Does anyone know of tools that can get us our FitBit data and MFP data in a graphable format?
norman_cates
Posts: 95 Member
tldr; Anyone know of tools that will let us get our data from MFP and Fitbit in a graphable format?
Over the last 9 months, I have found that neither MFP nor Fitbit let us see our data in any useful form. By useful I mean Calorie difference vs weight vs theoretical weight over time.
MFP doesn't give us total calories burned in any exports. Fitbit exports long term data in JSON files that require immense munging to get the data in a graphable format.
Neither will let us see graphs of this information overlayed on each other.
Attached is the kind of graph that would be useful.
This shows the difference between calories expended and calories consumed. And I added a calculated line that shows my theoretical weight, based simplistically on 3500 calories deficit SHOULD result in 1 pound weight loss.
So it shows my actual weight, it shows the calorie difference and my theoretical weight. With a 7 day moving average to smooth out the expected spikes and so on.
You can see on that one graph, that there is a correlation between calorie difference and weight loss. Good.
And that it is no where near the theoretical weight loss. This is basically expected since all of this (calories in and calories out) are all estimates based on statistical data. There will be errors and so on. And our bodies use these macros in different ways.
The point of this graph is to see how I'm doing based on the theoretical numbers that we get given. And to be able to make changes based on actual data.
In my case, I have been scrupulous about recording EVERYTHING that has gone in my mouth, and letting my FitBit record my exercise and energy expended.
Note that all these numbers came from FitBit since the data exports MFP give us do NOT contain base energy expended. ONLY exercise energy. They need to give us that base energy data.
There are NO numbers that they give us as an export that tell us the calorie difference for us.
There are no graphs that they give us that show these values on the graphs all together.
And imagine if we could ALSO graph the percentage energy from macros on there.
We could maybe see what happens when we are eating carbs or fat or protein in different proportions.
Imagine being able to see if a different proportion of macros affected our weight loss. Or body composition. Or body measurements.
MFP and Fitbit collect a lot of data, and we enter a lot of data.
But then we can't DO anything much with it.
Imagine that MFP became a site where you could visualise your progress and how various things affected you.
Imagine being able to pull the FitBit sleep data in and see if when I'm getting enough sleep, maybe my weight is stable. And vice versa.
It is mind boggling to me that none of these companies give us tools to be able to see historical trends and correlations.
I have asked them to add these, and have either been ignored, or told they aren't interested in giving us that information.
The only way to make change is for many people to ask them for this information.
Or create a competing product that takes money away from them.
If we are interested in being able to see your data in a way that lets you make informed changes, then we have to ask for it. Or find or make other tools.
Over the last 9 months, I have found that neither MFP nor Fitbit let us see our data in any useful form. By useful I mean Calorie difference vs weight vs theoretical weight over time.
MFP doesn't give us total calories burned in any exports. Fitbit exports long term data in JSON files that require immense munging to get the data in a graphable format.
Neither will let us see graphs of this information overlayed on each other.
Attached is the kind of graph that would be useful.
This shows the difference between calories expended and calories consumed. And I added a calculated line that shows my theoretical weight, based simplistically on 3500 calories deficit SHOULD result in 1 pound weight loss.
So it shows my actual weight, it shows the calorie difference and my theoretical weight. With a 7 day moving average to smooth out the expected spikes and so on.
You can see on that one graph, that there is a correlation between calorie difference and weight loss. Good.
And that it is no where near the theoretical weight loss. This is basically expected since all of this (calories in and calories out) are all estimates based on statistical data. There will be errors and so on. And our bodies use these macros in different ways.
The point of this graph is to see how I'm doing based on the theoretical numbers that we get given. And to be able to make changes based on actual data.
In my case, I have been scrupulous about recording EVERYTHING that has gone in my mouth, and letting my FitBit record my exercise and energy expended.
Note that all these numbers came from FitBit since the data exports MFP give us do NOT contain base energy expended. ONLY exercise energy. They need to give us that base energy data.
There are NO numbers that they give us as an export that tell us the calorie difference for us.
There are no graphs that they give us that show these values on the graphs all together.
And imagine if we could ALSO graph the percentage energy from macros on there.
We could maybe see what happens when we are eating carbs or fat or protein in different proportions.
Imagine being able to see if a different proportion of macros affected our weight loss. Or body composition. Or body measurements.
MFP and Fitbit collect a lot of data, and we enter a lot of data.
But then we can't DO anything much with it.
Imagine that MFP became a site where you could visualise your progress and how various things affected you.
Imagine being able to pull the FitBit sleep data in and see if when I'm getting enough sleep, maybe my weight is stable. And vice versa.
It is mind boggling to me that none of these companies give us tools to be able to see historical trends and correlations.
I have asked them to add these, and have either been ignored, or told they aren't interested in giving us that information.
The only way to make change is for many people to ask them for this information.
Or create a competing product that takes money away from them.
If we are interested in being able to see your data in a way that lets you make informed changes, then we have to ask for it. Or find or make other tools.
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Replies
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Love your graphs. Care to share your spreadsheet?
Have you looked at the hackers diet by John Walker? He created lots of tools for charting, trend fitting and graphing various data related to your diet.0
