fitbit during exercise?

allijoy13

This may be a silly question, but do you wear your fitbit when you exercise? I wore it today during a Body Attack class so it calculated my steps, but then I recorded Body Attack in MFP so I also got that calorie burn. I think I double counted then. Looking forward to getting advice!

malibu927

No, you aren't double counting. The calories you recorded in MFP will override what Fitbit says you burned for that same time frame.

editorgrrl

malibu927 wrote: »

No, you aren't double counting. The calories you recorded in MFP will override what Fitbit says you burned for that same time frame.

^This.

Whenever possible, log your exercise in Fitbit—not MFP. It won't appear in your newsfeed, but the burns are way more accurate.

Loreleiwalters

I read you are supposed to log the amount of time you exercise using mfp. I just signed up today for the fitbit so dont know the ins an outs yet.

editorgrrl

You must log food & drink (including water) in MFP. But exercise syncs both ways. I find Fitbit's burns to be way more accurate than MFP's one-size-fits-all guesstimates. I love my Flex!

Your Fitbit burn is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). If you eat less than your Fitbit burn, you will lose weight.

allijoy13

Ok! I use an average burn from previously wearing my HR monitor while doing these exercises. So I think I'm ok using either program since I usually punch in my own calorie burn. Thanks for the responses! Because I wore the fitbit today during the cardio class I hit 15,000 steps! Without that class I imagine it would have been half of that!

heybales

MFP and Fitbit use the exact same METS database for exercise burns, based on weight, it's hardly 1 size fits all. For some entries (running and walking) Fitbit will use your BMR for the math, while MFP is still using just your weight.

But Fitbit does have some extra entries with descriptions if it's non-step based you are needing manually logged.
Like Fitbit elliptical has levels, MFP has 1 entry.
And while Fitbit asks for distance on like swimming and biking, it's still merely doing the speed or pace to use the correct entry that MFP also lists.

boochnasty99

How do I avoid double counting treadmill workouts when using MFP and Flex? Been on a bunch of forums and still can't find the specific answer.

editorgrrl

boochnasty99 wrote: »

How do I avoid double counting treadmill workouts when using MFP and Flex? Been on a bunch of forums and still can't find the specific answer.

Do not log any step-based exercise—including running. Your Flex is already tracking it for you.

editorgrrl

It'll take trial & error to find what works for you. Here's what worked for me:

Connect your accounts: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/apps/show/30

Do not log any step-based activity. Your Fitbit is already tracking that for you.

Log non-step exercise (like biking or swimming) in Fitbit—never MFP.

Log food & drink (including water) in MFP.

Enable negative calorie adjustments: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

Set your activity level to sedentary: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/change_goals_guided & set your goal to .5 lb. per week for each 25 lbs. you need to lose.

Follow your MFP goal, eating back your Fitbit adjustments.

Your Fitbit burn is your TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). If you follow my instructions you'll be eating TDEE minus a reasonable deficit. Using these settings I lost the weight—and have kept it off for six months.

heybales

boochnasty99 wrote: »

How do I avoid double counting treadmill workouts when using MFP and Flex? Been on a bunch of forums and still can't find the specific answer.

As soon as you create a manual workout, you'll see how - you have to log the start time and duration.
- Because what you enter replaces whatever Fitbit saw.

And as mentioned, if you did level walking/running and your stride length is correct (meaning Fitbit and treadmill agree at end of workout for distance), then no need to log it at all.