Digital Life Central is reader-powered. We are a participant in the Amazon LLC Associates Program and other affiliates programs. As an Amazon affiliate, we earn from qualifying purchases.
How does Garmin calculate calories burned? Most Garmin smart devices calculate calories using data provided by the user and the type of activity. Your Garmin also considers heart rate if it is available on your device.
When setting up your Garmin, you need to add your age, height, weight, and gender. Without this information, your Garmin can’t calculate the number of calories burned.
Garmin does make quality equipment. Compared to many other devices, the Garmin Vivosmart calories count is an accurate way of tracking the number of calories you burn.
A Brief Insight Into Calories
A calorie is a defined measure of energy. That is how fitness trackers think about calories. Your Garmin can’t calculate the calories you have used during an exercise unless it gets the right information. The amount of calories you burn depends on your energy usage according to your height, weight, and exercise intensity. Don’t forget that you add calories to your calorie count when you eat and drink.
The longer you exercise, the more calories your body burns. Intensity matters as well. Walking on the spot burns fewer calories than running on the spot. But, if you walk faster than you run, you will burn more calories when walking. If we don’t burn all the calories we eat, we store them as fat. That is important to understand if you are trying to get rid of excess fatty deposits in and around the body.
Is the Garmin Vivosmart 5 Calories Burned Accurate?
When you use any fitness tracker or gym equipment that tracks calories, it is best to think of the calorie count as an estimate.
If you have several fitness trackers, you will notice that the calorie count differs on the different brands. The count may even vary from model to model.
It would be best if you had a control model to test a fitness tracker’s accuracy. But, as fitness tracker tech is not always 100% accurate, confirming your Garmin Vivosmart Calories count is tricky. However, it would seem that the Garmin Vivosmart calorie count is fairly accurate when compared to other fitness devices.
You are always going to get some variations. It is not only when it comes to calories you will notice differences between the different trackers. Other data such as heart rate may vary as well.
The best way to put it is that the Garmin Vivosmart calories count is fairly accurate. Therefore, you will not be “out” by very many calories.
What we are saying is that the calorie count on your Garmin Vivosmart 5 will not make a massive difference to your overall calorie count accuracy.
Always remember, the calorie count is based on the personal information you put into your Vivosmart. Therefore, you will not get accurate information in return when that information is inaccurate.
Should I Connect MyFitness Pal App To Garmin to Track Calories?
Yes, that is an excellent idea.
One of the downsides of fitness trackers is keeping an eye on the amount of calories you consume.
If you know anything about MyFitness Pal App, you will know that it lets you accurately calculate the calories you consume.
When you want to know more about how your body handles calories, connecting MyFitness Pal App to your Garmin is a good idea.
Adding Garmin to your MyFitness Pal App can help you achieve overall fitness goals. Along the way, you get the chance to monitor your progress.
Connecting the two is excellent for improving your exercises as well. An added advantage is sending customized workouts to your Garmin device.
Can I Input Calories On Garmin Vivosmart?
Yes, you can input calories on your Garmin Vivosmart. It is not very fiddly to do.
Open your Garmin app and go to Health Stats. Once you have found Health Stats, you need to select calories in and out. This is where you can add the calories you have consumed.
How To Reset Calories on Garmin Vivosmart
If you want to update the amount of calories consumed, you need to reset your Garmin calorie count.
This is something that many of us forget to do. But, if you want an accurate picture of your fitness goal and how many calories you need to burn daily to lose weight, you must be honest about your calorie consumption.
Once again, you open your Garmin App and find Health Status. Check your calories and input them under calories in.
Why Should I Have to Change My Calories Out?
Yes, why should you? It is an excellent question.
If you have been “away” from your device doing an exercise for which your Garmin Vivosmart is not suitable, you probably want to change the calorie count.
The Vivosmart is water-resistant. Technically, it should be okay for swimming and other water-based activities. That being said, there seems to have been a few issues with the Vivosmart 4 and 5.
If you are concerned about your Vivosmart and water-based activities, it is best to take it off.
Say that you swim 1,000 meters; you probably want to add the number of calories you burned to your calorie calculator. Of course, the amount of calories you burn depends on your speed. However, there is a rough average for calories burned when swimming 1,000 meters.
The average person probably burns 300 calories when they swim 1,000 meters. Men always burn more calories than women. The difference is probably between 25 – 50 calories.
Garmin Vivosmart 5 Not Tracking Calories: Let’s Fix It!
It has to be said that Garmin devices are more sensitive souls when compared to other devices.
Remember that Garmin Vivosmart Series is a pretty new idea for Garmin. In the past, this was not a company involved with personal fitness devices. However, as a company, Garmin has always specialized in providing tracking devices for professionals with a strong focus on the military or Forces.
When you notice that your Vivosmart 5 is not tracking calories, you should check that activity tracking has not been disabled. If activity tracking is disabled, the device becomes confused and stops tracking calories.
Garmin Connect is the best way to check if Activity Tracking is enabled. If you do notice that the function is not enabled, you need to switch it back on.
After you have switched it back on, make sure it works by doing a short activity.
What happens to the data you should have collected? Unfortunately, it is lost. Using the Garmin Connect App, you can add it manually if you like. As previously mentioned, you will find it under Health Stats. Go to calories in and out and change the information.
Time and Date Not Accurate
This is another function you must keep on top of when you have a Garmin. Unless your Garmin has a GPS function, it may not always track the time and data accurately.
On occasion, this leads to a problem with the calorie count. This is especially true if the watch is set to manual. So when you first get your watch, make sure it is automatic.
When you travel through different time zones, you should always check it.
Not Connected to Your Smartphone
If you have lost the connection between the Garmin app on your smartphone and the Vivosmart fitness tracker, you could have a problem with the calorie count.
You need to make sure the two are connected. Is it complicated to do?
The best way to do this is to power down both devices. Leave them off for a few minutes and then switch them back on.
Now, the first thing you want to do is to check that the Garmin Connect App is picking up your Vivosmart.
If it is not, you need to pair them again.
- Bring your Vivosmart 5 to within 10ft of your mobile device or smartphone.
- Hold the Vivosmart touch screen and view the menu.
- Select Pair and then OK
- Open the Garmin Connect device and follow the instructions that appear on the screen.
You can find the instructions in Garmin Connect Mobile App Help if the instructions don’t appear.
Is Garmin More Complicated to Use Than Other Fitness Trackers?
Compared to other fitness trackers, Garmin Fitness trackers are more involved. But, on the other hand, the Vivosmart series certainly looks sleek and modern.
There is a strong focus on accurate information. If you like sleek devices from a quality company, Vivosmart is for you. Once you learn all the quirks, Garmin produces a quality product that you can rely on. Check our review of the Garmin Vivosmart 5 to know all of the pros and cons of this newly released fitness tracker.
Final Thoughts
Garmin has excellent customer service. So if you have a probably with a Garmin device, you can always rely on them to help you out.
More Garmin personal fitness products are set to come onto the market. This is a company to look out for and consider when you are thinking about buying a fitness tracker.
Less of a fashion statement, but making fashion statements are not something that Garmin is into. The company is all about producing accurate devices that will help you train and keep track of your health.
