Your Smartwatch Is Lying To You

Think your smartwatch is telling you how many calories you burn?
Think again.

Most fitness trackers don’t measure calories — they estimate them using heart rate, movement, and general formulas. And those estimates? They can be WAY off.

Research shows wearable devices can have massive errors when calculating energy expenditure. One study found even the most accurate device was off by around 27%, while the worst was off by as much as 93%.

That means if your watch says you burned 600 calories…
you might have actually burned a fraction of that.

🚫 The problem:
People use those numbers to justify eating more.

“I’m in a calorie deficit but not losing weight.”

Here’s the reality:
You’re not breaking the laws of thermodynamics —
your device is just giving you bad data.

✅ What to do instead:
• Use trackers for activity, not calorie targets
• Don’t “eat back” estimated calories
• Track your progress with body weight and results over time

Your results don’t lie… but your smartwatch might.