Which activity tracker works best with MFP?
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I like my Fitbit Charge 2.
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I'm currently debating between the Misfit Shine 2 Swimmers Edition and the Fitbit Charge 3.
Misfit Shine 2 pros: Familiar with app, know the calorie adjustment is fairly accurate for me, has swim tracking with laps distance etc (with in-app $10 upgrade, apparently), 6 months battery - no charging!, different wearable positions - can be more discreet and possibly more accurate because I move my arms a lot & push carts at work so I worry a wrist-based tracker will have troubles. Also for tracking stationary bike rides it can be pinned on my shoe. ~$70 cheaper. Going for $100 plus tax on Sport Check rn, but the price is more like $130 elsewhere.
Fitbit Charge 3 Pros: Supposedly a better app? people say fitbit does more with the data, and Misfit doesn't do much with it. Also I'd probably be able to add people from work & school. HR tracking, could be fun. Will be a watch with the time also, which I've kinda needed at work sometimes. Has swim data tracking. $200 plus tax for pre-order at the moment.
Don't worry about putting device on foot for bike, step-based calculated calorie burn that requires impact and distance walked/ran is useless for circular motion that misses steps and only counts 1 foot anyway and distance calculated has no bearing on anything in biking world.
But the frequent cart use is meaningful. Many have no steps seen because impacts of the foot can't be seen on wrist when gripping a cart.
Some places also don't allow wrist wear for safety reasons.
There probably is more money on Fitbit app development - and you can download your stats if desired, even though built in diaries are useful already for review.
HR tracking could be meaningful for clues if tired and stressed or underrecovered for hard workout efforts. Sleeping HR going up could be getting sick, ect.
I know 10 yrs ago when I sat in on private meeting with a firm collecting HR, they admitted (pretty sure out of non-disclosure at this point) most companies didn't know what to do exactly with all the data, and I haven't seen things improve a whole lot for usefulness.
But it can be interesting and used.0 -
I have a Garmin Vivosmart HR and it says I burn an insane amount of calories each day and pushes that over to MFP. If I really had 4000 calories to eat a day, I wouldn't need to track my food.1
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my vivosmart hr is right on. it actually underestimated my calorie burn in comparison to mfp and runkeeper.
as far as scratchable screens, it's the same as a phone, they sell little plastic things that are protectors.
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my vivosmart hr is right on. it actually underestimated my calorie burn in comparison to mfp and runkeeper.
as far as scratchable screens, it's the same as a phone, they sell little plastic things that are protectors.
Yeah that’s what I was worried about. I don’t take my phone swimming. I’ll toss it in my purse & I have a MASSIVE protective case for it. But screen vs pool divider? I think I’d know what would win there.0 -
my smart has gone swimming, showered, in lake michigan, in the pacific ocean. most garmin's are waterproof and if for some reason there is an issue, garmin has fantastic customer service.3
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my vivosmart hr is right on. it actually underestimated my calorie burn in comparison to mfp and runkeeper.
as far as scratchable screens, it's the same as a phone, they sell little plastic things that are protectors.
Really? Do you have the heart rate tracker on all the time? I wonder why mine is so wrong? It gives me 2000-3000 extra active calories on days when I am taking only 6000-7000 steps. When I choose to track a specific activity, I feel that it gives me an accurate burn but its the all day heart rate that causes me issues.0 -
rachel780mpg wrote: »my vivosmart hr is right on. it actually underestimated my calorie burn in comparison to mfp and runkeeper.
as far as scratchable screens, it's the same as a phone, they sell little plastic things that are protectors.
Really? Do you have the heart rate tracker on all the time? I wonder why mine is so wrong? It gives me 2000-3000 extra active calories on days when I am taking only 6000-7000 steps. When I choose to track a specific activity, I feel that it gives me an accurate burn but its the all day heart rate that causes me issues.
HR should not be used for calorie burn below the exercise level even if it is on.
Now, if you look at your daily activity graph and you see it auto-assuming workouts during elevated HR times - it probably is, but usually increased steps/motion must go along with it, for enough time.
If you are on meds or genetically high HR during easy activity - that could make it worse.
You ever confirmed your stride length is correct by confirming reported distance for a known track walk?
So the Garmin itself is reporting what level of daily burn on some of those past days?2 -
it probably has to do with what your activity level is set at among other things.
i do get extra calories but not that much. a couple hundred most days because some days i'm super sedentary and other days i'm running 13+ miles
(couch potato at heart)1 -
rachel780mpg wrote: »my vivosmart hr is right on. it actually underestimated my calorie burn in comparison to mfp and runkeeper.
as far as scratchable screens, it's the same as a phone, they sell little plastic things that are protectors.
Really? Do you have the heart rate tracker on all the time? I wonder why mine is so wrong? It gives me 2000-3000 extra active calories on days when I am taking only 6000-7000 steps. When I choose to track a specific activity, I feel that it gives me an accurate burn but its the all day heart rate that causes me issues.
HR should not be used for calorie burn below the exercise level even if it is on.
Now, if you look at your daily activity graph and you see it auto-assuming workouts during elevated HR times - it probably is, but usually increased steps/motion must go along with it, for enough time.
If you are on meds or genetically high HR during easy activity - that could make it worse.
You ever confirmed your stride length is correct by confirming reported distance for a known track walk?
So the Garmin itself is reporting what level of daily burn on some of those past days?
I do tend to ignore the excessive calories it gives and only pay attention to the ones I get from an actual workout.
It is not auto assuming workouts during elevated heart rate times.
I'm not on meds and have never been told I have a high heart rate. It says my average is 74. It records a high of 130 on days where I haven't worked out at all.
The stride length is off. I know that for sure. It records more milage than it should. I haven't taken the time to figure out what my stride length is.
It shows active calories between 2000 and 3000.
My activity class is set at 5 on Garmin and sedentary on mfp. I average 6000-7000 steps without exercise.0 -
it probably has to do with what your activity level is set at among other things.
i do get extra calories but not that much. a couple hundred most days because some days i'm super sedentary and other days i'm running 13+ miles
(couch potato at heart)
I have my garmin level set at 5 and mfp at sedentary. I have a desk job and only average 6000-7000 steps.
I turned off the heart rate tracker yesterday during the day and it gave me 400 extra calories which seems more realistic.2 -
rachel780mpg wrote: »it probably has to do with what your activity level is set at among other things.
i do get extra calories but not that much. a couple hundred most days because some days i'm super sedentary and other days i'm running 13+ miles
(couch potato at heart)
I have my garmin level set at 5 and mfp at sedentary. I have a desk job and only average 6000-7000 steps.
I turned off the heart rate tracker yesterday during the day and it gave me 400 extra calories which seems more realistic.
Reading your experience and heybales’ comments, plus this article https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2016/02/understanding-continual-optical.html
I’m back to thinking I don’t need HR tracking. The Misfit Shine 2 might be my best bet. Unfortunately it’s discontinued 😐0 -
rachel780mpg wrote: »rachel780mpg wrote: »my vivosmart hr is right on. it actually underestimated my calorie burn in comparison to mfp and runkeeper.
as far as scratchable screens, it's the same as a phone, they sell little plastic things that are protectors.
Really? Do you have the heart rate tracker on all the time? I wonder why mine is so wrong? It gives me 2000-3000 extra active calories on days when I am taking only 6000-7000 steps. When I choose to track a specific activity, I feel that it gives me an accurate burn but its the all day heart rate that causes me issues.
HR should not be used for calorie burn below the exercise level even if it is on.
Now, if you look at your daily activity graph and you see it auto-assuming workouts during elevated HR times - it probably is, but usually increased steps/motion must go along with it, for enough time.
If you are on meds or genetically high HR during easy activity - that could make it worse.
You ever confirmed your stride length is correct by confirming reported distance for a known track walk?
So the Garmin itself is reporting what level of daily burn on some of those past days?
I do tend to ignore the excessive calories it gives and only pay attention to the ones I get from an actual workout.
It is not auto assuming workouts during elevated heart rate times.
I'm not on meds and have never been told I have a high heart rate. It says my average is 74. It records a high of 130 on days where I haven't worked out at all.
The stride length is off. I know that for sure. It records more milage than it should. I haven't taken the time to figure out what my stride length is.
It shows active calories between 2000 and 3000.
My activity class is set at 5 on Garmin and sedentary on mfp. I average 6000-7000 steps without exercise.
Garmin does make calculating stride length easier than Fitbit.
You put in the mileage and steps done, it calculates it.
So just need to do a known distance walk at average daily pace (which should seem really slow) and make it a workout to get the steps within it.
The activity class effects the HR-based calorie burn calculation. I think the Garmin activity trackers (like Fitbit) and some of the workout specific monitors actually keep track of that themselves based on workouts you have logged, or they auto-assume. Which is why it's important to remove the wrong ones. Mine was always assuming an elliptical workout - so I disabled that setting.
So a few tweaks to improve it's ability - which is nice, might as well get some help from it that can be trusted, especially the seasonal changes or life changes. Step count may reflect that easily too, but nice if calorie count could be trusted too.0 -
I have a Fitbit charge 2. I bought the rose gold version with the lavender strap and more extra bands, used, for a decent price, on eBay. I then switched the ugly lavender band out for a cool metal rainbow mesh band from Amazon. I love it.
I cycle so I get relatively steady cardio readings from it. I specifically tell it when I'm doing that workout. It's accurate with steps, I counted steps from my parking garage to office the other day and it was right on target. I'm right handed, wear it on my left, and set it for that use.
I use HR when cycling so I don't overdo it. I was aiming for no higher then 155, with short spurts sometimes higher. I'm monitoring my cardio fitness.
Sometimes it catches me doing activity that I otherwise would have disregarded, and I've been in a trap of undereating in the past, so it helps me make better food choices.
I also use it to monitor my sleep. I can clearly see I don't get enough and am still working on that!
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successgal1 wrote: »I have a Fitbit charge 2. I bought the rose gold version with the lavender strap and more extra bands, used, for a decent price, on eBay. I then switched the ugly lavender band out for a cool metal rainbow mesh band from Amazon. I love it.
I cycle so I get relatively steady cardio readings from it. I specifically tell it when I'm doing that workout. It's accurate with steps, I counted steps from my parking garage to office the other day and it was right on target. I'm right handed, wear it on my left, and set it for that use.
I use HR when cycling so I don't overdo it. I was aiming for no higher then 155, with short spurts sometimes higher. I'm monitoring my cardio fitness.
Sometimes it catches me doing activity that I otherwise would have disregarded, and I've been in a trap of undereating in the past, so it helps me make better food choices.
I also use it to monitor my sleep. I can clearly see I don't get enough and am still working on that!
Thank you! They seem like good devices. I am tempted by the charge 3. I also like that you mentioned you can change the strap for cheaper - I don’t like the plain bands and I liked the look of the woven ones. They seem more comfortable than plastic on your skin. But for the cost of purchasing a second band with the charge 3 I could upgrade to that version with Fitbit pay that comes with a second band - which I can’t use because Canada and don’t care about that feature anyway.
The thing that worries me is wearing it on my wrist at work, I use my arms a lot & do things like push carts/carry small items etc. My arms are either moving more or less than my steps. I worry it’ll either overcount or try to offset and undercount.0 -
successgal1 wrote: »I have a Fitbit charge 2. I bought the rose gold version with the lavender strap and more extra bands, used, for a decent price, on eBay. I then switched the ugly lavender band out for a cool metal rainbow mesh band from Amazon. I love it.
I cycle so I get relatively steady cardio readings from it. I specifically tell it when I'm doing that workout. It's accurate with steps, I counted steps from my parking garage to office the other day and it was right on target. I'm right handed, wear it on my left, and set it for that use.
I use HR when cycling so I don't overdo it. I was aiming for no higher then 155, with short spurts sometimes higher. I'm monitoring my cardio fitness.
Sometimes it catches me doing activity that I otherwise would have disregarded, and I've been in a trap of undereating in the past, so it helps me make better food choices.
I also use it to monitor my sleep. I can clearly see I don't get enough and am still working on that!
Thank you! They seem like good devices. I am tempted by the charge 3. I also like that you mentioned you can change the strap for cheaper - I don’t like the plain bands and I liked the look of the woven ones. They seem more comfortable than plastic on your skin. But for the cost of purchasing a second band with the charge 3 I could upgrade to that version with Fitbit pay that comes with a second band - which I can’t use because Canada and don’t care about that feature anyway.
The thing that worries me is wearing it on my wrist at work, I use my arms a lot & do things like push carts/carry small items etc. My arms are either moving more or less than my steps. I worry it’ll either overcount or try to offset and undercount.
Check out Amazon for the metal mesh magnetic straps. And others, lots of options.
From what I gather from heybales, fit bit is very good at not generating steps for arm movements, as it also detects the force of foot hitting ground, which you don't get when not walking. Clapping is the exception. You can go to your Fitbit desktop account and see where and when it detected exercise, and remove things that really weren't exercise. I think wearing it religiously for the first week or two gives it enough time to learn. When I first started wearing it, I once purchased a large lot of glassware and spent about 45 minutes folding up all of the packing paper it was wrapped with,for future use, and Fitbit detected it as steps. Now it no longer detects things like that as steps. It learned.
It's not recommendedby Fitbit, but you can buy a non Fitbit strap extender, and place it on your ankle and see how that works for you.1 -
rachel780mpg wrote: »rachel780mpg wrote: »my vivosmart hr is right on. it actually underestimated my calorie burn in comparison to mfp and runkeeper.
as far as scratchable screens, it's the same as a phone, they sell little plastic things that are protectors.
Really? Do you have the heart rate tracker on all the time? I wonder why mine is so wrong? It gives me 2000-3000 extra active calories on days when I am taking only 6000-7000 steps. When I choose to track a specific activity, I feel that it gives me an accurate burn but its the all day heart rate that causes me issues.
HR should not be used for calorie burn below the exercise level even if it is on.
Now, if you look at your daily activity graph and you see it auto-assuming workouts during elevated HR times - it probably is, but usually increased steps/motion must go along with it, for enough time.
If you are on meds or genetically high HR during easy activity - that could make it worse.
You ever confirmed your stride length is correct by confirming reported distance for a known track walk?
So the Garmin itself is reporting what level of daily burn on some of those past days?
I do tend to ignore the excessive calories it gives and only pay attention to the ones I get from an actual workout.
It is not auto assuming workouts during elevated heart rate times.
I'm not on meds and have never been told I have a high heart rate. It says my average is 74. It records a high of 130 on days where I haven't worked out at all.
The stride length is off. I know that for sure. It records more milage than it should. I haven't taken the time to figure out what my stride length is.
It shows active calories between 2000 and 3000.
My activity class is set at 5 on Garmin and sedentary on mfp. I average 6000-7000 steps without exercise.
I have the opposite problem with my garmin vivosmart HR. I have a fairly low average heart rate (55, according to the garmin), so I don’t usually get extra calories no matter how far I walk. The exception for me is when I use my asthma inhaler before a strenuous hike, which bumps my heart rate for the next 4 hours. Add in the slightly but noticeably annoying feeling of the bump for the HR monitor, and I’m planning to get an HR-less step tracker when this one gives up the ghost. I wish I didn’t need a step tracker at all, but for me it’s just like counting calories-I eat more when I’m not tracking calories and I walk less when I’m not tracking steps. Clearly I need to work on my internal motivation. 2 -
I use my Apple Watch incoronation with my iPhone. It’s syncs pretty well with MFP. You can enter food calories on the Apple Watch and receive MFP notifications.0
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