step calories disappear

winnies733

Good morning,
Can anyone explain why step calories gained disappear when you add another cardio workout like water aerobics? If the step calories came from walking on treadmill do I add that exercise as well? Thanks!

lorrpb

Where are the step calories coming from? Do you enter them or do you sync with a tracker?

StaciMarie1974

They are not really 'step' or 'exercise' calories. I will explain and I'll TRY to keep it short lol.

The standard way of using MFP: you enter your stats and activity level. MFP uses those details to estimate and say you will burn X calories per day.

When you use Fitbit, Fitbit (or other trackers, I assume they connect the same way) Fitbit estimates your calorie burn based on your stats and your actual movement. When you sync Fitbit to MFP, the calorie adjustment is the difference between what MFP expected you to burn and what Fitbit says you burned.

Such as if MFP expects you to burn 1800 and you actually burn 1900, you'll be +100.

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When you log exercise, you increase the # MFP expects you to burn. So if you log a 200 calorie swim now MFP expects you to burn 2000 because the 200 is in addition to your usual. If you have Fitbit/MFP synced then Fitbit should also get the update that you burned calories for swimming.

MFP expected 2000; Fitbit actual 2100. This would show in MFP as 1800 + 200 swimming + 100 Fitbit adjustment because 2100-2000 = 100.

If you logged the swim in Fitbit but not in MFP:

MFP expectd 1800; Fitbit actual 2100. This would show in MFP as 1800 + 300 adjustment = 2100 total. Same end result.