to think surely I must have burnt more calories than this?

[DrHarleenFrancesQuinzel]

I got a fitbit HR Charge for Christmas.

I do Metafit on a saturday morning. Today was my third week in a row wearing my fitbit. Ive not burned over 200 calories in any week. Today I only burned 151 calories. I dont believe that.

For anyone who is not sure, metafit is a high intense exercise class that lasts for 30 mins inc warm up/cool down. Today we did 25 secs squat jumps, 10 secs rest, 25 secs up and downs (lying on the floor and jumping up again) 10 secs rest, 25 secs lunge jumps. Repeated 3 times before the high knees finisher. That was round one. There were 3 rounds in total with different exercises in each one and finally finished by doing the 3 finishers for 30 secs each back to back. It certainly gets you out of breath and hot & sweaty.

Surely I would have burned more than 150 calories. Instead I could have gone to Parkrun and exercised at half the intensity for an extra 5 minutes and burned twice as many calories.

Is this right?

absolutley depends on which one you have. The Fitbit flex only measure movements. You input all your details so it makes an educated guess as what you are burning when not moving. As far as I can remember.

The charge HR and some other ones measure heart rate, sleep etc so give a more accurate picture. It's not 100% accurate.

I have had the flex and now the HR charge. I much prefer the HR charge. You can see in the app when your heart rate has gone up during the day. It records it all and it matches what I have been doing.

I love mine

I burn around 400 calories wgen I run for 30 mins in the gym but burn nearly 450 when I walk uphill on the treadmill for the same time. However I'm as red and sweaty when I've finished either session so they must be equally as hard!

In an hours session in the gym I usually burn around 600 calories or so the machines say. I'd rather not know if these are a higher estimate!

I don't believe that's right. I do metafit (or rather did before baby) and use a heart rate monitor, the chest strap ones not the Fitbit, and I burn approx 300 cals. I burn approx 360 in my 30 minute spin class, around 500 in a back to back body pump and strength class.

When I first started running I burned approx 250 in the first week of couch to 5k, which is only 25 mins long and most of that was walking! I'm a healthy weight so wasn't burning more because I was unfit/had weight to lose.

Machines in the gym are not that accurate with calories.

Did you really push it today? 150 sounds low, unless you were slacking

I do a lot of exercise, including MetaFit, Insanity, weights and running. I have the Charge HR and I also have a Polar HRM. I'm not a fan if the Charge for many reasons (including the nasty sore patch on my wrist) but both it and the Polar seem to quote similar numbers re cals burned. I get about 150 for MetaFit too. The only thing that really burns them up for me is Spin.

Be aware that the less you weigh, the fewer cals you will use on any activity. At 54kg, I can't expect to use very many, and no matter what I do in day I never clock up more than 1700 -1800.

Yesterday for example, I walked 12000 steps and did an hour circuit training. Total burn for the day was a shade over 1500. I'm off skiing for a week on Monday and I know from using the Polar on previous trips that even that won't push me much over 2000, and we do long days off piste.

Fitbit heart rate tracking is dangerously inaccurate, lawsuit claims

I've got a sports watch with chest strap. Depending on the exercises at circuits, I tend to burn 300 to 400 calories in an hour (Similar zone to running too). Half that for a 30 minute session sounds realisticly similar to your experience. I'm small and in the healthy range so my calorie burn isn't the most impressive as there's not a major amount to move about!

Do you have to put your weight in the fitbit? Check its correct as I use Runkeeper and couldn't work out why I was only burning 52 cals on a 40 minute run. I'd put my weight as 10lb not 10 st.

My fitbit pretty much matches up with the one with a chest strap. I can't say exactly as the chest strap one didn't record as much information. Just gave what was going on at that time and the final figures. But near enough.

You can also see on the app that it's gone up in line when I have done something in particular.

You can see small changes when I get up and move around. The fact that they are being sued in the US doesn't surprise me though. It happens all the time.

Another company who's heart monitors are proven to be less accurate than the Apple Watch and Fitbit announced they were suing both companies on the same day. For 'stealing their technology'.

Both lawsuits were announced the same day as Fitbit announced their new product. We leads me to think there are other things at play. Their stock went down rather than up.

I am able to get an inaccurate reading on my Fitbit. If it's either to loose or in the wrong place. It should sit just above your wrist. The same as with a chest strap monitor. It has to be in the right place and fairly tight.

I will be watching lawsuit filed by their customers though, to see the outcome.

Running might be about 300

Exercise never burns as many calories as people expect. That's why I always think it's weird when people say they'll go to the gym Monday to burn off a Chinese the night before.

I burnt 200 kcals on a 30 min dog walk this morning.

Mmm.I allow about 135 for 30 mins walk (brisk), and about 400 for and hour's zumba. (MFP, not fitbit).

It seems to take aaages to work anything substantial off. And it's so easy to eat it straight back.

Why the fitbit is so good I think is because it shows how many calories you have actually burnt, rather an approximation. So MFP said I burn 500 in an hour cross trainer. That's also what the machine itself says. Fitbit says it's 380. Zumba for me is between 330 and 430 depending on the intensity of the routine.

I now know why I have been struggling to lose weight!

hoolio yes, I can see why the discrepancy could make a difference.

Does the fitbit measure calories while you're just sitting around doing nothing/resting/sleeping?

Does the fitbit measure calories while you're just sitting around doing nothing/resting/sleeping?

Depends on the one you buy.

Charge HR and surge monitor you heart rate and calorie burn all the time you have it on.

When I get up and know I have been restless you can see it on the app.

I do think mfp over estimates, quite a lot.

This has been an interesting thread - I often wonder where the 2000 calorie recommendation comes from as surely most women need less than this?

I too think mfp are quite generous with their estimates for exercises, I normally knock 20% of if I'm relying on them,

its I agree 2000 is too much for most people. I try to eat between 1500-1700 when not exercising much. I don't seem to lose anything unless i increase activity and eat less. Boo.

You say want to be "fitter" but keep looking at calories burned - which is more related to burning fat.

With warmup, recovery periods and cooldown all within 30 mins, you won't have been working for many minutes at high intensity. However, that HIIT will make you fitter if you persist for some weeks.
So, it would enable you to say run faster and for longer distances.

Lifting would burn less fat for most folk than cardio, see Research but builds more lean mass and should be part of a healthy exercise program.

It is v difficult to burn off high-cal sugary fatty "treats" or a junky meal unless you exercise intensely for a considerable time:

Burpees? .

bigchoc are you saying that fattier, junkier foods are harder to burn off?

(.still a bit early in the morning for me.)

absolutely I think she is saying because of the high calories in junk food, it takes longer to burn off. And people often underestimate how long they need to exercise to burn the equivalent calories.

An fuck burpees.....burpees are bastards!

The Fitbit Charge HR does not record HIIT sessions very accurately. It uses mainly steps to work out you calories burned, it won't consider a 2 minute leg squat as work - but you'll be working a lot harder than it thinks - you just won't be stepping. I don't use my exercise calories - so whatever fitbit thinks I've burned I ignore and tbh my suspicion was that it over estimates calories burned which is much more problematic if you like to eat your exercise calories than underestimating.

Thanks Katenka.

Yes I agree that people underestimate the calories in food.

And then wonder why they're carrying too much weight.