie/minute for walking if the default is off by so much?