How does Fitbit work with MFP?

kathryn1391

So i have just started using MFP again after a long break, and i have synced up my Fitbit.
for the exercise does it automatically calculate calories "earned" from exercise from my fitbit and is it reliable? Ive done a 45 min walk and its saying i have burned 2 calories so seems a bit...off.

Also if i have them synced up do i need to manually add exercise on MFP? Should i be making sure even for a walk at lunch im selecting "workout" on my fitbit?

Sorry for all the questions - im so bad with this stuff!

sammidelvecchio

This is how my Garmin links to MFP for me. The items under exercise are what I'm highlighting. If I track a workout on my Garmin, it syncs it to MFP when I sync it on my phone. That is the "walking" entry below. Then it also adds the "calorie adjustment." Any workouts I don't track through Garmin, like the squats, push ups, and crunches - I have to manually add. MFP also syncs to my Garmin app to show me food info as well, that is the second picture.

Should i be making sure even for a walk at lunch im selecting "workout" on my fitbit? - If you want it to go into MFP automatically as a "walk" then yes. If you are ok with all your steps showing as one calorie adjustment without the separate entry for "walk," then no.

My friend has a Fit Bit, and his works just like my Garmin does. I hope this helps!

shadow2soul

kathryn1391 wrote: »

So i have just started using MFP again after a long break, and i have synced up my Fitbit.
for the exercise does it automatically calculate calories "earned" from exercise from my fitbit and is it reliable? Ive done a 45 min walk and its saying i have burned 2 calories so seems a bit...off.

Fitbit adjustments are a calorie burn comparison. You only get extra calories when your Fitbit has tracked you burning more than what MFP thought you would based on your activity level setting. So even though you may have gone on a walk based on the rest of your activity for the day you haven’t earned anything extra.

I was so Sedentary in 2013 when I got my first Fitbit that it would subtract calories from MFPs Sedentary goal and exercise just made it so I didn’t lose anything. I didn’t start seeing extra calories until I made it a point to be more active in my day to day life. Once I did that I started getting positive adjustments even without exercise because my daily life was no longer Sedentary.

kathryn1391 wrote: »

Also if i have them synced up do i need to manually add exercise on MFP?

No. It’s included in your overall calorie burn that Fitbit sends to MFP. There is no need to log any exercise here manually.

sammidelvecchio

Because I have MFP activity set to sedentary, I get adjustments for any activity (even daily step count). It might make a difference what settings you have in right now. I don't eat back any of the adjustment, which is why i changed my settings to not add them back into my daily calories and macros, but a lot of people want those to eat back so that I would think will be a personal preference.

heybales

sammidelvecchio wrote: »

Because I have MFP activity set to sedentary, I get adjustments for any activity (even daily step count). It might make a difference what settings you have in right now. I don't eat back any of the adjustment, which is why i changed my settings to not add them back into my daily calories and macros, but a lot of people want those to eat back so that I would think will be a personal preference.

Correct, many people are trying to learn the lesson MFP is trying to teach regarding weight control.

You do more, you eat more.
You do less, you eat less.

In a diet, a tad less in either case.

The Fitbit merely allows MFP to correct itself to a better estimate based on what you are actually doing rather than just a guess between 4 activity levels and perhaps not even using the app correctly (like not logging exercise when not synced)

Fitbit does NOT work like the Garmin does in sending workouts to MFP - that's optional and Fitbit doesn't do it.
So the act of making your lunch time walk a "workout" changes nothing on MFP. Same daily calorie burn would be reported either way.

All it would do is allow you to review what Fitbit calls an Activity Record to view the HR and distance easier, for comparison later to see improvements.

OP - need to read through the FAQ a couple times. 2nd section if you really want to understand and like math.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10098937/faq-syncing-logging-food-exercise-calorie-adjustments-activity-levels-accuracy

kathryn1391

Thank you everyone!! Really helpful.

I hate math, so time for a cuppa and to power through haha

lindamtuck2018

kathryn1391 wrote: »

So i have just started using MFP again after a long break, and i have synced up my Fitbit.
for the exercise does it automatically calculate calories "earned" from exercise from my fitbit and is it reliable? Ive done a 45 min walk and its saying i have burned 2 calories so seems a bit...off.

Also if i have them synced up do i need to manually add exercise on MFP? Should i be making sure even for a walk at lunch im selecting "workout" on my fitbit?

Sorry for all the questions - im so bad with this stuff!

What kind of Fitbit do you have? I have the Fitbit ionic so I can select different settings for exercise: run, bike, swim, treadmill, weights, interval timer and workout. For walks, I never select any of these settings. I did use the weights today when I was strength training. I have only used the workout selection on my Fitbit if I was doing a cardio based workout.

kathryn1391

I have the Fitbit Charge HR 2. I tweaked my activity levels ( i was being optimistic) and it seems much more realistic now.
Another question though: so yesterday i didn't look at my daily snapshot bit when i had logged everything, but checking back at my exercise and food for yesterday, on the food log it says im -5 calories, but that i "earned" 148 calories from exercise, so does this mean the -5 calories is actually -153 calories, or does it not "add" the additional calories you've "earned".

Sorry if i'm not explaining myself well, i promise im not a total idiot even though it sounds like it!

heybales

lindamtuck2018 wrote: »

kathryn1391 wrote: »

So i have just started using MFP again after a long break, and i have synced up my Fitbit.
for the exercise does it automatically calculate calories "earned" from exercise from my fitbit and is it reliable? Ive done a 45 min walk and its saying i have burned 2 calories so seems a bit...off.

Also if i have them synced up do i need to manually add exercise on MFP? Should i be making sure even for a walk at lunch im selecting "workout" on my fitbit?

Sorry for all the questions - im so bad with this stuff!

What kind of Fitbit do you have? I have the Fitbit ionic so I can select different settings for exercise: run, bike, swim, treadmill, weights, interval timer and workout. For walks, I never select any of these settings. I did use the weights today when I was strength training. I have only used the workout selection on my Fitbit if I was doing a cardio based workout.

Just to be aware - I think the Iconic is one of the models where if you select Weights as the workout - it does NOT use HR-based calorie burned calculations - which is correct method, that is an inflated burn using HR for non-aerobic workouts where HR is up and down constantly.

Even if it isn't the model, it will allow you to confirm the burn for that chunk of time, and then you could manually log it if the given value is high.

cwolfman13

kathryn1391 wrote: »

So i have just started using MFP again after a long break, and i have synced up my Fitbit.
for the exercise does it automatically calculate calories "earned" from exercise from my fitbit and is it reliable? Ive done a 45 min walk and its saying i have burned 2 calories so seems a bit...off.

Also if i have them synced up do i need to manually add exercise on MFP? Should i be making sure even for a walk at lunch im selecting "workout" on my fitbit?

Sorry for all the questions - im so bad with this stuff!

The Fitbit adjustment is just to reconcile your selected activity level in MFP to your actual per Fitbit...so you aren't going to get calories for that specific activity...you'll only get an adjustment up once you've gone over your selected activity level in MFP.

heybales

kathryn1391 wrote: »

I have the Fitbit Charge HR 2. I tweaked my activity levels ( i was being optimistic) and it seems much more realistic now.
Another question though: so yesterday i didn't look at my daily snapshot bit when i had logged everything, but checking back at my exercise and food for yesterday, on the food log it says im -5 calories, but that i "earned" 148 calories from exercise, so does this mean the -5 calories is actually -153 calories, or does it not "add" the additional calories you've "earned".

Sorry if i'm not explaining myself well, i promise im not a total idiot even though it sounds like it!

What's basically happening is:
Base eating goal + workouts + adjustment = new eating goal.

Adj can be positive or negative.

What they confusingly show to the status line for the day:
Calories remaining = Goal - Net

Goal - base eating goal
Food - logged
Exercise - everything on exercise tab (so workouts + adj, could be neg)
Net = food - exercise (minus a neg could be added then)

If food diary says -5 remaining, then you've eaten more than you've burned - 5 over is better than 100 below. And the day isn't over perhaps anyway.
Your eating goal there did go up to the new eating goal, it's merely informing you why it's higher in case it's noticed.
Forward to tomorrow to see base goal.