Calculating calories burned

[Alexon]

Ok so my problem is it calculates the calories burned during exercise too low. Comparing with power meters it calculates about 2/3rds of what I use. I guess its applying a normal formula to my HR, age, gender and weight but I have a past history of cardio endurance sports so I guess I am not really normal. Is there a way I can change its normal formula (recalibrate) in some way? Or could I just tell it I weigh more until I get the calories I use about right (compensate)? 2/3rds just seems too far out to be that useful at moment. Thanks.

[YojanaFitbit · Accepted solution]

Hi @Alexon thanks for taking a break from stepping! It's great to see that you've visited the Fitbit Community! 

Thanks a million for posting the insights and findings about how you're using your Fitbit tracker. Our PurePulse heart rate tracking is the only heart rate technology to offer automatic, continuous wrist based tracking for all-day health insights and workout intensity. It is uniquely designed to measure heart rate all day, with always-on optical heart rate sensors that still maintain extended battery life also. It allows you to accurately track workout intensity and calorie burn with finely tuned algorithms that provide insight through interactive charts and graphs. 

Now, PurePulse provides better overall heart rate tracking than cardio machines or chest straps since it tracks your heart rate day and night" PurePulse is designed for all day wear and tracking, giving you a more complete picture of your health and fitness overall. You're right about how to wear Fitbit Surge Vs. other chest traps like power meters can give you different data. Good thing about Surge is that is capable to read your sleep and continually monitor your HR giving more details throughout the day! About heart rate readings when you're working out, a chest strap definitely will have better readings since it's located closer to your heart and a tracker is taking the pulse from your arm, but the difference shouldn't be that much.

As you mentioned calories burned are calculated using your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate), your HR information and the workout activity name. Have you tried to do different activities? 

I'd like to clarify that there is no way to calibrate the formula on how HR is tracked since it takes your past data to calculate present stats so and if you enter other information or wrong data your Fitbit won't be able to calculate it  correctly. Have you checked these tips about accuracy for heart rate? For more details visit our website we have very useful information there! 

Let me know if you need anything else!