Setting Up MFP With Garmin Connect

jagillham

Hi all,

I started counting my nutritional intake earlier this week on Excel, and have upgraded to MFP yesterday. I'm a little confused how this all works, so some help would be great.

A little about me, I'm 34, 6ft & 157lb. Always been very skinny/lean/weedy (delete as appropriate! ). Office job, and prior to lockdown in March 2020 did almost zero exercise. Have never really paid too much attention to what I eat. Ate fairly sensibly, although got through plenty of chocolate - could easily demolish a sharing size chocolate bar in one go. I guess just one of them annoying people who gets away with eating loads!

Since March 2020 I've really got into my running. I've done a marathon, several halfs, and clocking up 30-40 miles a week on average over the last 18 months. Despite all that, I'm still basically the same size & weight as when I did nothing.

When I set up MFP I originally put myself down as very active, with 4hrs exercise per week. However, now I've linked it to my Garmin watch, I understand I should be setting MFP to zero exercise, and using the Garmin sync to bring through the true exercise data.

As an adult male looking to maintain current weight I was expecting to see a goal of 2500 calories, plus more for the exercise. Yesterday we had Papa Johns pizza (1800 calories per half! ), but I also ran 6 miles.

On the day I'm showing as 2626 calories consumed, but a daily goal of 1,785. There is a note under saying *You've earned -305 extra calories from exercise today. I presume something is set up wrong, as presumably I should be earning +something!

On Garmin I show as 629 active Calories + 2061 resting. Then also says Adjusted goal 3010 + 629 active calories = 3639 adjusted. Then 3639, minus 2625 consumed, to leave 1014 remaining.

Looking through it now, I think MFP has added on the previously disclosed exercise, and then Garmin has done the same to double count it? Now I've today put MFP to Little Activity / Zero Exercise...should it work out properly today?

Thanks!

Lietchi

Just to clarify: MFP's activity level setting has nothing to do with exercise, it's meant for how active you are outside of exercise: walking to/from work, taking care of pets/household chores, activity at work,...

Aside from that: the easiest is to set yourself at sedentary and that way any activity you do adds calories to your budget (provided you reach sedentary level, which is around 3000 steps outside of exercise).
But even if you don't choose sedentary, there still shouldn't be any double counting: MFP compares your total calorie burn as per Garmin with your (theoretical) total calorie burn as per MFP's activity level +exercise.
Choose sedentary and you'll (normally) see calories added to your budget) - choose a higher activity level and the calorie adjustment will be smaller or even negative, depending on how active you were AND if you've enables negative calorie adjustments.

After adjusting activity levels, the sync can be a bit 'wonky' for a day or two (while the system makes the necessary adjustments everywhere).
How many calories does Garmin say you burn daily? You can check that under Calories (not Calories In/Out!) in the Connect app.

jagillham

Thanks for the quick reply!

Garmin Connect has me down for around 400-600 average daily. Which is normally a couple of 600 runs, and a long run at 1500+.

On top of that I play indoor football once a week. I don’t wear the watch for that. I’d guess around 600 calories there. Currently also walking kids to school and back 3 times a week (4 miles each day). So maybe I need to factor that in too somewhere?

Lietchi

jagillham wrote: »

Garmin Connect has me down for around 400-600 average daily. Which is normally a couple of 600 runs, and a long run at 1500+.

On top of that I play indoor football once a week. I don’t wear the watch for that. I’d guess around 600 calories there. Currently also walking kids to school and back 3 times a week (4 miles each day). So maybe I need to factor that in too somewhere?

That's not what I asked I was asking about your total calorie burn for the whole day. That's what will determine the adjustment you'll get on MFP.

You don't need to 'factor in' walking your kids to school and back, your Garmin registers those and so it will be included in your sync.

PS: Garmin's exercise calories are gross calories (including BMR) - to avoid double counting you'll get calories 'taken away' through your calorie adjustment (not noticeable for shorter periods of exercise, but very noticeable for longer periods of exercise (for example all-day hike).

PPS: Once your sync is working as it should, time will tell if Garmin estimates your calorie needs accurately. If you start losing weight while you're set at weight maintenance on MFP, you can conclude Garmin is underestimating and you can eat more.

jagillham

Just to caveat, I only wear the Garmin for running. So any other walking / general living is not logged past Garmins estimate.

I’m showing 11,691 for last week total, but no data for Sat / Sun. Week before I’m showing something for every day, but has a random really low resting day. I don’t really get that. On the days I have resting shown, seems to be a fixed 2044 daily.

jagillham

P.S - I think the no data days are when I’ve remembered to turn it off. Normally it sits in a drawer still on. Guess Garmin assumes if watch not on I’m in a some kind of frozen inactive state!

Lietchi

If you're not wearing your device all the time, then syncing Garmin Connect with MFP is a bad idea. MFP will assume that all your activity is included in the number Garmin Connect sends over, but it isn't.

You're better off using a TDEE calculator then for a fixed daily calorie goal, or choosing an activity level (not including exercise) and logging exercise separately.

jagillham

Thanks for the help. Checked TDEE, and was almost exactly same as Garmin had. So long as I keep the watch switched on, that’ll seem to be ok. I’ll only be missing the odd walk and the football.

What I’ll probably do for the moment though is wear the watch for a few weeks to let it all settle in.

Thanks again