Option to show Kilojoules in Dashboard and all apps

Many countries favour using Kilojoules instead of calouries for enrgy input and output. Please add the option to choose in all relevent dashboard areas.

 

 

Moderator edit: Labels

542 Comments
LizFitbit
Premium User
Fitbit Moderator
Fitbit Moderator

Hi everyone, I understand this is an important feature to you. I will be closing this discussion to new comments for now but community members are welcome to continue voting so that we can track community demand over time. Thanks

palbion
Recovery Runner

The conversation about adding kilojoules as an option instead of (kilo)calories has been closed off. What does that say about attitudes to the needs of most users outside the USA?

Australian food data uses kilojoules so if I add a food that is not in the database I have to convert energy values from kilojoules to calories. How weird is that?

The conversion is a simple multiplication or division, depending on direction, and surely cannot be difficult to implement in the software for apps or web. There should be no need to make any change to hardware or firmware if any conversion is handled in software after data are transferred.

Accept that it is 2018 and join the world beyond the USA.

hal90000
Jogger

I'm very annoyed at the Fitbit's poor attitude.

 

95+ of the world use Metric!

 

The Kilojoule thread Fitbit looks bad, is embarrassing for Fitbit, so they shut down the discussion thread.

 

Fitbit fails to explain why it doesn't listen to the customers.

 

Kilojoules - It is easy, and simple to implement. 

Fitbit - Implement Kilojoules now and stop messing about.

 

 

MrsKlipstar
First Steps

I would like the option to convert calories to kilojoules as in Australia (and many other countries) our nutrition and food products are measured in kilojoules. This would make the food logging feature relevant and a lot easier to use!

bobba84
Jogger

There have been various requests for this for years, including posts with over 700 votes!

 

Australia uses Kilojoules! If you are going to sell your products here, please support the local measurements.

 

Get your act together please!

CTERIKA
Jogger

Please provide a selection between kilojoules and calories?

LuciaFitbit
Premium User
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

Hi @CTERIKA, thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us. This feature suggestion already exists so I’ve moved your post here. At the moment it is not planned to implement this feature. 

SunsetRunner
Not applicable

Only the US and UK use Calories as a default measure, so why let the other 193 countries suffer? 

 

Kilojoules are on all food packages in countries like Australia, and Calories make no sense to us! It would be very easy to implement—it’s a wonder FitBit has locked itself out of a massive market?

 

After all, the US and UK comprise less than 400 million people. Why leave over 7 billion people confused to appease a self-appointed elite minority? We shouldn’t have to download third party apps to compensate for FitBit’s laziness.

 

PS: I realise there was a thread on this issue from 2013, but FitBit flagged it as a non-issue. I believe it is a small and easy feature that FitBit can introduce to make many people’s dieting effortless. 

MarcelBK
Premium User
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

Hey @SunsetRunner,

Thank you for sharing your idea about adding a kilojoules section. I merged your idea into this suggestion. Even if the status is in "Not currently planned" you can give kudos by clicking on the thumbs up button. 

bjeromin
Jogger

I think it would be great to be able to enter kj as well as calories and for the app to convert them because most foods have the energy written in kj on the chart instead of calories which is a huge pain to calculate then

LisaMcQuinn
First Steps

Can we please have the option to choose to track energy input/output in kilojoules instead of calories. I don't understand what you have metric options for all other measurements, but not the main one; energy! There are many countries who prefer to use kilojoules over calories.

Status changed to: New
AlexandraFitbit
Premium User
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

Hello @LisaMcQuinn ! Thanks for sharing this suggestion, I moved it to this similar post so you can add your vote to it. Please keep sharing your ideas with us! Woman Happy

lalabrucey
Base Runner

I see this was suggested a long time ago and I have voted for it but it is the biggest reason I don't use fitbit for food tracking and use my fitness pal instead. I would love to just use fitbit but none of our food labeling in  NZ use calories. Would be pretty simple to do in the background of the app, 

IF (varENERGY_UNIT =="KJ") THEN

varKILOJOULE_VALUE == (varCALORIE_VALUE * 4.2)

 

Is there anyway you can consider this request for us, 

lalabrucey
Base Runner

BTW I have a charge2 but this wasnt an option to choose

Status changed to: New
AlexandraFitbit
Premium User
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

Hello @lalabrucey ! Thanks for sharing this suggestion, I moved it to this similar post so you can add your vote to it. Please keep sharing your ideas with us! Woman Happy

KathlynB
First Steps

Why is there no option for the food tracker to show in kilojoules. Calories they may be in the US,  but that’s not much use to the metric world. It would be a simple option to implement, surely. There is no excuse for such US-centrism. 

LuciaFitbit
Premium User
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

Hi @KathlynB, thanks for taking the time to share your feedback with us. This feature suggestion already exists so I’ve moved your post here. At the moment it is not planned to implement it. Nonetheless you can still add your vote.

megcz
First Steps

Hello,

With the worldwide appreciation of your products, I would like to ask you to add the possibility of measurement in kJ. KiloJoules are used in many countries and while you added the support of metres, kilograms and such, the app and dashboard still lack the possibility to change the energy unit. I think this would be embraced very well by many users.

Thank you and have a nice day!

Markéta from Czech Republic

Status changed to: Under Consideration
LuciaFitbit
Premium User
Moderator Alum
Moderator Alum

Hi everyone thanks for sharing this suggestion. This is being discussed although I do not have a firm commitment or timeline at the moment. Do continue to vote for this feature suggestion whilst it’s under consideration. Please note that if something is under consideration and chosen for development, it can be a while until it's released or until I have any news to share. Please watch this space for any updates! Thanks for your patience.

Locorobzilla
First Steps

Under Consideration, seriously? This is a no brainer and very simple to implement. I think most non US (i.e. metric) based users have given up on this functionality and have moved on to other products that are not focused on the US. I know I have. There currently 195 countries in the world (not counting Taiwan) and only 3 use the Imperial system. Libera, Burma and the US. Thankfully I live in a non Imperial based country so my kids don't have to learn the Imperial system. And since they won't be buying a Fitbit anytime soon, hopefully they never even have to know what a calorie is.

kesB
First Steps
I would have to agree. How long ago did I post this original request? 3 or more years ago? Please just make it happen.

Sent from my iPhone
SunsetRunner
Not applicable

I also agree entirely. It would appear the Fitbit company are showing complete arrogance toward the majority of the world. I now use another software for my fitness and health needs and will not be recommending Fitbit to Anyone (in fact warning people about this non existing function).

bobba84
Jogger
Me too. This almost colonial attitude is centuries old. Get with the program!

Bobby
KathlynB
First Steps

I can’t believe this was first posted in 2013. Do we have to reach 1000 votes before it is even considered? 

StevieJT
First Steps

Hi,

I find this very frustrating and basically don't use one of the most powerful parts of the FitBit system - tracking energy usage and diet - because its really annoying having to constantly calculate Kilojoules into (kilo)calories. No food items in Australia have calories measured on them. We transitioned to metric values about 15-20 years ago on packaging, so this cannot be something new to you.

 

You have height, weight and distance in imperial and metric... why not energy?!?!??! It's obviously something that is frustrating and annoying your users, so why are you doing this on purpose!?

 

This thread been around since 2013. It has 900+ likes and over 400 comments. You could assume that 10x that number are affected by this 'feature' and do not complain and just don't use it. Again... why are you inconveniencing your customers on purpose and not putting this in?

 

Sooooooooooo frustrating!!! 

 

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