[MuddyBoots]

I'm just curious what margin of error they might have because either I am extra extra hyper-active or my watch (Garmin Instinct) is way off. In settings my max HR and the heart rate zones are set correctly, my weight and age are in there correctly, so...?

I just don't believe I, a 5'6" and 128lbs woman, burned over 3000kcal in a day I didn't feel super active during and have been averaging 2600 when I'm not even intentionally working out other than every now and then jumping jacks to warm up or push ups to burn off some steam. No way.

I want to use it to make sure I'm eating enough without feeling guilty about it, but there's no way I'm going to believe my maintenance is that high. If it were, I think I'd feel hungry eating what I"m eating now, right???

[Mountaindewed]

I had the same issue with both Garmin and Fitbit. It said I burned 300 calories as soon as I woke up. I got an Apple Watch in November and it’s been accurate.

[Blueberrybook]

Yeah, that does sound excessive if you are not doing much activity. I'd believe perhaps a 2300 cal/day as an absolute TON of calories for me on days when I walk 6 miles briskly. (I weigh 117/lb at 5'4"). For example, my Apple watch usually gives me a total of just under 650 ACTIVE calories burned per day; the total calories per day will be higher than that because everyone has a METABOLIC calorie burn too, and the watch doesn't calculate that, but you can burn that if you are very active, say walking briskly for a distance each day (but take it all with a grain of salt, that's just what AI tells me! )

[SquarePegGuy]

Does the device monitor your body temperature and ambient temperature? Is it possible that you have a high temperature? Or that you're in a colder than "normal" environment?

If it detects motion / steps, is it possible that it's detecting some twitching or fidgety behavior?

Even if it is incorrect, you can still use it to track variations in activity or caloric needs.

[MuddyBoots]

It is cold even by average NH winter standards, and I only walk/run like 8 miles a day never more than 12 since my hip got messed up again(it’s getting better though I can run but flexibility is not all there), but it’s not one walk and the running is never more than like five minutes to expel some energy or not get hit by a car. it’s like one at 2am one at 5am and maybe another if I need to go shopping or something and some of that I have to stop to climb over snow banks. I’m never tired if I were burning a lot of calories I’d be hungry and tired, but I’m neither though.

[MuddyBoots]

It does calculate metabolic burn). You use the Connect app to put in your age, weight, and height and it separates active vs “resting” (BMR calories) burn.

It doesn’t matter anyway I’m in full relapse so I don’t look at it I just eat by my rigid bs rules.

[SquarePegGuy]

I'm impressed with your 8-mile per day activity. I think it's a lot! And I don't think 3000 calories is outrageous, but I'm not an expert in biomechanics.

[MuddyBoots]

Originally Posted by SquarePegGuy

I'm impressed with your 8-mile per day activity. I think it's a lot! And I don't think 3000 calories is outrageous, but I'm not an expert in biomechanics.

Ehh maybe I’m just jealous of my hiking group members who have cars and can do Pemi loops in a day (30ish miles, 17,000ft elevation gain/loss)

[Tart Cherry Jam]

This is only tangentially related.

In November of last year, I started using Fitbit.

Ibhad already been using Oura ring since 2022.

When I take naps, Fitbit captures them far more accurately than Oura, even though Oura is marketed first of all as a sleep tracker.

They capture steps differently, and I understand why, and understand that a tracker worn on a belt in the hip area would have captured steps better, more accurately. I do not understand why Fitbit is so much more accurate with naps.

Regarding activity, large margins of error of all trackers and even the differences within the same tracker between different software releases is a big impediment to all observational studies of physical activity.

[MuddyBoots]

My watch gets I'm not sure about steps or anything else, but it does distances accurately because it uses GPS if it's not low on battery. It doesn't do sleep accurately. It goes based off movement and heart rate so if I'm calm and still it says I'm sleeping but once I actually fall asleep it says I'm awake (and my HR gets logged from a 60-65 resting during the day to varying between 80 and spikes up to 140 if I am actually sleeping so I learned sleep gets counted as active calories sometimes lol)(but I only sleep other than microsleep a few times a week now so I figure most of the time it doesn't affect the HR graph too much, other than being so incredibly sleep deprived making my HRV insane. So I guess it does.).

[SquarePegGuy]

I wonder how well the GPS tracks distance when it's used indoors. "Mall walkers" would be interested in that.

[MuddyBoots]

Originally Posted by SquarePegGuy

I wonder how well the GPS tracks distance when it's used indoors. "Mall walkers" would be interested in that.

To kinda test this I used it on the indoor track at my gym (very short loop so maybe even harder to register distance). It’s supposed to be 9 laps=1 mile but I got 9 laps as .68mi. Only 3 lanes too and I was passing a lot of people using the outside lanes so it’s not like I could’ve cut off 1/3 the distance just using the innermost track.

[unaluna]

My rule of thumb is 300 calories per hour (for me), or 100 per mile, altho i am probably not up to 3 miles an hour yet. 10 lbs equaled a minute per mile in my heyday. A bike is considered 1/6 the the energy expenditure of walking.

Dont do like Glitter and Lazers and figure an hour exercise gives you 1200 calories to "eat back" because "the watch said so." She is 500 lbs plus

[MuddyBoots]

I used this site and actually lately a 1500 active calorie burned day (outside of BMR) here and there doesn’t sound too crazy.

[unaluna]

Remember Michael Phelps was eating 20,000 calories a day cuz he swam all effing day!!!

I buy you burning at least that much in your mountain hikes. When i walked 40 miles a week, i lost 5 lbs a week. And i have never been a strict dieter by any definition. But i do like me some physical exercise, once i can get past the injuries / aches etc. I have a weird gait which is not helped by inactivity.

[Discombobulated]

I don’t know how accurate they are. My Garmin is an old watch, it does steps just fine (even in a mall) it logs run distance fine. I input my weight and height (I’m short and fairly light) and I rarely clock more than 2000 calories, even when running. I did notice when I was on propranolol my calorie burn went down even more, I’m guessing because my HR was lower. Sure enough I did put weight on with propranolol so it seems right.

[unaluna]

Dam beta blockers. They keep you alive but at what cost? I wonder how many glp1 users are on beta blockers. It just levels the playing field. A beta blocker is 200 calories a day (ie slows your metabolism) but ive read that 100 cals surplus a day is 10 lbs gained a year 36500. So its not trivial.