Only 1 exercise counts toward calories?

gbernst
gbernst Posts: 5 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I don't know if I have something set wrong or I don't know if I am misunderstanding something. The other day I went for a bike ride and the calories were counted via a connectivity to Cyclemeter app. However, I also went for a walk and my apple watch counted 8000 steps. MyFitnessPal adjusted my calories for just the bicycle and not the steps. It noted the 8000 steps, but listed 0 calories. How do I get the calories adjusted for both (since I did both activities)?

Thanks

Replies

  • BarbaraHelen2013
    BarbaraHelen2013 Posts: 1,940 Member
    I believe there is a known issue between Apple trackers and MFP. I can only imagine that’s what you’re seeing here.

    I use a Fitbit so it usually syncs ok, hopefully someone who uses an Apple device will come along and tell you more.
  • clubbybear
    clubbybear Posts: 30 Member
    If you start a workout on your Apple Watch for the walk, it will transfer the calories burned from the walk to MFP. I think it doesn’t count steps thinking they would be included in your normal activity level. All my Apple Watch workouts transfer fine.
  • gbernst
    gbernst Posts: 5 Member
    Thanks for the replies. It shows the steps and the exercise; however, it does not show the calories burned for both items.
  • springlering62
    springlering62 Posts: 8,455 Member
    What @clubbybear says. It doesn’t count calories unless you start a “walking” workout because it doesn’t have any way to know if those are just normal steps you take during the day.

    The rest of your steps are accounted for by the activity level you’ve set in MFP.

    For example, I usually get 15 - 18k steps, but only 5-7k of those are actual walks or runs. I’m set at very active. The walks and runs are intentional workouts, the rest are accommodated by my preset fitness level.
  • gbernst
    gbernst Posts: 5 Member
    Interesting. Since the steps show up (and count toward calories) on days that I don't ride the bike, I was expecting it to count both.
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    what's your activity level on MFP? If you're set to active, I don't think it will give you any extra calories for 8000 steps because outs already accounted for that in your activity level.
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    what's your activity level on MFP? If you're set to active, I don't think it will give you any extra calories for 8000 steps because outs already accounted for that in your activity level.

    OP - this ^ would indeed be the issue if you had a FitBit. If it's not relevant, than you have something Apple Watch specific going on.
  • gbernst
    gbernst Posts: 5 Member
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    what's your activity level on MFP? If you're set to active, I don't think it will give you any extra calories for 8000 steps because outs already accounted for that in your activity level.

    Activity level is set to "Lightly Active". I don't have a fitbit, but I use the activity / workout on my Apple Watch.

    Perhaps a couple of screenshots would help. I'm attaching my Friday and my Saturday exercise areas. You will note on Friday it gave me credit for 107 calories which would have only been from walking. On Saturday it gave me no calories from walking 9596 steps (according to the Health app on my iPhone), but gave me credit for biking for 35 minutes.

    ps0ciouo1h1a.png
    marpluuyb1mk.png
  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 10,093 Member
    gbernst wrote: »
    lynn_glenmont wrote: »
    what's your activity level on MFP? If you're set to active, I don't think it will give you any extra calories for 8000 steps because outs already accounted for that in your activity level.

    Activity level is set to "Lightly Active". I don't have a fitbit, but I use the activity / workout on my Apple Watch.

    Perhaps a couple of screenshots would help. I'm attaching my Friday and my Saturday exercise areas. You will note on Friday it gave me credit for 107 calories which would have only been from walking. On Saturday it gave me no calories from walking 9596 steps (according to the Health app on my iPhone), but gave me credit for biking for 35 minutes.

    ps0ciouo1h1a.png
    marpluuyb1mk.png

    So, I'm not familiar with the differences in how different devices sync up with MFP. I suggest you look @kshama2001 's post above for more informed advice.
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  • ama3387
    ama3387 Posts: 242 Member
    I have the same problem with my Apple Watch so I have an app called pacer that syncs my steps from my Apple Watch to mfp
  • yasiral
    yasiral Posts: 133 Member
    I an not syncing apple watch anymore. As some people have mentioned here, I take an average of my rest calories and move calories. Add them both gives me TDEE. Now I subtract calories out of that number based on lb/week loss that I am aiming for.

    e.g. if my averagerest calories are 2400 and my move calories are 800, my TDEE is 3200 and to loose 2lb/week I need to eat 2200 calories (1000 deficit). If you want to eat half of your exercise/move calories only, add half of move calories to rest calories and subtract deficit out of it.
  • gbernst
    gbernst Posts: 5 Member
    If I stop synching the watch, is there a place that I can just add the steps as exercise at the end of the day?
    TIA
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 28,052 Member
    edited September 2019
    gbernst wrote: »
    If I stop synching the watch, is there a place that I can just add the steps as exercise at the end of the day?
    TIA

    Yes, your exercise diary: https://www.myfitnesspal.com/exercise/diary/ but you add time rather than steps.

    I use "Walking, 3.0 mph, mod. pace, walking dog"

    Note: if you do strength training, you would also log it in the Cardiovascular section - the Strength Training section is just for notes and does not add calories.
  • TwistedSassette
    TwistedSassette Posts: 8,825 Member
    I think it is to do with your activity settings in MFP, as others have said. I work a desk job so mine is set to sedentary, and I get a calorie adjustment from my Apple Watch steps every day - like yesterday, where I only did 4,000 steps for the day, I got a small calorie adjustment since MFP had anticipated zero steps:
    ogqb5gmrbl3s.png

    The thing is, I'm not sure what MFP sees as the regular amount of activity for each setting. "Lightly Active" might mean an average of 10,000 steps!

    One thing you can try, is change your setting to sedentary for a few days and see whether you get the adjustment then. The fact that you're getting an adjustment line in your exercise log at all suggests that the link between the Apple Watch and MFP is working fine, so it's just a matter of getting the MFP settings right for how you want to see it.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited September 2019
    I always thought of lightly active as about 10,000 steps, although who knows. I started at sedentary, was losing more than expected, did consistently get 10,000 plus steps pre exercise (I live in a city so walk regularly in daily life), and so switched to lightly active and then added back intentional exercise.
  • Whatpatience
    Whatpatience Posts: 11 Member
    Most likely your apple watch is trying to adjust by adding negative calories, but you haven't allowed that in mfp settings so it ends up as zero.

    You add calories when you excercise, but to be accurate your watch also needs to subtract the calories you would have burned if you were not active during that time period. Here's an example of how that's supposed to look:

    75iwq6n9ae0k.png
  • mmduluth
    mmduluth Posts: 3 Member
    ama3387 wrote: »
    I have the same problem with my Apple Watch so I have an app called pacer that syncs my steps from my Apple Watch to mfp

    I’ve been using Pacer to sync my steps as well and it works perfectly. If I walk on the treadmill as soon as I wake up, and use the indoor walk as an activity on my Apple Watch, I get the adjustment for exercise calories and a negative adjustment for steps as it counts the steps on the treadmill as part of the workout and subtracts them so they aren’t double counted. Throughout the day as I get more steps in that negative adjustment lessens to account for the steps. It works perfectly for me.

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