In this article, we will discuss how accurate are Fitbit trackers and how accurate is Fitbit calorie burn count. So, make sure to stay with us till the end.
In today’s world, fitness bands are becoming as essential as smartphones for many people. These small wristbands can keep track of your health in real-time.
Think of fitness trackers as having a tiny health lab right on your wrist, providing you with valuable data about your well-being. While they’re getting better at being accurate every year, it’s important to note that these mini devices can’t match the precision of expensive lab equipment.
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Every wearable fitness tracker company like Fitbit promotes its products on the hinge of their reliability. But how accurate they really are and if not accurate then how close Fitbit’s calorie burn accuracy is?
To understand it clearly, Let’s first have a look at what Fitbit trackers like charge 2 and all the other trackers measure to calculate final calories burned:
- Steps
- Floors
- Running
- Heart-rate
- and Sleep.
Fitbit Trackers Accuracy for Calorie Burn
For this particular article, we would take Fitbit charge 2 results as the prime stats for our analysis of Fitbit tracker’s accuracy for calorie burn and then have a close look at the factors that determine how accurate is Fitbit calorie burn count.
Counting of steps for the calorie burn is one thing, but how Fitbit trackers like charge 2 and its other sub-Fitbit products measure the amount of calories you burn in a day is very complex.
To understand that we will look at every data Fitbit trackers use to calculate your whole day calorie burn count and then use it to see if it is really accurate. Also, we will have a look at a Research that was held on the Fitbit tracker for its accuracy below this article. So stay with us till the end.
BMR data
When you start using Fitbit, it begins by figuring out something called your BMR, which stands for “basal metabolic rate.” Basically, this is the number of calories your body naturally burns even if you’re not doing any exercise.
To figure out your BMR, Fitbit needs to know some details about you like your age, gender, height, and weight. You’ll need to enter this information into the Fitbit mobile app.
Once Fitbit has all this data, it uses it to tell you how many calories you’re burning each day based on things like the number of steps you take and any workouts you do using the Fitbit app.
So, besides keeping track of your daily steps, floors climbed, heart rate, and sleep duration, Fitbit uses your BMR info to give you an estimate of how many calories you’ve burned. It’s like your personal health assistant on your wrist!
Energy Expenditure Accuracy of Fitbit Tracker
One study that examined the accuracy of tracking of steps found that the fitness trackers showed the energy expenditure of approx. at 8% when the research persons were just at the rest position.
When research people started moving, the accuracy of trackers degraded to the point where the energy expenditure was overestimated by 15-40% when the research people were just walking. Also, when doing regular household activities it was at 27-34% on the trackers.
The interesting finding from the research is, In performing household activities, Only Fitbit tracker estimated energy expenditure accurately and much better as compared to other trackers, getting the energy ex. right within 8%.
Study on People Wearing the Fitbit Tracker
Another research to find out how accurate is Fitbit calorie burn was held on 20 participants (10 Males and 10 Females) wearing Fitbit trackers. In which they had to do several physical activities, raking, walking upstairs, playing golf, and carrying products.
In addition to these activities, the researchers kept all the participants to an Oxycon gas analyzer. Which is a highly expensive lab tool used for measuring the energy people burn during physical activities.
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Results of Fitbit Research?
The research on the accuracy of Fitbit’s calorie burn calculations shed light on some intriguing details. It showed that Fitbit trackers can exhibit significant variations when estimating energy expenditure, depending on the activity.
In addition to underestimating calories burned during activities like treadmill walking and doing laundry, the study uncovered a few more interesting findings:
- Cycling and Yard Work: Fitbit tended to provide lower calorie burn estimates for activities such as cycling and yard work. This could potentially lead users to believe they’ve burned fewer calories than they actually have.
- Grocery Shopping: Surprisingly, Fitbit sometimes overestimated calorie burn when users were carrying grocery bags. This could give a false sense of accomplishment in terms of calorie expenditure.
- Golfing Accuracy: The research found that Fitbit was most accurate in estimating calories burned during golfing. This suggests that Fitbit might excel in tracking certain types of physical activities while struggling with others.
These findings highlight the importance of taking Fitbit’s calorie burn estimates with a grain of salt, especially if you engage in a wide range of activities. It’s essential to interpret the data with an understanding of its potential inaccuracies and consult with a healthcare professional for more precise measurements when needed.
Conclusion
So, the quick and final answer to ‘How accurate is Fitbit calorie burn?” is: Definitely not accurate as the high-end expensive machines in labs but from all the information and research stats we have discussed above. We can say that the Fitbit tracker’s calorie burn stats show a lower calorie-burn count on the tracker than what you actually burned. Fitbit trackers may not be very much accurate but they are better than many available in the market.
That’s it, that was all about how accurate is Fitbit calorie burn count. We hope this article helped you with this query. If you liked our content do check out our other articles too like:
