How to change resting calories?

Question

Level 1

2 points

How to change resting calories?

How can I change resting calories in my workout app, or AppleWatch? It's hugely overestimating my calorie burn.

I am 5'7'', 158lb, 44-years old woman. My resting calories should be 1,500cal, not 1,725 AppleWatch claims. For anyone wanting to lose weight, it's so critical to eat less than you burn and most women overestimate their energy burn rate.

Now, before we go into a debate that 1,500 is too low for my body, I have to tell you that a year ago I went trough medical weight loss plan. Under my doctor's supervision, my metabolism was measured weakly, and for my it is actually 1,456 calories. That's for a sedentary lifestyle, sitting in the office and working on the computer most of the day. Any extra activity would go under "active calories" for AppleWatch. I had Jawbone Up24 for year and a half, and device is fairly accurate in displaying calories spent. If I don't more around at all (home-office), I spend about 1,500.

So, the question is how manually to adjust resting calories? In MyFitness Pall I can select sedentary lifestyle and the tool sets 1,500cal for me. Then, any exercise is added on top. I find AppleWatch to be accurate in measuring active calories; I did walk, jog, elliptical and rowing machine so far.

Posted on Apr 25, 2015 3:38 PM

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Answer 1

G3gator

Level 3

596 points

Jun 8, 2015 5:45 AM in response to dragoljubce

I have this question as well. Someone suggested manually changing it in the iPhone Health app. That didn't work (for the watch). My resting calories in the watch Activity app are way, way too high (56% too high).

George

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Answer 2

Nytramg

Level 1

5 points

Jun 8, 2015 1:25 PM in response to dragoljubce

This has been discussed a lot here in another earlier thread. Many formum members have raised the issue with Apple Care Reps and they have fed back to the software engineers. They are looking into it, and we're asked to wait as a future software update may resolve the problem.

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Answer 3

Jun 23, 2015 7:41 PM in response to dragoljubce

One of the best and accurate ways to determine your resting calories is to multiply your weight by 11. IF you do that your pretty close. Also that value does change. You burn resting calories when you workout, when you eat, go to the bathroom etc.Therefore resting calories will change on a day to day basis. My Fitness Pal is an estimation ONLY and is not tracking your heart rate all day long like the Apple Watch does. Resting calories can change from day to day depending on how much you eat, how active you are, what workouts you do, how much you go to the bathroom, how much water you drink, etc.

This will also gradually change over time (not a whole lot) as the watch learns about your lifestyle.

I know a lot of folks are complaining about the resting calories. These values do change though and not a lot of folks understand that. Plus they might not be doing the math correctly too. Just my guess.

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Answer 4

G3gator

Level 3

596 points

Jun 24, 2015 3:03 AM in response to Anthonysk9

The resting rate shown in the watch app seems to change only when a different weight is entered. In any event, on mine, and apparently many thers, it is incorrect by any measure (even your 11 x weight formula).

George

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Answer 5

nick101

Level 5

5,150 points

Jun 24, 2015 4:39 AM in response to G3gator

Resting calories are calcualted from your weight, height, age and gender using a formula similar to the ones below (there are variants of this formula, but they follow the same principle). BMR = Basal Metabolic Rate

For men: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) + 5

For women: BMR = 10 x weight (kg) + 6.25 x height (cm) – 5 x age (years) – 161

These give approximations - if you exercise every day, for example, your BMR will measure higher than someone who's essentially sedentary.

So - to change resting calories on the Watch, you have to change one of the parameters

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Answer 6

G3gator

Level 3

596 points

Jun 24, 2015 11:07 AM in response to nick101

Nick101: Your formula is consistent with several online calculations I have done. And, it makes sense for me.

However, the watch is showing a number 57% higher than this for my resting calories. If I were to lay around all day and eat my watch's resting calories, I would gain a ton of weight.

It is wrong. Period. I hope they get this fixed soon.

George

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Answer 7

G3gator

Level 3

596 points

Jun 8, 2015 1:31 PM in response to Nytramg

It may get fixed in wOS 2. I suspect all hands are on the deck to get this ready.

George

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