The Fitbit Fallacy: A Fitness Journey in Preston

In 2018, during the second half of my final year at the University of Central Lancashire, I was in the trenches with my Strength and Conditioning degree, contemplating a master’s.

That year was a juggling act – internships as a strength coach at Preston North End FC and Wigan Warriors Rugby League Club, leading the university’s female field hockey team, and squeezing in Hunter x Hunter marathons and Nando’s outings with my housemates Myles and José.

However, throughout this whirlwind, I was still figuring out much of the training and nutrition stuff. Calorie tracking came naturally to me, a skill made easier by frequent cooking. With me feeling content about my current body weight, it felt like the perfect time to enter a maintenance phase.

My strategy was simple: match my daily caloric intake to the expenditure reported by my Fitbit Surge, a smartwatch gifted by my aunt. I trusted this device to accurately show my daily calorie burn. It felt foolproof – a high-tech and futuristic solution for maintaining my weight.

I followed this plan for three months, excited to see it succeed. But as weeks turned into months, a different reality became apparent. Contrary to my expectations, I wasn’t maintaining; I was gaining weight. Rapidly, too, and not muscle mass – it was predominantly body fat. Over 5kg heavier, my frustration was evident.

What I thought was a fantastic plan, backed by what I believed was reliable technology, had backfired.

This experience was a massive lesson. It drastically lowered my trust in fitness gadgets and their calorie burn metrics. In hindsight, and with more knowledge, it now seems obvious that fitness trackers, smartwatches, and gym machines can significantly overestimate calories burned.

However, at the time, I found it surprising.

This period became a critical lesson in my fitness journey, a piece of wisdom I now share with my 1-2-1 online fitness clients.

Nowadays, my first step with any new fitness tracker or app is to turn off the calorie burn feature. I advise the same to you unless there’s a specific reason for keeping it.

If you’re wrestling with fat loss and unsure about your caloric needs, I recommend a more sensible approach. Stay on my website and use the free calorie calculator by clicking here.

This tool simplifies the process, removing the guesswork around exercise-induced calorie burn. Offering a straightforward calorie target tailored to your goals and lifestyle. A game-changer if you’re serious about the nutrition side of your fitness journey.

Speak soon,

Leo

P.S. Below are a few pictures taken from around that time, including one with my housemate and good friend, José.