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Calories counted

Former Member
Former Member over 5 years ago

I have a vivosmart 4. The calories counted during an activity don't fit the active calories that count for the day. Often the active calories are counted lower than the calories I burned doing an activity. Do I have to add them myself to the active calories? That's kind of strange. 

  • +1 over 5 years ago

    Total Calories burned during an activity = RMR for the time of the activity + Active Calories

    Garmin does not use BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate). They use RMR (Resting Metabolic Rate). It is slightly higher than BMR. If your RMR is 1800 kcal, and the activity took for example 85 minutes, the the passive part of the activity calories would be 85*1800/(24*60) = 106.25 kcal.

    The rest are the Active Calories, but the daily total of Active Calories include not only the logged activities of given day, but also any other kind of energy burned over the RMR - coming from all the physical and mental activity during the day. Hence the daily Active Calories are always higher than the sum of the active parts of Activity Calories (unless you do a 24hr activity).

    Please note, that you have to strictly differentiate between Active Calories (calories burned over RMR), and Activity Calories (all calories burned during an activity, including RMR).

    It is all explained on Garmin's website too: https://support.garmin.com/en-US/?faq=lkl4cwCLlK7ox362uGQEV7

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to trux

    But it shows for example calories burned at activity 465 kcal, it says that directly at the activity which is cardio for me and still my active calories per day just say 350 kcal... So I don't really understand what you are saying relating to that... Sorry and thank you anyway 

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member
    So I don't really understand what you are sayin

    The 465 kcal of your activity have two parts = RMR + active calories. I cannot tell you how big is the RMR (passive) part, and how big is the active part, without knowing your daily RMR and the duration of the activity, but knowing those two values it is possible to calculate it exactly.

    So for example if from the 465 kcal, 200 kcal were RMR, then the activity contributed with 265 kcal to the Active Calories of that day.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to trux

    OK I understand now. Thank you for trying to explain me.... I have to calculate myself if it is counting right because the numbers seem strange... Thank you and have a nice time.... Blush

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member
    I have to calculate myself if it is counting right

    No, you do not need to calculate anything yourself, the numbers are right Slight smile The Calories of the activity simply tell how many Calories you burned during the activity. In the totality, without deducing what you would burn anyway even if you did nothing.

    While the daily Active Calories tell you how many Calories you burned during the day in excess of the energy you would have spent anyway, even if you did not move from the bed all day long at all.

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to trux

    I have a similar query. I walk a similar course daily. It is not always exactly the same, but the calories  Until 2 days ago the calculation seemed correct...eh 3.25 km walk 221 kcal; 3.14 km 215 kcal... Then 2 days ago, a 50 min walk at 148 kcal and yesterday a 3.25 walk at  474 kcal.... Yes, the two 3.25 km walks were identical....

  • Former Member
    0 Former Member over 5 years ago in reply to trux

    OK I got it Blushbut I am still not totally convincedBlushBlush

  • 0 over 5 years ago in reply to Former Member
    I have a similar query. ... Yes, the two 3.25 km walks were identical....

    The distance may be similar, but as I wrote the Calories are calculated accoring to the measured effort, not by the distance walked. The ratio between the immediate HR and the average resting HR is used for that calculation. It means that either your HR differred between the two walks, or the average resting HR changed between the two days. Or both of it. The resting HR is best measured when you sleep, so if you do not wear the watch in the night, the resting HR is measured during the day, and may then vary very strongly between individual days. You can check the RHR of the past days on the Reports page of Garmin Connect Web.