Double counting calories

gearhead426hemi

Just food for thought for anyone who is wearing any type of fitness tracker. If you are using a second app for tracking your runs make sure you aren't wearing your step tracker while you are running otherwise you will be double counting your steps and MFP will give you a false calories burned. I have a Polar Loop so I use the Polar Flow app for most tracking but when I run I was using my Runkeeper app. So My MFP was double counting my steps. So now I use the Polar Beat app so it doesn't count the steps twice for more accurate calories burned. Just food for thought for anyone else.

StaciMarie1974

MFP won't double count your calories burned.

If you connect a tracker, then MFP compares the burn according to the tracker to what it expected. Adjustment is the difference.

If you use an app like Runkeeper or log exercise while a tracker is connected, then for that period of time: MFP uses the logged/Runkeeper entry. SUch as if you have a Fitbit connected and log Runkeeper for 475 calories from 1:15pm-2:07pm, then MFP uses the Runkeeper for that block of time and the Fitbit data for the rest of the day.

StaciMarie1974

PS-you can check this to confirm.

When you end your next Runkeeper session, first pause it. Don't save/complete it just yet. Sync your Fitbit and check MFP to see what your calorie adjustment is. Then go back to the Runkeeper app and save/complete the workout. Now check MFP again. IF it were double counting, then your remaining calories will shoot way up. Instead, they'll change slightly but only to account for any difference in what Runkeeper assigned for the workout vs what Fitbit assigned for your calorie burn for the same time.

gearhead426hemi

I disagree. I wore my tracker while I was at work then I did circuit training for 30 minutes when I got home. Then I went for a 3 mile run. It said I burned almost 3,000 calories with steps, and workout for the day. Then next time I did the same routine but I took the tracker off for the run my daily total for calories burned was 1000 less than before. So I still think it could be double counting the steps and over calculating calories burned.

StaciMarie1974

You don't burn 1000 calories for a 3 mile run, so most likely something else was different. PErhaps a less active day at work? Or a mismatch in time of the day for your comparisons.

Edited: I see you use a Polar device from looking at your exercise log. I do not know if the Polar adjustment is calculated the same as the Fitbit adjustment.

gearhead426hemi

Maybe it is the Polar device. I had and everyone I know had nothing but problems with the Fitbit. I threw mine in the trash after sending it in three times in the first year to get fixed. I have had the Polar for almost two years now and have never had a single problem.

I just don't take the calories into account anymore. I track simply because it auto updates to my phone.

barakaki

Yeah the polar is double counting and I am also trying to figure out how to fix it. It is quite annoying as I use the flow.polar.com web interface to few my trainings.

JMcGee2018

More double counting problems: MapMyRun/MapMyWalk apps count GROSS calories, not net, so they are showing the calories you burn just existing (which MyFitnessPal already accounts for) plus your exercise calories, which means you're double-dipping those "existence" calories.

gcconroy29

I was getting double counting with google fit and my garmin. I don't even remember syncing them up but I ended up turning off the sync from google fit to MFP, so I'm only getting it from the garmin now.

stanmann571

I disconnected runkeeper and strava. I also enabled negative adjustments, which for Misfit and Garmin, resolved the problem.

I can't speak to what Polar is doing.

jjpptt2

Perhaps going using the TDEE approach would be better suited for those of you concerned about accuracy of cals coming into MFP from various devices/sources?

stanmann571

jjpptt2 wrote: »

Perhaps going using the TDEE approach would be better suited for those of you concerned about accuracy of cals coming into MFP from various devices/sources?

It's a technical problem not a calorie problem. With a technical solution.

Unlink the undesired apps from MFP.

jjpptt2

.

blk7363

I just started MapMyWalk and synced it with mfp but it’s not recording my walk on mfp
Should I just record it manually?

williamaguila

yep, mfp totally double counts my calories.. i have to try and figure out why

computer4

Please can anyone help? When I enter a food item into my food diary the item gets duplicated or triplicated. Is there a "fix".

heybales

It really depends if you have an activity tracker account that is being synced with.

That account keeps track of the daily burn, and steps. It reports those as figures to MFP to work with.

Steps is displayed - that's it's, no math.

Daily burn is used in math.

A workout sent to MFP from another source will have a time stamp on it, and calorie burn.
That is synced to the tracker account.

Almost all accounts are replace-only systems - another workout comes in with a time stamp - new replaced existing for the same data. Calories in those cases, steps isn't sent by MFP in workout data.

Now - if you merely have a step tracker that has no account, or you didn't select to link the accounts - only steps is gotten from the tracker.
MFP does rest of the math, and no time stamps involved so problems can arise.

Unless there is an outright issue going on like double sends of workout data, or time zones being off on time stamps - almost everything can be explained by the syncing.

@williamaguila - share some details that allows providing some assistance.