Versa calories inaccurate

[SunsetRunner]

Just got my Versa on May 30, 2018. Do any of you do Beachbody programs? Here's my question: I used the Circuit training program to track the 22 minute Hard Corps Resistance 2 program (kinda cardio with weights if you will). 27 minutes long, Versa says 191 calories burned. Did Yoga this morning, 37 minutes and it says 172 calories burned. Soaking wet and breathing hard for the circuit, calm and breathing for Yoga. 19 calories difference? Anyone?

Moderator edit: subject for clarity

[AlejandraFitbit · Accepted solution]

It's great to welcome you @SunsetRunner.

I will be glad to help you with your calories inquiry. I think that all depends on the exercise you are doing. In some of them you might burn more calories that with the other. In your opinion, in which exercise you should be burning more calories?

For more information, you can check the help article How does Fitbit estimate how many calories I've burned?.

Let me know if you need anything else. 

[SunsetRunner]

Hey Alejandra! Thanks for the reply. The Versa did great tracking my heart rate during each exercise. The Yoga was much less stress on the body. The 22 minute routines are VERY high intensity stuff.At least for an old guy like me... I'm always soaking wet and breathing hard at the end. That's why it's hard to figure only a 19 calorie difference between the two. I'll reread the link you sent me....

[SunsetRunner]

So after almost a week and a half, I’ve learned that anytime I use weights during a workout, I need to use the weights setting. Cardio and all else goes to “workout” setting. The numbers still seem low but closer. However the steps seem to burn more calories than my intense workouts. As well as when I wake up and see that burned over 300 calories when I sleep! Just today so far (it’s 1:45pm) it says I’ve burned 745 calories. 190 was my workout (which is low I believe... I tried a different setting). So my 10,000 steps burned 555 calories?? Help @AlejandraFitbit

[DLaessi]

I noted over 400 calories burned when my versa was stored in a drawer overnigt.  I expermented and left it there all day. I checked it 12 hrs later. My drawer burned over 1200 calories with no activity and no steps.  This is worrisome.  Is there a fix on the horizon? 

[Marrrmaduke]

@DLaessi @SunsetRunner This is perfectly normal. Those are calories related to your BMR. I explained it here.

[AimeeME]

I’m experiencing the same issue and have spent 2 hours on the phone over the past two days with customer service. All they’ve done is give me the run around. 

I was told that maybe I entered my information ( height/ weight) incorrectly, which I had not. Believe me, that’s the first thing I checked. Finally asked to speak with a supervisor when I was told that my issue didn’t warrant  a replacement or refund. Once that conversation began I was getting the same song and dance from him when he asked me to look at my personal information again. I opened my dashboard, read him my height of 5’6”, my weight 144.6lbs. when my screen went dark for a second and then came back on with a completely altered data. All the sudden my unit of measure switched from feet and lbs. to cm and kilos. He then said that’s not what I am seeing here and proceeded to read me the information that he altered.

So now...this guy is trying to manipulate my information to justify the glitch in my calories burned. I’m over this. I will get a refund from Amazon Prime and I will never purchase another Fitbit product again. 

[AimeeME]

Is there anyway that I could sit in your drawer overnight? Sounds like a great way to burn calories. 

Just kidding. I’ve reported the same problem and they haven’t done anything to solve it. They have refused to refund or to replace my Versa because it isn’t considered a justifiable reason to do so. WHAT? This is supposed to be a fitness tracker. It doesn’t work!!! Oh well, I’m going to let Amazon Prime deal with them. I’m not wasting anymore of my time or money on Fitbit.

[Marrrmaduke]

@AimeeME let's imagine your BMR is 1600 kcal. Fitbit will reflect that burn proportionally, e.g. after 12 hours it will be 800 kcal. So if you keep your tracker in the drawer for 12 hours, Fitbit will assume you didn't perform any activity and will credit you only with BMR calories burned, which is correct. 

[AimeeME]

Actually I have worn my Versa since the day I activated it which was just about a week ago. From the beginning it has been showing an inaccurate number of calories burned related to my number of steps and the intensity of my workouts.
The comment you read was in jest. I responded to another Versa purchaser who was experiencing a similar issue.

This is a well documented flaw with the Versa. Unfortunately the folks at Fitbit refuse to acknowledge that the Versa is defective and won’t honor the one year warranty by either giving me a refund or sending a replacement.

Fortunately Amazon Prime sees things differently and has agreed to refund me my full purchase price. I’m not sure how much longer Fitbit can get away with misrepresenting this “smart watch “ as a fitness tracker when in reality it is just an expensive pager that’s pretty to look at.

But thank you anyway for your response.



Sent from my iPhone

[lenny4d]

@AimeeME  "From the beginning it has been showing an inaccurate number of calories burned related to my number of steps and the intensity of my workouts."  --- have you 'calibrated' your calories on say a treadmill?  Calories are difficult to estimate precisely in the first place (more so for sports where it difficut to estimate energy physically used) and are always gestimates. But my experience is that the treadmill is the best way to calibrate data because of the type of regular motion and intensity. For me it is spot-on, all the time (meaning within 10% of kCals burnt). "Is there anyway that I could sit in your drawer overnight? Sounds like a great way to burn calories.  Just kidding. I’ve reported the same problem" --- well then you may not have understood BMR if you consider this a problem, because BMR is not a problem, it is the correct way to do things. Your fitbit tracker, even when in a drawer, should be recording calories when still/idle!! BMR is the calories that the body uses when at rest. It depends on weight, gender and so on. However, it reads as if your problem is not BMR but general calorie estimates when working out....?

[Marrrmaduke]

@AimeeME I must agree with @lenny4d. Mine are pretty accurate as well as seen by crosscountry skiing machine workouts. We already know your profile so can guestimate your BMR, can you please share some screenshots of heart rate recorded during problematic workout, calories burned over time chart and steps if available?

[AimeeME]

Hi y’all. I cannot send screenshots because my Versa is on its way back to Fitbit. 

And I do understand how a fitness tracker is supposed to calculate calories.  I had a  Fitbit that wasn’t a “smart watch” that was accurate until it just stopped working after three months. BTW,  Fitbit didn’t replace it either.

As far as the Versa goes, I am positive that there’s no way I was burning calories at the estimated ratio of 250 calories per 1000 steps. At one point it showed that I had burned almost 2000 calories after only a little over 10,000 steps.  If only...but wishful thinking isn’t going to help me improve my cardio strength and my general health. 

I have never in my life burned 2000 calories in one day. I wasn’t climbing Mt. Everest. I play tennis. I play doubles. I am not Serena Williams.

The Versa is defective. Maybe yours isn’t but mine certainly was. I returned it and will not be purchasing another. 

Thank you for your time.

[Marrrmaduke]

---

@AimeeME wrote:

Hi y’all. I cannot send screenshots because my Versa is on its way back to Fitbit. 

I meant screenshots of your mobile screen when you have your Fitbit mobile open.

---

@AimeeME wrote:

At one point it showed that I had burned almost 2000 calories after only a little over 10,000 steps.  If only...but wishful thinking isn’t going to help me improve my cardio strength and my general health. 

I have never in my life burned 2000 calories in one day.

---

I don't know how to say it, but using data that you provided (weight, height, gender and rough estimate of your age based on your profile picture), your BMR was estimated to be 1500 kcal. That's how much you burn doing nothing just breathing. So, it is perfectly reasonable to see more than 2000 kcal burned during a day with 10K steps. The calories you see are total calories. Actually you probably burn way more than 2000 if you're as active as you say.

[NickePekka]

Yes. I don’t think it makes sense to argue with her as it looks that she does not understand what BMR really means. If the BMR is already about 1500 calories then burning over 2000 would be very normal when doing fitness.

[Karlua]

I’m 57 years old and not sure what exercise I should use for an hour pound class. It’s weird I can burn 384 calories walking for an hour and only 300 when I obviously work out harder during pound. I’m frustrated when google says I am probably burning 500 in a pound class. 

[Aiviloks]

I’m having the same exact issue - hence why I’m scrolling forums. Have you found a fix yet? 

[AimeeME]

No. Unfortunately I did not. Customer service was unwilling to offer me a refund or a replacement watch even though I only had it for a few weeks. Fortunately the folks at Amazon saw things my way and they gave me a refund.
I’m sorry that you are dealing with this same problem. It’s a flaw in the design. They know it but clearly they haven’t fixed it.

Sent from my iPhone

[DLaessi]

It’s fine. It adjusts to how your body burns calories at rest, etc, based on the info you entered. No fix req’d.

Sent from my iPhone

[AimeeME]

I’m not going to beat this dead horse. It was not fine. It did not work. I got my money back. Game over. If anyone is considering purchasing a Versa I would strongly suggest that you reconsider.