MFP and VivoActive (or any activity tracker) double counting excercise?

jefemullin

Good morning!

I've been having a great time with MFP tracking my calories and just recently got a VivoActive smart watch to track my runs without having to use the battery draining Nike app on my phone. I have MFP set to allow for negative calorie adjustments based on my activity levels for the day. I work a desk job, and run at night. It has taken me about a week to really get the smart watch dialed in and to understand exactly how it syncs with MFP.

My question/concern is that after i log a run with my smart watch, it then syncs to MFP where there is often already a negative calorie adjustment based on my daytime lack of activity. After it syncs, that number is almost always changed to something positive and sometimes it seems like its double counting my exercise. Its logging it as a run, and also as general activity.

For instance last night i ran 4 miles in 44 minutes, with two minute cool down walk. It credited me 812 calories burned. Then my "Garmin Connect Calorie adjustment" went from negative something, to 226. So i ended the day with 1415 calories remaining on my budget. It seems like too much. Am i reading this wrong?

The overall readings were Goal: 2,030 - 1653 food + 1038 Excercise = 1415 remaining. I did hit my step goal throughout the day because i was on a bunch of job site visits yesterday. Any insight you guys can provide is greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Jmullin09

jefemullin

Sorry if this isn't posted in the right place, i'm new to these forums, please let me know if it should be elsewhere. Thanks!

Vixenmd1

I use a garmin 220 and run and then use health app inside my phone (iphone 6 plus). They both talk to MFP. I have watched closely and for me it isn't double tracking. It only adds additional calories from steps that are above what I get for my run. Meaning if my run was 400 calories but I get in a lot of steps in a day (including the run but also in addition) it will add 100 calories or 200 demanding so in this example total for the day will be 500 or 600. If I sit after my run there is no IOS steps adjustment.

jefemullin

Ok cool. I was worried that it was counting my run as calories burned, and then also the fact that it put me at like 15k steps that was giving me more of a calorie credit than i should be getting. Thanks for your reply

andrewjuu

If you are not entering an exercise session manually in MFP then I fail to see how you would be doubly counting it when you sync your smart watch. If you're unsure though you might contact Garmin and or MFP (I believe one or the other should be able to explain how their interface works).

jefemullin

andrewjuu wrote: »

If you are not entering an exercise session manually in MFP then I fail to see how you would be doubly counting it when you sync your smart watch. If you're unsure though you might contact Garmin and or MFP (I believe one or the other should be able to explain how their interface works).

Thanks. I just posted this over to the more technical support side of the forums so we'll see. And its not the end of the world, i'm not taking these calorie counts and credits as 100% truth and gorging myself on the leftover calories or anything, just curious more so. Thanks for replying.

enterdanger

I use a vivo fit with a chest strap HRM. I thought my burns and adjustments were all wrong when I first got it because I was getting way more exercise calories bank than MFP was giving me when I manually logged an exercise. But, I've been using the calories from my garmin and I'm losing weight so I think it must be correct.

Vixenmd1

If the calorie credit is only a few hundred calories than it isn't likely double counting (depending on how far you run+height+weight) if you are getting like 600,700, 800 calories for 15K steps then it might be if you friend me you can go into my dairy and see how it looks for me using garmin connect. For example I ran a 58 mins yesterday at 5 MPH and burned i49 calories with the HRM on the 220. I am 5'9 and currently weigh 201. It added an 155 calorie step adjustment on top for 10144 steps. Which I assume is total - run calories plus additional walking calories.

jefemullin wrote: »

Ok cool. I was worried that it was counting my run as calories burned, and then also the fact that it put me at like 15k steps that was giving me more of a calorie credit than i should be getting. Thanks for your reply

tokidokistarr

This is what it shows on MFP. It looks like its double counting
I only logged my activity on Garmin Express but this is what shows up on MFP. Anyone else having the same issues?

Aerobics, general Min:65 Calories burned:533
Garmin Connect calorie adjustment Min:N/A Calories burned:433