Runkeeper and Fitbit both sync to MFP

jeansig

With both Runkeeper and Fitbit synced to MPG, are my exercise calories being duplucated?

Sna_ke

Do they sync directly to MFP or do they sync via Apple Healthkit?

If it's via Apple Healthkit, then Apple Healtkit then that will take care of de-duping duplicate activities (runs + steps).

If they're both directly to MFP, then you can check if it's being duplicated or not by looking at the calories burned in each of the apps, and comparing the number to MFP's exercise. If the numbers are the combined totals of each app, it's being duplicated. If they're approximately equal to one or the other (average +/- 10-20%) then they're not being duplicated.

heybales

Runkeeper syncs to MFP a workout of start time X, and duration Y, calorie burn Z.

MFP syncs to Fitbit a workout of start time X, and duration Y, calorie burn Z.

That will replace whatever calorie burn Fitbit has during that chunk of time.

If Fitbit created an Activity Record showing a snapshot of it's stats during that chunk of time (by using the button for starting a workout on device) - that snapshot stays the same and shows Fitbit stats, even though the stats actually contained within the day's total were replaced with workout from MFP.

So for a day, you could easily have 2 workouts showing - one will be a Workout Record, one an Activity Record.
Activity Record you could edit if desired, give it a name and notes.
Workout Record you could delete, that's it.

So even what you see isn't doubled up - but it may appear like it.

jeansig

They both appear in my exercise Fitbit with the steps and calories and Runkeeper with exercise and calories.

jeansig

I always just have fitbit detect the workout and it records it. Thank you. Then I will keep them both synced to MFP.

heybales

jeansig wrote: »

They both appear in my exercise Fitbit with the steps and calories and Runkeeper with exercise and calories.

So in that case you can compare - did they both see about the same distance, and if so, about the same calorie burn?

Of course it's the MFP workout synced from Runkeeper that updated the daily stat totals.

You'd really have to walk a known distance to decide which is more accurate.

stanmann571

jeansig wrote: »

They both appear in my exercise Fitbit with the steps and calories and Runkeeper with exercise and calories.

If you're seeing the same time with similar calories... or even dissimilar calories, you're double counting.

Normally, what I do is delete the one with the higher calories. for a while I had strava and garmin and runkeeper linked.. so I had to delete 2 "bonus activities. I've since unlinked strava and runkeeper.

heybales

stanmann571 wrote: »

jeansig wrote: »

They both appear in my exercise Fitbit with the steps and calories and Runkeeper with exercise and calories.

If you're seeing the same time with similar calories... or even dissimilar calories, you're double counting.

Normally, what I do is delete the one with the higher calories. for a while I had strava and garmin and runkeeper linked.. so I had to delete 2 "bonus activities. I've since unlinked strava and runkeeper.

Actually - that is not true.

Activity Records are snapshots of the stats for that chunk of time - what Fitbit recorded.
If you delete it - the daily stats stay the same.

Workout Record - if made afterwards, will be what replaced those stats in the daily totals.
If you delete it - the daily stats will change by whatever the difference is (if there is one, some people log an MFP workout with exactly same stats as Activity Record).

If you manually create an Activity Record after Workout Record is synced in or manually made - it will contain the same stats.

But it's not adding to the daily stats - again, it's a snapshot of what are those stats in that chunk of time.

Even if you have 2 Workout Records syncing in from 2 different sources - one will replace the other.

Fitbit does replace of stats - not add to stats.

The only way to truly double the stats is to have a Workout Record with the time wrong and it logs the same calories in am instead of pm for instance.

stanmann571

Like I said. Double.

heybales

And whichever one came last actually updated the daily stats.
So only one really counts as far as any final numbers are concerned.
You haven't shown anything that shows it actually doubled the calorie burn within the daily totals.
Look at your daily totals, now delete the bigger one - what happens to the totals now?

Here's an example. Slight change in daily calories because time moves on, and daily goes up.

Prior to logging an Activity or Workout Record. Total daily cals 2389.




Logged an Activity Record to see what stats Fitbit already had in place. Notice total calories up by 1 for time taken to do this since last pic, 2390. But the calories for that chunk of time, per Fitbit, were 85.




Now I log a Workout Record since weight lifting is something any activity tracker is going to get very wrong.
264 replaced the 85 Fitbit had. 2390 + 264 - 85 = 2569. But time moved on when doing this, so 2571.

Despite the fact both Records are there - there is no doubling in the daily stats, the second one replaced what the Snapshot shows.




You manually log 2 Workout Records at the same time, very different values, you'll find the same thing happens to the daily totals.

Pre-logging of bogus workout. About 39 existing calories for the 30 min I'm about to log at 1:30 pm. 2585 calories.




First Workout Record of 300 calories. Did it go up by 2585 + 300 = 2885.
No, it went up by 2585 + 300 - 39 replaced = 2846 plus time moving on, so 2847.




Second Workout Record same time of 600 calories.




Did the daily total go up by 900 then?

No.

2847 + 600 - 300 replaced = 3147 plus time moving, so 3148.


Again - the fact you can see 2 manually entered Workout Records, or 2 synced Workout Records, or a Fitbit auto-created Activity Record and a manually created or synced Workout Record, or a manually created Activity Record and a manually created Workout Record - does NOT matter to the daily total.

Fitbit does NOT do addition of workouts for the same time and duration.

Fitbit does a replace method - so whatever was last - those values are counted in the daily totals, whatever was there, is removed.

Review my pictures - do it yourself if you don't trust them.

But that's the way it works.


If you are talking about manually logging these in MFP - sure it will show those workout stats as double. Sometimes it does that with Garmin without there even being 2 workouts.
But what goes over to the activity tracker is still a start time and duration - and it will take last synced to replace prior values.
No doubling there.

What I responded with is what happens in the case of using what the OP uses.
Runkeeper sends a workout to MFP with start time and duration.
MFP sends workout to Fitbit with start time and duration, and replaces whatever it had.
Fitbit does NOT send workouts to MFP anyway, only daily total calorie burn.
Exercise adjustment is done.

Fitbit daily burn - MFP estimated daily burn - workouts = adjustment.

stanmann571

I don't know why you're talking about what Fitbit does. Since we're talking about MFP.

MFP gave me credit for both exercises... Which is what is under discussion. Which is why I said

stanmann571 wrote: »

Normally, what I do is delete the one with the higher calories. for a while I had strava and garmin and runkeeper linked.. so I had to delete 2 "bonus activities. I've since unlinked strava and runkeeper.

Then you went off on a ramble about Fitbit... when the question is "does MFP double count calories if you have multiple apps linked"

And the answer is YES MFP double counts calories if you have multiple apps linked.

DresdenSinn

At one point I had so many things synced/linked to MFP it was triple/quadruple counting!

stanmann571

DresdenSinn wrote: »

At one point I had so many things synced/linked to MFP it was triple/quadruple counting!

I remember one time I got credited with like 3000 calories for a single activity because MFP triple counted.

Bakins929

This happens to me when I use my UA band to log gym workouts. In MFP, it shows up as 2 entries of same time of day, duration, and calories; one from UA Record, and one from Endomondo. If I use Endomondo for a run, it only shows up once in MFP, and once in UA Record.

heybales

stanmann571 wrote: »

I don't know why you're talking about what Fitbit does. Since we're talking about MFP.

MFP gave me credit for both exercises... Which is what is under discussion. Which is why I said

stanmann571 wrote: »

Normally, what I do is delete the one with the higher calories. for a while I had strava and garmin and runkeeper linked.. so I had to delete 2 "bonus activities. I've since unlinked strava and runkeeper.

Then you went off on a ramble about Fitbit... when the question is "does MFP double count calories if you have multiple apps linked"

And the answer is YES MFP double counts calories if you have multiple apps linked.

Fitbit doesn't sync workouts to MFP, as the OP was talking about.
Runkeeper does of course.

So unless the problem is double workouts from Runkeeper, then sure that's a problem.

But if he is seeing 2 workouts and he says Fitbit steps, it's in Fitbits system.
So the double counting is not going on.