Fitbit, MFP, and Mapmywalk

flyinion

Hi all, just got a new Charge HR, my first tracker ever. Am trying to figure out the best way to integrate everything. Previously I had Mapmywalk linked to MFP and use the apps on my phone and would use Mapmywalk on the phone to track walking and also enter weightlifting workouts manually. Now that I have a Fitbit I've linked that to my MFP account as well. I'm not sure if I should continue using Mapmywalk to track my walks, or just use the Fitbit app to start/stop a walk and dump Mapmywalk. Or the option of holding the button on the fitbit for a few seconds to tell it I'm starting an activity and then use the Mapmywalk app to track the actual walk. Maybe I should be linking the fitbit to Mapmywalk as well? As you can see I'm lost on the best way to do this. I just don't want to end up with duplicate exercise entries somewhere.

NancyN795

You shouldn't end up with duplicate entries (unless you really work at it) but you can end up over-writing good data with poorer data. I would recommend reading the FAQ found in the stickies. Here's a handy link: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy/p1

I have a Charge HR and also use MapMyWalk. I started using MapMyWalk because I liked having the feedback during the walk, I liked mapping it, and the function that supposedly did that in the Fitbit app didn't work properly. (It seems to work now, though.) My main reason for continuing to use MapMyWalk is that I am "friends" on it with several family members who don't have Fitbits and so logging my workouts in it provides them with feedback that I am exercising and, I hope, motivates them to exercise as well. However, I do not want MapMyWalk to log into MFP which would then overwrite the better data from my Fitbit.

So, here is how I do it. I have MMW connected to Fitbit, but not to MFP (actually, I'm not sure there is any point in having them connected as there seems to be minimal info transferred between them). I used to just push the button on my Fitbit and use MMW for the mapping and in-walk feedback. But, since Fitbit fixed their mapping function, I actually now map the walk in both programs, (I know that seems redundant, but I like seeing the map on my Fitbit dashboard), and I don't push the button. Any other exercise I do, that can't be automatically tracked by my Fitbit (such as yoga or weight lifting) I manually log in Fitbit, not in MFP.

flyinion

Thanks, I think I may just dump MMW as the only person I'm using it with is my wife, and she just switched back to a fitbit after numerous problems with a few jawbone models. So I'm not really using it for any social purposes, and I have lots of other apps on my phone that can map a GPS track (and probably more accurately than MMW) if I really want a nice map of a hike or something. I was trying to figure out how to integrate all 3 but now it seems like MMW might just be redundant at this point.

I tried having MMW synced to fitbit directly and all that seems to have happened after a test walk of not doing anything but wearing the fitbit and tracking the walk with MMW is that MMW ended up with some steps stats from my day but nothing goes the other way to tell Fitbit that activity at the point actually was a walk. From what I understood from the FAQ, if I sync MMW to MFP the way I was, it might actually overwrite the Fitbit stats which wouldn't be good either.