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Workouts I log in MFP won't show up in "active minutes"?

Heather_MXP
Heather_MXP Posts: 48 Member
in Social Groups
So..... I log lap swimming and water aerobics here on MFP since I obviously can't wear my fitbit in the pool. Since pool time is my only aerobic activity for the day, my "very active minutes" are always at zero. I'm assuming there is nothing I can do to fix this? It's just a stupid quirk of the two programs interfacing?

Replies

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    No quirk of interfacing.
    Log it directly on Fitbit with same stats, you won't get VAM time either. To earn VAM time on manually entered workouts (or workouts that come in from other sources other than device), the calorie burn must be minimum 6 x your resting calorie burn (6 METS). BMR you'll see in the Fitbit graph for your non-moving time every 5 min.

    Like mine is 6.5 cal per 5 min, or 1.3/min. For any manually entered workouts to get VAM, they'd need calorie burn of 7.8 cal/min, or 468 cal/hr. Which for me is a tad slower than 2:40/100 yd. Ya, I need lessons.

    You might use Fitbit for swimming though, because it has more levels of pace, so when you enter your duration and distance swam, you may get a higher calorie burn.

    Or use this for even better accuracy.
    http://www.swimmingcalculator.com/swim_calories_calculator.php

  • Heather_MXP
    Heather_MXP Posts: 48 Member
    Yet another reason for me to resent buying this damn thing. It tells me I should be eating 2,700 to 2,900 calories per day... getting it to sync with my phone is like jabbing a screwdriver in my eye... and it simply will not display my workouts, etc, the way I want it to. It's basically an ugly bracelet that tells me how often I move around in my sleep. Why am I using this thing at all????
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Resent buying it because you don't happen to burn enough to count as VAM time?

    Did you set Fitbit to have the same weight loss goal as MFP has, or is it set to maintenance, therefore eating goal is what you burn daily?

    Tried syncing with computer instead of phone? Doesn't take too many days to discover about how much you are going to be eating, and plan breakfast and lunch and snack correctly. And then when you sync with computer you get updated stats and know the final amounts for dinner and snack to hit goal eating level.

    Probably using it because it's smarter to simply eat less than you burn, and Fitbit is giving you that info. Rather than start at some minimum amount that has little bearing on actual daily burn except you guessing the right non-exercise daily activity level, and then adding in all exercise you do, and hoping you got the calorie count right.

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