Hey everyone,
I've been rocking my Garmin Venu 2 for over a year now—mostly for daily steps, runs, gym sessions, and overall activity tracking. The 
(both resting + active/total daily) have been super useful for keeping tabs on my energy balance, but I'm always second-guessing how spot-on they really are.
From what I've seen in my own data:
- On average sedentary/light days, total calories (including BMR/resting) line up decently with manual TDEE calcs (Mifflin-St Jeor formula, etc.)—usually within 200-300 cals.
- During consistent fat loss (aiming for 500 cal deficit), if I eat based on Garmin's numbers + track intake/weigh-ins, I lose about 0.5-1 lb/week like clockwork, so trends feel reliable.
- Active calories from workouts: Cardio (running/walking) seems pretty good thanks to HR tracking. Strength days or mixed stuff? Sometimes it underestimates by 10-20% compared to what I expect or other tools predict.
- Overall variance: Garmin forums and Reddit threads mention 10-30% off is common for wearables (some studies say Garmin underestimates more often than over, others show mixed results depending on activity).
I always cross-check with online TDEE calculators (James Smith style or similar ones that let you tweak activity multipliers based on real life). Garmin's number is a great daily snapshot, but I adjust based on weekly progress rather than trusting it 100%.
For anyone else using the Venu 2 long-term:
- Do you use its calorie burn as your main guide for fat loss/maintenance, or do you override it with manual calcs?
- How close does it match your actual results (scale, measurements, how you feel)?
- Any tips for improving accuracy (e.g., regular weight updates, HR calibration, etc.)?
Would love to hear your real-world experiences—especially if you've compared it side-by-side with other trackers or lab-style estimates.
Thanks!