Calorie/steps accuracy for my Fitbit Surge!?

[Satisfactionism]

Hey guys picked up my new surge yesterday.

I am wearing it during work today. problem is the steps are way too much in my opinion? 

I work in a factory and I am standing all day, also do walking, lifting, and actually have an elevated heart rate and sweat at times as it's faced paced sometimes. 

Now I do a lot of movement with my arms and I believe this makes the step counter go up even when I am not walking and this makes the total steps too high?

Is the calorie reading accurate then as I believe this goes by your heart rate? which at times goes between 115-130+ for periods if time during my shift.

Any help appreciated. 

Thanks

Moderator edit: Clarified subject.

[SunsetRunner]

Walking must be measured by some sensor. My guess is that the device is using a distance sensor or has some gyro to measure your movement and determine if you made a step.

http://www.explainthatstuff.com/how-pedometers-work.html

but as it says here "Counting steps with a pedometer sounds super-scientific, but you need to remember that it's only an approximate measurement. Not all your steps will be correctly counted and some false movements (jolts in the road as you ride in a car, for example) might be counted as steps too. Don't take the count too seriously; assume that it's in error by least 10 percent (the best electronic pedometers claim 5 percent accuracy)."

[Satisfactionism]

I'm more concerned with my calorie burn though,

This is measured from your heart rate isn't it?? not the steps?? I'm not that concerned about the steps.

And do you think the calorie count is accurate?

[Satisfactionism]

I spent £157.99 on this yesterday and it's ridiculous.  I am already in great shape and do personal bodybuilding and have a trainer who does my bodyfat and gives calorie advice. 

BUT

I bought this as I wanted to get a better idea of how much calories I burn all day in my active job and in the gym etc. 

But this is a waste of money and disappointing!  it counts arm movements as steps!!??? that ludicrous Considering my job has Constant arm movements all day amd the steps reading is totally wrong. 

It also states I have burned 5000kcal and yes I no this includes my bmr etc and it's about my total daily expenditure, I no all this already as I'm experienced. I no my body does not burn this much calories fact and if I ate due to that as many in experienced people will they will gain fat! FACT! 

They really need to get this sorted or remove the false advertising!  biggest waste of money, and I'm sure I am not the only one feels this! 

I wanted more accuracy and I get something gives me way less than I already know from my own fast experience of my body!

[wtksk8r]

Sorry you feel that way.  All fitness trackers are basically pedometers augmented with software.  Wrist based ones all use arm movement or body movement to estimate activity.  If your activity has a lot of arm movement then no matter which wrist based unit you use it will end up overestimating activity.

Perhaps a One clipped to your waist will work better.  Or perhaps a Spire (check out this link) will help you get a better feel for your activity and calorie expenditure.

[SunsetRunner]

consumers reports or reading this public forum could have help you.

i never purchase anything only relying on advertising.

[YojanaFitbit]

Welcome to the Fitbit Family @Satisfactionism! Have you checked in the Fitbit Account the "Handedness and Wrist"? Having the correct information in here will give you a better reading for steps. 

 This is a pretty weird thing, you getting more steps than what you did. Did you drive that day? Driving can give you credit for some steps that you actually didn't do. Did you log any activity such as walking or running? Has this happened before? 

Thanks for your participation @Giorgos241, as you said pedometers are not 100% accurate all the time. I'd like to add also that Fitbit trackers use a 3-axis accelerometer to understand your motions which are more precise than single-axis pedometers. 

Another interesting fact is that Fitbit trackers have a finely tuned algorithm for step counting. The algorithm is designed to look for intensity and motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking and running.  When working at a desk, cooking, or doing other arm movements, a tracker on your wrist can pick up some extra steps if it thinks you're walking. Heart rate feature helps your tracker to be more accurate regarding calories, but if you have extra steps you will definitely more calories too.

Hope this helps and let me know if you need more help! It's great to have you in the Community! 

[SunsetRunner]

---

@Satisfactionism wrote:

I'm more concerned with my calorie burn though,

This is measured from your heart rate isn't it?? not the steps?? I'm not that concerned about the steps.

And do you think the calorie count is accurate?

---

you can have 3 devices from different suppliers and you will have 3 different calories counters.

which one is accurate ?

[Satisfactionism]

Well thats different I do know that, but 2000 plus calories over estimation
is ridiculous imo for such an expensive item.

[YojanaFitbit · Accepted solution]

Nice to see you again guys! Thank you for jumping in @SunsetRunner. Your inquiry is valid @Satisfactionism, but as @SunsetRunner mentioned each device works in different way. Once you find a way to take advantage of your Surge readings, it'll be easier to know exactly where all those calories are coming from. 

Also know what you did that day will help! Did you drive that day? Driving can give you credit for some steps that you actually didn't do. Did you log any activity such as walking or running? Has this happened before? This details help us to research what else might be going on.

In your Dashboard online you can get more information and details about your calories, if you check the timeline of the day, you'll see at what time this is happening. 

Hope this helps and let me know if you need more help! It's great to have you in the Community! 

[YojanaFitbit]

Thank you very much for your comments @wtksk8r and @SunsetRunner! Sorry to hear what happened in your case @Satisfactionism. Fitbit has been designed to provide motivation and help you to reach your daily goals to success.  We have different trackers depending the need of the users. If you want to avoid having extra reading because you move a lot your arms, you might consider Fitbit One or Zip for example, as you wear them on your torso, you get basically just steps. 

In case that you want to consider this option you can contact Support and check your options.

Have a good day! 

[BigAl007]

I have a very inexpensive watch which tracks my steps perfectly. Why shouldn't a much more expensive unit like the Charge 2 be able to accurately track my steps without adding in so many false steps. I have it on the correct arm and don't use my arms a lot when walking. What good is it to me if I can't depend on it!! 

[YojanaFitbit]

What a great day to step into the community @BigAl007! I understand your concern and I really appreciate  your feedback. Are you having accuracy issues with your Charge 2?

As in any other wristband tracker, extra step will depend on your activities throughout the day, it is not the same if you work on a desk or if you work as a taxi driver; since your Fitbit trackers have a finely tuned algorithm for step counting. The algorithm is designed to look for intensity and motion patterns that are most indicative of people walking and running.  When working at a desk, cooking, or doing other arm movements, a tracker on your wrist can pick up some extra steps if it thinks you're walking. Many of these situations—such as working or cooking, do include a few steps in-between stationary periods so the tracker tries to give you credit for those steps. For the vast majority of customers, the amount of stray steps accumulated is negligible when compared to the entire day.

Let me know if you have questions! 

[BigAl007]

Thanks!

Al

[YojanaFitbit]

Hi @BigAl007, thanks for replying, I'm happy to know that you found the Forums very useful. Our expectation is always help users to get information faster and easier! 

If you have time, please check our Discussions board where you will find other members sharing their experiences and tips for an active lifestyle, you might be interested in this topics: Marathon Training or How do you break out of your sedentary lifestyle? 

Keep stepping!