In today’s fitness-driven world, tracking calorie burn has become increasingly important for people looking to monitor their health, lose weight, or improve their athletic performance. While smartwatches and fitness trackers have become popular tools for estimating calorie expenditure, they may not always provide the most accurate results. Surprisingly enough, you can create a more precise calorie burn tracker yourself – and it may just be more reliable than your expensive smartwatch.

Reasons Why Smartwatches Can Be Inaccurate

1. Estimations Vary

Smartwatches estimate calorie burn primarily based on factors like age, weight, heart rate, and step count. While these devices use algorithms to provide an overall estimation of calories burned throughout the day, they can still be quite inaccurate in measuring specific activities or accounting for individual differences.

2. Limited Sensor Capabilities

Many smartwatches use accelerometers to detect movement and estimate activity intensity. However, these sensors don’t always differentiate between various types of exercises or accurately measure non-step-based workouts like cycling or rowing.
Creating Your DIY Calorie Burn Tracker

1. Identify Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR)

Calculating your BMR will give you an estimate of how many calories your body burns at rest daily to maintain basic bodily functions like breathing and digestion. There are several online BMR calculators available that utilize mathematical formulas based on your age, height, weight, and gender.

2. Activity Tracker App

Smartphone apps are typically more reliable than wrist-based trackers because they collect data from a broader range of sensors and input parameters. Download a free or paid app that calculates calories burned during various activities based on factors like heart rate, activity duration, and type.

3. Invest in a Heart Rate Monitor

A dedicated heart rate monitor is more accurate than a smartwatch and can be paired with your activity tracker app. Choose a monitor that you wear across your chest or one that clips onto your ear to get continuous, real-time data.

4. Keep a Food Diary

Monitor your daily food intake by maintaining a food diary. Many mobile apps are available to track this information, and they can help you better understand how your calorie consumption affects your fitness goals.

5. Calculate Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE)

TDEE combines your BMR with the calories burned through physical activity. To find your TDEE, simply add the estimated number of calories burned during exercises to your BMR value.

Conclusion

While smartwatches and fitness trackers can provide a helpful guide in measuring calorie expenditure, creating a DIY calorie burn tracker can offer more accurate results. By knowing your BMR, utilizing an activity tracker app, investing in a heart rate monitor, keeping a food diary, and calculating your TDEE, you can gain a better understanding of your fitness progress and make informed decisions about your health and wellbeing.