Inaccurate Calorie Count

I think it's normal. The Steel HR shows total calories (active + resting) on its screen, and it's counting some resting calories before you wake up. Calories will be at '0' right at midnight, if you're up that late. Then they are accumulated steadily based on your profile (for resting), and more calories are added on top of that if you are active.

Hi,

I have noticed that the active calorie count on my Steel HR is considerably lower than that recorded on my Runtastic Heart Monitor and that of my Xtrainer. For example this week I walked for 45 minutes at a medium to high intensity, my Steel HR recorded 142 kcal while my Runtastic Heart Monitor recorded 460 cal.

Another example: 20 minute workout on my Xtrainer at medium intensity, Steel HR 207kcal, Runtastic 320 cal and Xtrainer 465 cal.

Which one is correct?

Regards David Confused

I have the same problem with inaccurate kcal count. I have contacted support, but no real help or advice. A couple of days ago I walked in deep snow for 38 minutes. The heart rate was intense for 20 minutes and moderate for 17 minutes. Kcal number was 86. Hell, I am 85kg and probably consume more calories sitting down. Same has happened several times before. Something really wrong with the algorithm.

I just noticed this as well in the last couple of days. I’ll do 45 mins of intense activity and it only shows 137 kcal. Zwift and Strava were estimating more like 340-600 calories. Has anyone found a solution? Just a factory reset (haven’t tried this yet)?

I am afraid there is no solution. The problem is, that the watch just gives a random number according the acitivity time. No relation to heart rate or other means to define the real calorie consumption. I have asked the support several times about this, and Withings just have no interest in this issue.

If you need accurately measure your calories, or if you are at all serious with your sports and health monitoring, you need a better device from another manufacturer. The sleep monitoring of the Steel HR is also very inaccurate, and unlike other better devices the Steel HR does not understand napping at all.

This is the main fact making me hesitate to buy the Scanwatch.  It's not that I need to count the calories, but I would like the watch and software to "know" the difference between a light and a hard workout.  

Exactly! And another thing that put me off is the quite arrogant responses I got from Withings support regarding this issue. I sold my Steel HR, and I am using an Honor watch now. Everything works perfectly, including exercise monitoring with very accurate and comprehensive stats, constant heart rate, sleep, stress, SpO2, VO2Max and more. The way I use the watch - always on display - the battery lasts two weeks. Enough for me. Plus, it has myriad of functions Withing watches do not have, like barometer, compass, flashlight, your own music, phone calls, find my phone, etc.etc.

I'm testing the Garmin Vivomove Luxe. It's hard to find a hybrid watch as beautiful as Withings.

I understand their "less is more" philosophy; they don't try to be all things to all people. They limit themselves and us to what works and what is necessary. I think the problem is that once they decided how to measure activity work their first watch (which is beautiful, btw. I bought one just to have and look at) and don't want to change between watches.

Also, they know their market. It's a health system, and a very good one. I regret I will lose that part on healthmate. I have the scale, the sleep monitor and the blood pressure monitor, so I'm still married to healthmate, but not for activity.

"I understand their "less is more" philosophy..." Well, I can always strap on a Swiss made quality watch, like IWC, or Omega or something. Looks much better and is as useful or useless as an activity and health monitor as the Withing watches are.

I have the same assessment after 2 weeks. Yesterday I had a vigorous 3 hour walk with peak heart rate of 150 and it said I burnt 500 cal. Today I had a 1 hour motorbike ride which it thought was a bicycle ride and showed 770 cal. Absolute rubbish numbers. Yesterday was probably about 1000cal and today 100. Useless for workouts. Doesn’t seem to analyse heart rate and assess cal burn as an Apple Watch or Fitbit does. Sleep assessment is all over the place and regularly says deep sleep was poor whereas I was almost unconscious and my Apple Watch on the other wrist showed the deep sleep cycles just as I had experienced. Scanwatch score 79 and Apple 95.