FAQ - Syncing, logging food & exercise, calorie adjustments, activity levels, accuracy

12223252728

Replies

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Since the API is free from Fitbit's side, it's usually a matter of a 3rd party wanting to spend the money on making it work on their side.

    If they stop it's usually because they are either going to handle the functions themselves in their own app and don't want your eyeballs for ad revenue going elsewhere, or they are changing the direction in a new version of their app for the same reason.

    So it could be like MFP - they will only receive calories and steps from Fitbit now, and just not send food back to Fitbit.
    Hoping a new app version will keep you on their ads.

    Sure doesn't sound like they are stopping in general though.
    https://www.weightwatchers.com/us/free-fitbitflex2

    Or perhaps you are talking about where they make reference to actually sending Fitpoints to the device, like as some value for you to see?
    If that's the case, that is much harder to do with all the different models available - is it really useful to have the Fitpoints show up on the device itself, rather than just an app you can look at?
  • AmirArdavanAmini
    AmirArdavanAmini Posts: 4 Member
    Mine is syncing data in Fitbit app but not the other way. I repeated all the steps multiple times and now just gave up!

  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Mine is syncing data in Fitbit app but not the other way. I repeated all the steps multiple times and now just gave up!

    What steps exactly did you do?

    Since there are many ideas of what those steps are to help, so miss some actions that are useful.
    Like the final step of confirming the MFP app has step source set to Fitbit, that's a huge one.
  • AmirArdavanAmini
    AmirArdavanAmini Posts: 4 Member
    edited October 2017
    Here' you go!! That was it!! Appreciate it.
  • debrag12
    debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
    edited December 2017
    I'm not getting anything synced :( No food from mfp to fitbit, no calorie burns fitbit to mfp

    I've done the steps suggested - removing from both sides, re-adding.
  • tess5036
    tess5036 Posts: 942 Member
    edited December 2017
    I am having the same p[roblem, disconnected the fitbit in MFP and revolked access in fitbit, rebooted, reconnected and still nothing, No info travelling either way, seems to be since the MFP update
  • tess5036
    tess5036 Posts: 942 Member
    Thanks you @malibu927 :)
    At least I now know and won't spend more time trying to fix it :)
  • debrag12
    debrag12 Posts: 1,071 Member
    it's been down for a few days now, this is stupid!
  • GSV3MiaC
    GSV3MiaC Posts: 22 Member
    Well this is the second day .. but yeah, that is pretty pathetic, it ought be possible to restore whatever worked on Saturday, unless they've lost the recipe. It's not syncing in either direction (usually when it breaks the food eaten still gets sent to FC, but this time not).
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Should be made aware that a FAQ is not the place for discussions of issues - let alone the fact MFP doesn't monitor this anyway. 2-3 threads in the main topics to join about the syncing issue if needed to commensurate.
  • sfcrocker
    sfcrocker Posts: 163 Member
    Thanks for this but it's created more problems than it's solved with my Ionic. MFP wasn't getting any exercise data from Fitbit so I unlinked and then relinked and now the Fitbit app shows 0 steps after a sync, even though the watch is showing more than 10,000 steps. The ONLY thing that syncs between the Fitbit app and my watch is the battery level. Nothing else syncs. What now?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    sfcrocker wrote: »
    Thanks for this but it's created more problems than it's solved with my Ionic. MFP wasn't getting any exercise data from Fitbit so I unlinked and then relinked and now the Fitbit app shows 0 steps after a sync, even though the watch is showing more than 10,000 steps. The ONLY thing that syncs between the Fitbit app and my watch is the battery level. Nothing else syncs. What now?

    MFP never was sent exercise data - only step count and total calorie burn up to the time of the sync.

    If you have a sync issue between device and Fitbit app - that has nothing to do with MFP which has no code for syncing devices directly.

    Now you go to Fitbit site/forums and troubleshoot where the issue actually is.
  • maineapple
    maineapple Posts: 133 Member
    If the Fitbit is too loose on your wrist it won't track your sleep correctly. So, if you have lost weight you may need to tighten it up. :)
  • Saltine24
    Saltine24 Posts: 143 Member
    I am having issues with my Blaze, I walk the same route everyday at lunch about 75 min 4 miles, but this week my Blaze is logging me in as anywhere from 3.5-4 miles, not sure what is wrong with it. Could it be because the weather is warmer & the sweat is making the miles inaccurate? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Saltine24 wrote: »
    I am having issues with my Blaze, I walk the same route everyday at lunch about 75 min 4 miles, but this week my Blaze is logging me in as anywhere from 3.5-4 miles, not sure what is wrong with it. Could it be because the weather is warmer & the sweat is making the miles inaccurate? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

    Miles is calculated from stride length, which is calculated from impact of feet seen.

    If worn differently so it doesn't see the same impact, like on flappier clothing, distance could be short.

    Sweat couldn't have anything to do with that.
  • Craigdene
    Craigdene Posts: 29 Member
    I’m really struggling to understand the calories burned with my Fitbit ionic and MFP.
    My MFP cal target is 1990 calories, my Fitbit is saying I’ve burnt in total 3900ish calories at the end of the day with normal activities and exercise (only walking today), I’ve consumed 2200 cals in food so the calorie adjustment on MFP is saying I have 1400 cals remaining to eat, surely this isn’t right?
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    Craigdene wrote: »
    I’m really struggling to understand the calories burned with my Fitbit ionic and MFP.
    My MFP cal target is 1990 calories, my Fitbit is saying I’ve burnt in total 3900ish calories at the end of the day with normal activities and exercise (only walking today), I’ve consumed 2200 cals in food so the calorie adjustment on MFP is saying I have 1400 cals remaining to eat, surely this isn’t right?

    Couple pieces of info missing to help - because target may be 1990, but did you reach it for it to say 1400 cal left?
    So required info to help.

    what is your deficit you've selected?
    That is added to MFP base eating goal to see what MFP estimated you'd burn with no exercise.

    Fitbit adjustment on Exercise diary is not saying remaining to eat, Food diary says that - so confusing.

    What is the Fitbit adjustment on Exercise Diary for this example day?

    Was any exercise logged on MFP also showing in Exercise Diary?
  • Craigdene
    Craigdene Posts: 29 Member
    Hi Haybales, thanks for your response, below are screenshots from yesterday’s MFP diary and calorie adjustment page if this helps.

    I never log exercise in MFP now as my Fitbit does that for me.

    Ive selected lightly active on MFP settings with a goal of 0.5kg loss a week.

    Height 5”10
    Weight 86kg
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    wow - 4186 big burn!

    BMR @ 1587, not surprising if indeed normally lightly active (1587 x 1.6 Lightly Active = 2539).
    So 549 cal deficit off the 2539 = 1990 base eating goal.

    So it would be the following using that day.

    Fitbit 4186 - 2539 MFP expected = 1647 adjustment.

    1990 base + 1647 adj = 3637 new eating goal.

    Burned 4186 (if accurate) - 3637 = 549 deficit still.

    In example you had eaten 2203.

    3637 - 2203 = 1434 more to eat.

    So the math is all correct.

    Only question would be how accurate is the Fitbit for MFP to correct to it?

    Is step count decently correct, like not 1000's of bogus steps because of truck or motorcycle riding?

    Have you ever walked known distance at average daily pace (not grocery store shuffle, not exercise level pace) and confirm Fitbit was correct for distance.
    Stride length may need to be adjusted, so big part of active day is as accurate as possible.

    Are you doing a lot of time with weight lifting and Fitbit using HR-based calorie burn - which will be inflated. So would intervals for that matter.

    Is Fitbit slipping into HR-based calorie burn when doing just normal daily stuff, because in first 2 weeks of using device, or meds cause a high HR?