Charge 3 calories not accurate

[EllieSchuh]

from my Exercises log

According to my new Charge 3, I burned more calories in less time by walking on the treadmill desk at work than I did at my class at the gym. I haven’t been able to get (what I consider) realistic calorie counts for my workouts since I switched from my charge 2 to my charge 3. It seems to be tracking my heart rate correctly. Is anyone else struggling with this?

Moderator edit: updated subject for clarity

[MarreFitbit]

Hey there @EllieSchuh, it's nice to see you around here! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience with Charge 2 and Charge 3. Thanks for the screenshot provided!

The algorithms used in both devices are the same, so you should see no more than a standard 4% variation between the two. It's possible to get different readings if the trackers are worn in different locations (dominant vs non-dominant wrist). We recommend reviewing the accuracy information provided on our help site at help.fitbit.com. 

As you may know, calorie burn is based on two factors: your basal metabolic rate (or BMR) and activity tracked by your device. 

For more details, see: How does Fitbit estimate how many calories I've burned?

Hope this helps, keep me posted! 

[EllieSchuh]

Hi Maria,

I guess my point is that I don't see how its possible that I burned fewer calories when I exercised for 1 hour 25 minutes with an average heart rate of 141bpm (47% in peak) than I burned when I walked for 1 hour 10 minutes (a shorter amount of time) with an average heart rate of 85bpm (lower heart rate, never exceeding fat burn). I was wearing the same fitbit charge 3 on the same hand on the same day.

Understanding how basal metabolic rate (or BMR) is calculated does not explain this.

Is this a glitch in the app or is my fitbit defective?

[Audrey8387]

I’m having the same problem on my device. Hasn’t always been the case, but has started recently.  

I’m also noticing it’s not tracking my heart rate correctly. It will say my heart rate is much lower than it actually is. 

I’ve had my charge 3 since August and haven’t noticed any issues but in the last 1-2 weeks I’ve seen the above problems multiple times. I haven’t changed wrist, location, or anything about the way I wear my Fitbit. I’m up today on on the app and firmware. 

[CJuarez]

I am having the same issue. I have confirmed that my height, weight, age, etc. are all accurate. It's very frustrating to see such a low calorie count after a high intensity workout. My apple watch reports almost double the amount of calories burned compared to my Fitbit Charge 3. If this issue cannot be resolved, I will be returning sadly!