apple watch workout is way off on calories

This may be impolite, but why do you think Strava is the benchmark to evaluate it against? The issue with measuring calories running is it is difficult to estimate the amount of work done -- doing so requires a metabolic analyzer. All devices (including a treadmill) make estimates of work, but they all are approximations and only as good as the data that goes into the algorithms. http://greatist.com/fitness/do-calorie-monitors-really-work

I have also found that the BMR is way off. Based on my height, weight, sex, it should be about 1500. Apple watch gives me 2570 resting calories per day... no way! Also, I am getting 500-600 active calories for 1.5 hours of yoga, recorded as "Other" with average heart rate of 76bpm??? I would think that with the heart rate monitor, you should be able to get a pretty accurate estimate of calories burnt. Calories for some some the built in activities like Outdoor Walk, Elliptical, etc. are pretty accurate.

I've bought my sport apple watch one week ago and I am really disappointed with it.

I' m a female of 157 cm and 58 kg and the resting calories I daily burn should be between 1200 and 1300. Instead the Activity app estimates around 1800 calories each day (1,2kcal/min).

Furthermore active calories are underestimated and I don't understand how they are computed.

For curiosity I started an outdoor running workout while sitting on my sofa and it calculated calories as if I was really running.

Finally heart rate measurements are irregular. In fact the records I can read on Health app sometimes have a 10 minutes frequency and sometimes have a many hours empty gap without any record.

We need a software update as soon as possible and we wish clear explanations on the method our apple watch compute calories.

There's a mix of things here.

- Heart rate: In WatchOS 1.01 (the current release), heart rate is measured roughly once an hour if there isn't an active Workout in progress, but the measurement only takes place if your wrist is still. So the actual frequency can vary quite a bit. In the previous WatchOS release, the measurement was every 10 minutes; Apple hasn't explained why the frequency was changed, but it's assumed to be a way of saving battery life. 't there's a Workout in progress, heart rate is measured every few seconds, but that also can vary depending how sing the watch is against your wrist. This may change again in WatchOS2, which is due out in September or October (date not yet finalised), but there's been no confirmation of that

- Resting calories: 1800/day sounds like a bug. A reset (hold the digital crown and the side button together for around 10 seconds until the Apple logo appears) may knock some sense into it. If it doesn't, I suggest a full reset to factory settings, to calibrate all over agin. That's a somewhat painful process, but it has had good results for some people. To do the reset safely, and retain your Activity and Health data, connect to iTunes, do a full encrypted backup of your iPhone (if it's not encrypted, Health data is not backed up), rest the watch to factory settings (from the Settings app in the watch or the Watch app on the phone), re=pair with the phone and you'll be asked if you want to restore from a watch backup. You'll have to recalibrate the watch distance measurement after all this as well.

- Active calorie usage - again, a reset might help, but there are inconsistencies in how the software works. It seems to work quite well for some people (I have found it quite reliable), but not for others.

All this stuff is work in progress for Apple (which doesn't make it less annoying). If you have time and the inclination, please report your experience at http://www.apple.com/feedback - the more information Apple gets, the more opportunity there is to get this working properly.

nick101 wrote:

There's a mix of things here.

- Heart rate: In WatchOS 1.01 (the current release), heart rate is measured roughly once an hour if there isn't an active Workout in progress, but the measurement only takes place if your wrist is still. So the actual frequency can vary quite a bit. In the previous WatchOS release, the measurement was every 10 minutes; Apple hasn't explained why the frequency was changed, but it's assumed to be a way of saving battery life. 't there's a Workout in progress, heart rate is measured every few seconds, but that also can vary depending how sing the watch is against your wrist.

This is incorrect.

In the current version of watchOS, Apple Watch measures your heart rate:

- Every 10 minutes as long as neither you nor your arm are moving (a resting heart rate).

- Continuously during workouts (via the Workout app), by flashing green LEDs hundreds of times per second.

All heart rate measurements are stored in the Health app on your Apple Watch, where you can view the data points (Health Data tab > Vitals > Heart Rate > Show all Data).

More info here: Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it. - Apple Support

To help improve the accuracy of calorie estimations:

Check that your personal information is accurate:

On your iPhone > Apple Watch app > My Watch > Health > check and, if necessary, edit your birthdate, gender, height and weight.

Calibrate your Apple Watch:

Calibration will improve the accuracy of health and activity related estimations including:

- Calorie estimations for workouts when using the Workout app.

- Calorie, distance, Move and Exercise estimations in the Activity App.

More info here: Calibrating your Apple Watch for improved Workout and Activity accuracy - Apple Support

Thanks for your answers and suggestions.

I believe that Apple has still a big job to do in order to offer a reliable fitness watch.

I appreciate your explanations about the frequency of the heart rate records stored in Health App.

i've checked all my personal information and they are correct.

I've performed the calibration procedure once and I'll do it again.

I've rebooted the watch and maybe I'll try resetting It.

i've reported my negative experience to Apple hoping that they will fix as soon as possible.

It is Incredible that I've tried starting another running workout during my afternoon nap and active calories have been added in the Activity App.

Actually I'm so disappointed that I'm considering taking the watch back to the Apple Store and asking a refound since I've bought it essentially as a fitness instrument.... I'm sorry because I hadn't had negative experiences with Apple before (Mac Book Pro,iPhone, iPad)

Jonathan UK wrote:

nick101 wrote:

There's a mix of things here.

- Heart rate: In WatchOS 1.01 (the current release), heart rate is measured roughly once an hour if there isn't an active Workout in progress, but the measurement only takes place if your wrist is still. So the actual frequency can vary quite a bit. In the previous WatchOS release, the measurement was every 10 minutes; Apple hasn't explained why the frequency was changed, but it's assumed to be a way of saving battery life. 't there's a Workout in progress, heart rate is measured every few seconds, but that also can vary depending how sing the watch is against your wrist.

This is incorrect.

In the current version of watchOS, Apple Watch measures your heart rate:

- Every 10 minutes as long as neither you nor your arm are moving (a resting heart rate).

- Continuously during workouts (via the Workout app), by flashing green LEDs hundreds of times per second.

All heart rate measurements are stored in the Health app on your Apple Watch, where you can view the data points (Health Data tab > Vitals > Heart Rate > Show all Data).

More info here: Your heart rate. What it means, and where on Apple Watch you’ll find it. - Apple Support

Thanks for the correction.

There are clearly some improvements needed in the 1.X version of the software, many of which, hopefully, will be fixed in the upcoming update in the next month or so.

Frankly, I am surprised that the 1.X is as good as it is given the secrecy of the watch project and the limited testing that was possible before it was launched. Now that it is in the hands of several million users, Apple is able to get a lot of feedback and make the needed corrections. I think most of the problems discussed in this forum are software related and will be fixed.

However, I don't think a multi-function device will ever do specific functions as well as devices dedicated to a very specific function. One has a choice of getting something that does multiple things well, or several devices that do specific, and limited things, very well.

George

Apple Watch for fitness is a total failure. I am so surprised that Apple will release a product full of so many inaccuracies. My resting calories come out to 2500 when they should be about 1300. for my Yoga, I used "Other" activity and it gave me 1200 calories burnt for a 90 minute session which is a total joke. I thought the calories will be calculated based on heart rate during the session, but it does not appear to be the case because the average heart rate shows up as 74. Total nonsense! I also bought it as a fitness instrument. Fitbit does a far superior job for 1/3rd of the price. Apple should take it back!

"Apple should take it back!"

No. You should take yours back. There are many people, such as myself, who would not want the watch to be recalled.

If you are interested in a fitness-tracking-only, plastic device, the Apple Watch may not be for you.

George

You're welcome!

For the best results, calibrate for 20 minutes at each of the speeds you normally run or walk at.

Further calibration over time will continue to improve accuracy.

nick101 wrote:

Thanks for the correction.

No problem 🙂

I totally understand your frustration. There is no current fix for the calorie problem no matter how many people write back with calibration directions!

I am very disappointed in the watch also and know many people who have returned it.

However, as is typical with Apple, the new software release in September is supposed to take care of all the issues. Also there will be more apple watch apps and hopefully one of them will give better calorie counts.

If you are passed the return time just hang on another month.

SirSatish wrote:

Apple Watch for fitness is a total failure. I am so surprised that Apple will release a product full of so many inaccuracies. My resting calories come out to 2500 when they should be about 1300. for my Yoga, I used "Other" activity and it gave me 1200 calories burnt for a 90 minute session which is a total joke. I thought the calories will be calculated based on heart rate during the session, but it does not appear to be the case because the average heart rate shows up as 74. Total nonsense! I also bought it as a fitness instrument. Fitbit does a far superior job for 1/3rd of the price. Apple should take it back!

The watch does not do that well for non-aerobic activity - it works quite well for running, cycling and the like (although some people have reported issues in these areas), but it does struggle right now for things like yoga, weight training and so on. It's likely to improve over time, but you may not want to wait. If so, return the watch for a refund and stick with a Fitbit if that works well for you.

Having said that, it is possible, with time and attention, to calibrate the watch to do a better job - but it can take time and, even then, you may not get the results you hope for.

One other point, which may not be relevant to you but ... if you use multiple activity recording apps, you may see some duplication in recording. Example: I use both Runkeeper and the workout app - MyFitnessPal adds the calorie count/distance etc from both of them and seems to think I'm doing twice the exercise I do (wonderful excuse for over-eating, but not really the point). I believe there's work to be done by both Apple and 3rd parties to explain how this works and mitigate it.